Identification
How to Identify a Penny Black
A genuine Penny Black is black, imperforate (with no perforations), and shows the young Queen Victoria in profile, with POSTAGE along the top and ONE PENNY along the bottom, blank stars in the upper corners and check letters in the lower corners. It was usually cancelled with a Maltese Cross, often in red. If your stamp is red-brown, it is a Penny Red, not a Penny Black.
At a glance
How to identify a Penny Black, step by step
Check the colour.
It must be black. A red-brown stamp of the same design is a Penny Red.
Check the edges.
A Penny Black is always imperforate, separated by scissors, so the edges are plain, not perforated.
Check the design.
It shows the young Queen Victoria in profile, facing left.
Read the inscriptions.
POSTAGE runs along the top and ONE PENNY along the bottom.
Look at the corners.
The upper corners hold blank stars, the lower corners hold two check letters.
Look at the cancellation.
It was usually cancelled with a Maltese Cross, often in red.
Telling it apart from a Penny Red
The stamp most often confused with a Penny Black is its successor, the Penny Red, which shares the same design. Colour is the deciding test: black is a Penny Black, red-brown a Penny Red. Perforations also tell, since a Penny Black is never perforated while many Penny Reds are. Our guide to Penny Black versus Penny Red covers this in full.
Beware reprints and forgeries
Caution before assuming value
Because it is so famous, the Penny Black has been reprinted, imitated and forged, so caution is wise, especially before assuming value. Genuine examples show consistent margins, correct corner letters and a period Maltese Cross cancellation, but forgeries and "improved" stamps exist, so it pays to know how to spot a fake or repaired stamp. For any example you believe to be valuable, seek an expert opinion and, ideally, a certificate. Our guide to spotting a valuable stamp and our quality and grading standards explain how we protect buyers.
What it is worth
Confirming a genuine Penny Black naturally raises the question of value. It is iconic but not rare, so a worn used example is affordable while fine, unused and scarce examples are worth far more. Our Penny Black value guide sets out the figures.
Frequently asked questions
Check that it is black and imperforate, shows the young Queen Victoria with POSTAGE above and ONE PENNY below, has blank stars in the upper corners and check letters in the lower corners, and a Maltese Cross cancellation.
Genuine examples match the colour, design, corner letters and cancellation, but forgeries and reprints exist, so any valuable example should be expertly examined and certified.
Colour decides it: black is a Penny Black, red-brown a Penny Red. A perforated stamp cannot be a Penny Black, which is always imperforate.
No. The Penny Black is iconic but not rare, so worn used examples are affordable. Fine, unused and scarce examples are worth far more.
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Founder and stamp dealerLast updated June 2026