Great Britain · Classic
The Penny Red: The Penny Black's Successor
The Penny Red replaced the Penny Black in 1841 and served for over twenty years, becoming the everyday stamp of Victorian Britain. It shares the Penny Black's young Victoria design but is printed in red-brown, which showed a cancellation more clearly. Most Penny Reds are very common and inexpensive, but the field is full of interest, above all the legendary Plate 77, one of the most valuable stamps in the world.
At a glance
Why the Penny Red replaced the Penny Black
The Penny Red exists for a practical reason. The black Penny Black showed its cancellation poorly, and a determined sender could clean the mark off and re-use the stamp. Printing the same design in red-brown, and cancelling it in black, solved the problem at a stroke: the black mark showed clearly and could not be removed.
So in 1841 the Penny Red took over, and went on to become the workhorse stamp of the age, printed in vast numbers for more than two decades. Our Penny Black versus Penny Red guide shows how to tell the two apart.
The plate numbers, and Plate 77
The interest in Penny Reds lies largely in their plate numbers. The stamps were printed from many numbered plates over the years, and from 1858 the perforated Penny Reds carry a tiny plate number worked into the design. Collecting Penny Reds by plate, hunting for each number, is one of the classic pursuits of British philately. Most plates are common, but some are scarce, and one is legendary.
Plate 77, the legend
Plate 77 was found faulty and ordered to be destroyed, yet a very few stamps from it survived, which makes Plate 77 one of the most valuable and celebrated of all British stamps. Our guide to plate numbers explains where to find the number, and our Penny Red value guide covers the remarkable sums Plate 77 has reached.
The plate-number chase
A lifetime's interest, plate by plate
From 1858 a tiny plate number is worked into each Penny Red's design. Collecting them by plate, from the common to the legendary Plate 77, is one of the classic and most absorbing pursuits in all of British collecting.
How to recognise a Penny Red
A Penny Red shares the Penny Black's young Victoria profile but is printed in red-brown, and exists both imperforate (to 1854) and perforated (from 1854). The perforated issues carry corner letters and, from 1858, the plate number that collectors prize. Colour is the quickest way to tell a Penny Red from a Penny Black: black is a Penny Black, red-brown a Penny Red. Our guide to identifying the plate number and our Penny Black versus Penny Red comparison explain more.
What a Penny Red is worth
Most Penny Reds are very common and inexpensive, which makes them an ideal and affordable place to begin collecting Victorian stamps. Value comes from the scarcer plates, fine imperforate examples, unused stamps, and above all Plate 77. Our Penny Red value guide sets out the figures, plate by plate, including the remarkable sums Plate 77 has reached.
Collecting Penny Reds
So much for so little
Few stamps offer as much for as little as the Penny Red. A handful of pounds buys a genuine Victorian stamp over a century and a half old, and the plate-number chase gives the collector a lifetime's interest, from common plates to the great rarities. Whether you are starting out or seeking a particular plate, we are glad to help, each stamp honestly described and photographed front and back; browse our Great Britain stamps, or ask us what is available.
Frequently asked questions
The successor to the Penny Black, issued from 1841 for over twenty years. It shares the young Victoria design but is printed in red-brown, and became the everyday stamp of Victorian Britain.
Because a cancellation showed poorly on the black stamp and could be cleaned off, while a black cancellation on a red stamp showed clearly and could not be removed.
A Penny Red plate found faulty and ordered destroyed, of which a very few stamps survived. It is one of the most valuable and famous of all British stamps. Our Penny Red value guide explains.
Most are very common and inexpensive, making them ideal for beginners. Value comes from scarce plates, fine imperforate and unused examples, and above all Plate 77.
The workhorse of Victorian Britain
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Founder and stamp dealerLast updated June 2026