Two Penny Blue

Two Penny Blue
Name	Two Penny Blue
Country	United Kingdom
Introduced	1840
Face value	Two pence
Designer	Sir Rowland Hill
Engraver	William Mulready
Printer	Perkins Bacon
Paper	Unwatermarked
Color	Blue

Two Penny Blue

The Two Penny Blue is an early British postage stamp issued in 1840 as a counterpart to the Penny Black, intended to prepay higher-rate letters and official mail. It occupies a pivotal place in philatelic history alongside Penny Black and Uniform Penny Post, and its production involved leading Victorian figures such as Sir Rowland Hill, Henry Cole, and printers like Perkins Bacon. Collectors, postal historians, curators at institutions like the British Museum and archives of the General Post Office study the Two Penny Blue for insights into Victorian administration, engraving techniques, and social communication networks.

Introduction

Issued in the same year as the Penny Black, the Two Penny Blue was authorized under reforms championed by Sir Rowland Hill and implemented by officials including Sir John Nicholl and Charles Knight. The stamp reflected changes stemming from the Uniform Penny Post debates and the passage of regulations administered by the General Post Office. Its dark blue design and higher denomination made it visually and functionally distinct from contemporary issues like the Penny Red and later commemorative releases overseen by the Postmaster General.

Design and Production

Design responsibility lay with reformers and artists associated with Victorian postal reform, notably ideas attributed to Sir Rowland Hill and artistic input from engravers tied to the Great Seal of the Realm traditions. The Two Penny Blue was engraved and printed by Perkins Bacon, the firm that also produced the Penny Black and worked with engraver William Wyon and draughtsmen connected to the Royal Mint. Die production and plate work involved craft practices similar to those used for banknotes by the Bank of England. The face shows the profile of Queen Victoria based on the Wyon "Young Head", set within a rectangular frame embellished with lettering indicating value and inscribed elements paralleling contemporary official stationery overseen by Henry Cole. Various printing plates, plate numbers, and control letters were recorded, and plate flaws and re-entries are cataloged by specialist societies such as the Royal Philatelic Society London.

Postal Use and Rates

The Two Penny Blue was issued to accommodate double-rate letters, overseas packets, and heavier domestic items under postal schedules revised after the postal reforms of 1840. Its two-pence denomination related to tariffs negotiated with packet services and treaties involving foreign postal administrations such as correspondence with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the United States before later treaty changes. Usage patterns are documented in ledgers of the General Post Office and in surviving covers held by the British Library and provincial archives including records from Liverpool and London. Rate anomalies and provisional usages linked to events like the 1840s postal crises prompted transit markings studied by postal historians affiliated with the International Philatelic Union.

Rarity and Collectibility

Surviving genuine examples of the Two Penny Blue are markedly rarer than contemporary Penny Blacks, making them highly prized among collectors associated with institutions like the Royal Philatelic Society London and auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's. Factors influencing scarcity include the lower print run, higher usage on multipart or registered correspondence overseen by the Office of the Postmaster General and destruction of used stock during routine handling at depots like Mount Pleasant Sorting Office. Condition matters: stamps with intact margins, original gum preserved from Perkins Bacon, and plate numbers intact command premiums at auctions conducted by houses including Robson Lowe. Expertization by committees within the Philatelic Traders' Society and certifications from authorities in the British Philatelic Trust mitigate forgery risks linked to forged cancels and forgeries traced to collectors studied by scholars at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Notable Examples and Provenance

Prominent examples have passed through renowned collections formed by figures such as John Edward Gray and later amassed by magnates whose estates were auctioned at Sotheby's and Christie's. A small number of Two Penny Blues on original covers with clear postal markings from the London to Edinburgh route and maritime packet routes to Newcastle upon Tyne have provenance recorded in catalogues belonging to the British Library Philatelic Collections. Some specimens once belonged to aristocratic collectors catalogued in sale catalogues of the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain and later entered public collections via bequests to the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Noteworthy auction records, plate identifications, and expert reports appear in periodicals such as The Philatelist and bulletins of the Royal Philatelic Society London.

Cultural Impact and Philately

The Two Penny Blue figures in exhibitions at institutions like the British Library and inspired scholarly treatment in journals published by the Royal Philatelic Society London and the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain. Its role in communicating Victorian social networks links it to studies of postal history by historians affiliated with University of Oxford and University of Cambridge and in museum displays comparing early adhesives with later commemorative issues like those celebrating Queen Victoria anniversaries. The stamp's scarcity and provenance stories continue to drive research by collectors and curators connected to societies such as the International Philatelic Union, ensuring the Two Penny Blue remains a touchstone in the narrative of nineteenth-century postal reform and collecting culture.

Category:Postage stamps of the United Kingdom