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1] A collection of maybe 50? civil documents spanning five centuries prior to the Penny Black and showing the evolution of writing to native language, using paragraphs and punctuation and legible, uniform script. Moving from parchment to handmade, then manufactured paper.

2] April 1676 Bishop mark letter. ( The first stamp showing pre-paid postage was 1680 and the first use of stamp marking was 1661.

3] March 1787 letter, the first date cancelation showing the year.

4] Two continental examples of wrappers with hand stamps, penmanship and wafers for sealing. Nobles and the church continued to use private dispatch.

5] Two letters illustrating the extent to which the public went to avoid postage cost. You paid for each extra sheet. A third letter shows a common abuse of the postal and that was refuse a delivery. This was conisdered a big problem by authorities. Postage was paid by the receiving party.

6] Four examples of free franking for the privileged lords. It was widely and openly abused. You just needed a signature on the cover. The example here is signed by Prime Minister Robert Peel, famous for his work establishing a police force. The letters were collected before stamps. Signed Prime Minister Lord Balfour who declared a home state for the Jewish people and Prime Minister John Russell who led the infamous response to the Irish famine, over a million died of starvation. These autographed covers were avidly collected by the public. A predecessor of philately. The autographs are usually cut to size like two of these are.

7] A contemporary article (1838) enthusiatically promoting postal reform.

8] A letter posted January 10 1840 the very first day of the penny postage. The first modern system of postage. Faint ink used on the hand stamp along with manuscript 1. Inking was done at the individual post offices and remained a problem for authorities until black over a red adhesive stamp was decided on. Note “In Parcel”

9] Tax Duty Stamps then in use. The British government asked the public to submit ideas for a better way to pay for postage. Charles Whiting offered his tax stamps.

10] an original plaster cameo set in embossed and colored design. It’s a shop display for Kirby needles. Almost certainly made by Charles Whiting’s firm. The Kirby archives were lost in a fire but Whiting produced their packaging.

11] Charles Whiting commemorative essay sheet showing four examples of his proposed designs for a stamp.

12] Two hand colored examples of Valentines sent by mail before the postage stamp. These were popular and influenced the inception of a design first adopted and quickly abandoned.

13] Mulready envelope issued May 1840, the second full week following the introduction.

14] An unused example of a privately printed envelope (front only) mocking the Mulready design. Many of these lampoons were produced by the staioners whose livelyhood was threatened by a government issued cover.

15] The Mulready was discarded but the illustrated remained popular. Two examples from the U.S., One political, the other advertising.

16] 1829 cover and letter showing the complication with hand cancelation. Of interest the predecessor (blue) Maltese cross cancelation that is thought to evolved from the manuscript X-mark.

17] May 1840 Penny Black cover and complete letter, an IOU.

18] 1841 Penny Black cover. The red cancelation was discarded the following year because it too easy wash and reuse the adhesive stamp. The 1/2 is a surcharge. Notice both of these have no street address. 19] An interesting example of the Penny Red which replaced the Black because black used with the cancelation. This particular cover mailed to Canada adds a surcharge in Canada of a half cent and quarter cent. It travelled half way around the globe. 20] U.S. Mail coach list a individuals charged for service, 1842.

21] City Despatch Post hand cancelled cover and letter, 1843. The City Despatch Post was sold to the U.S. government, which renamed it the "United States City Despatch Post". The government began operation of this local post in 1842. I'm not clear about the timeline here.

22] City Despatch Post 2 cent and a 3 cent. The City Despatch Post was the first stamp issued outside of Britain. Wkipedia says this was the firt adhesive postage stamp. 23] Eight examples of private postage in the US.

14] Cover with the 5-cent Benjamin Franklin stamp and another separate example.

15] Nine covers showing examples of the world’s first adhesive stamps outside of Britain and the U.S. And the Brazilian Reis individual stamps (just because I like them)

16] #25 Plate 1, 3 cent on cover with a clear 1857, first US perforated

17] Two March 1854 Penny Red, first full month of the perforated stamp.

18] Mint sheet of 80 Queen Victoria blue-green jubillee stamp.

19] English portable desk 1850-60 in the gothic taste. With the penny postage letter became popular. In 1839 76 million letters were mailed annually. The following year it soared to 169 million. By the time this desk was made some 500 million letters were mailed annually.

20] Three covers with two letters from a Civil War soldier. An optimistic letter dated 1861. A gloomy letter dated 1862.

21] Next day delivery on December 25th 1850s. Extraordinary service that we dont even have today. A letter could be sent anywhere in the country for one penny, as long as it was under half an ounce. The sender of the Christmas envelope mailed pressed flowers.

22] Paris balloon carried letter 1870, because Paris was under seige.

23] Early pre-printed marketing mail, which today is one of the post offices chief sources of revenue.

24] 1872 cover from France to New Orleans, USA with detailed instructions for the postman.

25] A 19th century French hallway mail box. A customers personal mail box with his name.

26] Stamps remained unchanged basically for a century until February 1964, Sierra Leon issued the first self-adhesive stamp which today has replaced the perforated stamp.

27] A full sheet of the ill-fated first foray into self-adhesive stamps. The Peace on Earth Christmas 10 cent.

28] The Congressional Globe June 8, 1872. The Post Office announces the introduction of the post card.

29] Prior to the postcard, businesses mailed cards with a stamp and address on one side and the graphic on the other side.

30] American Bank Note Company (?) 1 cent green, a forunner of the postcard. I believe patented 1871. Rather shabby example.

31] The first government issued prepaid post card was issued in Austria. This card dates from 1870

32] A Brtitish card dated Oct. 1, 1870 the first day of issue for the British postcard. This example includes art on the back.

33] UX1 with (red and black) art on the back side and clearly dated July 1873. The first US government issued card.

34] An early popular picture post card 1893. The Chicago Worlds Fair

35] Almost certainly the first use of an image from photograph on a postcard. 1882, The Bavarian State Exhibition.

36] 1898, the first year of the private mailing card with an early example of an image derived from photograph in the US.

37] Penny Postage Centenary edited Samual Graveson, 1940.