Weekend: Antiques & Collecting: Magic of Midlands' Printers ; Harry Hawkes Examines the History of the Humble Postage Stamp From the 'Lick 'Em and Stick 'Em' Victorian Era to the Hi-Tech 'Abracadabra' Set of Magic Stamps Out of the Hat Next Week

Birmingham Post › March 12, 2005

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Summary

In the century and a half since the former Birmingham schoolmaster, Rowland Hill, invented the world's first pre-paid postal charge label, the Penny Black, the world's postage stamps have changed out of all recognition.

The first edition to the little square of paper was a watermark, a security device to deter forgers.

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Extract

Weekend: Antiques & Collecting: Magic of Midlands' Printers ; Harry Hawkes Examines the History of the Humble Postage Stamp From the 'Lick 'Em and Stick 'Em' Victorian Era to the Hi-Tech 'Abracadabra' Set of Magic Stamps Out of the Hat Next Week

Then came perforation holes to enable the stamps to be torn out of a sheet without having to find a pair of scissors and that basically was just about it.

Today you do not even have the bother of licking. Instead, the 'peel and stick' sheets of self adhes...

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