Stamp colour changes from black to red in 1841
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| Red MX postmark | Black MX postmark |
Hence the Penny Red was born
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| Plate 10 |
Plate 11 |
| Penny reds printed from the same plates used to print Penny blacks | |
The Penny Red continued to be used until Dec 1879
The colour of the stamp was changed from black to red in Feb 1841 so that the cancellation would be more visible on the stamp, and so the stamp could not be re-used. Originally the cancelation was in red but was changed to black for the Penny Red. Penny Blacks are known with both red and black cancelations. |