GB 1 penny stamps

I will ignore the fact that until 1970 the stamps were "old money" 1d stamps and since then the decimalised 1p stamps.

There are surprisingly few 1 penny stamps in the 165 years from the issue of the Penny Black in 1840 until today. My approach in compiling the information is, as usual, to ignore the "invisible differences" between some stamps, i.e. watermarks, perforations, paper types, and graphite and phosphor identification strips (just this once, I will mention the simplified variants where I have the information).

Having included the 1929 SG435 which looks like a definitive but commemorates the 9th UPU Congress, it seems reasonable to show the only other three 1d GB stamps and complete the set. These are the 1924 British Empire Exhibition issue (GB's first commemorative), SG430, the 1935 Silver Jubilee SG454, and the 1940 Centenary of Postage Stamps issue, SG480.

Enthused by the success of this page, I have embarked upon an assemblage all the GB £1 stamps, here. Links from the monarchs' names are to a page summarising their reigns and those of their ancestors.

	Queen Victoria
1840 Sc1 SG2 1d black £3,750 / £225		Gibbons distinguishes between SG1 "intense black" (£5,000 / £300) and SG2, just "black" (£3,750 / £225). All the other GB firsts are shown here. I have indulged in the common modest conceit of buying one showing my initials.
1841 Sc3 SG8 1d red-brown £180 / £15		SG7 is the same design but printed from the Penny Black plates 1-11 and priced at £700 - £4,000 mint, £75- £250 used, depending on the plate.
		The first of my tangential excursions on this page is to the Prince Albert Consort Essay. These were not issued postally, but produced in 1850 by Henry Archer to practise his perforations on, having been advised not to play with images of QV. There are black, red-brown and blue examples. Further details here.
1854 SG17 1d red-brown £190 / £18		The simplified variants here are: 1854 SG17 wmk small crown perf 15 £190 / £18 1855 SG24 wmk small crown perf 14 £350 £45 1855 SG26 wmk large crown perf 16 £700 / £80 1857 SG40 wmk large crown perf 14 £40 / £9 Still looking for an "NB"
1858 SG43 1d red £15 / £2		Identifying letters top and bottom.
1880 Sc79 SG166 1d brown £15 / £10		Nearly an NB - still looking.
1881 Sc89 SG174 1d mauve £2.50 / £1.50		SG174, Die II has 16 dots in each corner. SG171 (Sc88), Die I with 14 dots is £125 / £25.
		It is unfortunate that the standard rate of postage increased to 1½d in the 1880s (I'm still trying to find out exactly when). This meant that there was no 1d value in the 1883 issue (not that much of a problem as they were rather prosaic), and (more significantly) for the 1887 QV Jubilee and the 1902 KEVII issues which are rather attractive. The 1½d values SG198 and SG221 are shown here.
	Edward VII
1902 Sc128 SG219 1d scarlet £2 / £1.50		There are shade, watermark and perforation variants. This is the stamp in GB's first stamp booklet.
	George V
1911 Sc152 SG327 1d carmine-red £4.50 / £2.50		SG336 has a different watermark £30 / £30
1912 Sc153 SG341 1d red £5 / £2		The difference between SG327 and 341 is the shading on the lion. SG345 (£8 / £3) and SG350 (£15 / £8) have different watermarks.
1924 Sc188 SG419 1d scarlet £1 / £1		The 1912 SG357 has a different watermark.
1924 Sc185 SG430 1d red £10 / £11		This, GB's first commemorative, is outside the brief of this page but is included to complete the set, as one of the three 1d GB commemoratives, see also SG454 and SG480. There was a very similar issue in 1925, the only difference being the year printed on it, Sc203 SG432, £15 / £25
1929 Sc206 SG435 1d red £2.25 / £2.25		This might be considered a commemorative rather than a definitive, but since I already have a copy, I will include it.
1934 Sc211 SG440 1d red 50p / 50p
1935 Sc211 SG454 1d red £1.25 / £1.50		Silver Jubilee The other GB 1d commemoratives are the 1924 SG430, the 1940 SG480 and probably the 1929 SG435.
	Edward VIII
1936 Sc231 SG458 1d red 60p / 50p		The brief, uncrowned reign of E8 resulted in a single issue of definitives, rather nicely simple and elegant in my view, following the rococo excesses of earlier stamps. Had he not abdicated, there were plans for some splendid issues to coincide with Edward's coronation. These were detailed in the August 2005 issue of Stamp Magazine. The Post Office invited printers Harrison and Sons to provide suggestions for designs, and also Mr Wilmot of the GPO. Individuals, famous and otherwise submitted their ideas. I particularly like Harrison's Tower Bridge, although it was rejected by the Postmaster General. The other four designs are from the great Dulac, Wilmot and two more pictorials from Harrison's. Thanks to Richard West for the article and the British Postal Museum and Archive for the images, taken from the article.
	George VI
1937 Sc236 SG463 1d scarlet 30p / 25p		The second stamp is an interesting variant, a German propaganda forgery, allegedly "produced at German Labour Camps" (according to Dauwalders, who have a large number available at the time of writing). A close examination - click the image - reveals a Star of David at the top of the crown and a Hammer and Sickle replacing the 'D' in the denomination, shown also in the enlarged detail.
		In 2006, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the issuing of stamps for the Three Kings in 1936, the Post Office released this miniature sheet (SG MS2658) showing the three 1d values (not stamps) plus a £3 QE2 which defined the price of the item.
1940 Sc253 SG480 1d red £1 / 40p		This commemorative is outside the brief of this page but is included to complete the set, as one of the three 1d GB commemoratives, see also SG454 and SG430. There was a similar issue in 1941 with a lighter background (wartime economy on the ink), SG486 30p / 30p.
1941 Sc259 SG486 1d pale red 30p / 30p		This was presumably another ink-saving ploy - see previous stamp.
1951 Sc281 SG504 1d light blue 30p / 30p
	QE2
1952 Sc293 SG516 1d blue 20p / 20p		This stamp is available in numerous alternative configurations: 1955 SG541 watermark variation 1957 SG562 two graphite lines on the back 1958 SG571 watermark variation 1958 SG588 graphite lines again 1959 SG600 phosphor on the front, graphite on the back 1960 SG611 phosphor bands on the front
1967 ScMH2 SG724 1d olive 10p / 10p		SG724 has 2 phosphor bands. The otherwise identical SG725 has one centre phosphor band
	decimal currency
1971 ScMH23 SG-X844 1p crimson 10p / 15p		SG-X844 1p crimson 2 phosphor bands SG-X845 1p crimson 1 centre band SG-X846 1p crimson 'all over' phosphor SG-X847 1p crimson 1 band left SG-X847Ea 1p crimson 1 band right SG-X925 1p crimson phosphor paper
1993 SG-Y1667 1p crimson 10p / 10p		This is the stamp currently on sale (Jan 2005). SG-Y1667 1p crimson 2 bands, elliptical hole in perf SG-Y1743 1p lake 2 bands (from booklet)

Data Sources:
Stanley Gibbons Collect British Stamps, 2003
Stanley Gibbons Stamps of the World, 2004
Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth and British Empire stamps 1840-1952, 2004

Page started 3rd January 2005