First Adhesive Postage Stamp Medallion

Never gave the little postage stamp much thought until after I acquired this medallion. It began in England 172 years ago and has shaped and influenced the way communication and delivery of goods has evolved to this day......

England's early postal system of the 1830's was expensive. The sender of a letter did not have to pay postage and the better part of a day's earning could be spent to receive a letter by the recipient as cost was determined by pages and distance. Many of the poorer folk could simply not afford this and devised a coded letter. When the recipient read the first line in code they would then refuse the mail. The postal system operating in this manner was not only inefficient but non-profitable.

In the mid 1800's distance communication by people whether it be leaving home for work or vacation, contacting friends in other cities, business or religious related was all by letter writing. Postal reformer Sir Rowland Hill's analyzation of England's postal system brought fourth a new and revolutionary idea. The idea for sending a simple letter for one penny to anywhere in England using an adhesive postage stamp paid for by the sender. In August 1839 British Parliament passed the Penny Postage Bill and in 1840 the first adhesive postage stamp named "Penny Black" with the image of Queen Victoria was introduced. Almost immediately England's postal system was more efficient and profitable.

Sir Rowland Hill's postal reform not only allowed Victorians to communicate to further geographic regions but also changed how postal systems would operate around the world.

This very ornate 1890 medal commemorates 50 years ( 1840 -- 1890 ) of the reform of penny postage.