Queen Victoria stamps

For the stamps of Queen Victoria there are two major aspects to the BPMA public record collections - the R M Phillips Collection and unique registration sheets. The R M Phillips Collection has recently been digitised. 

Find out more about the Phillips Collection and see the digitised images

Details of the registration sheets are also in our online catalogue, though not images of the sheets. 

Imprimatur sheets

During the 19th century a number of stamps were officially removed from each sheet as gifts to important people. Collectors describe these as “imprimaturs” and sometimes the sheets are called “imprimatur sheets”.

There are some 850 in the Archive including overprints for British Bechuanaland, Oil Rivers, Levant and Zululand and also departmental overprints such as Army and Inland Revenue.

Penny Black proof sheet

Despite this practice, we hold a complete proof sheet of the Penny Black. This is the most important Victorian item. The different check letters had not yet been inserted into each stamp.

Part of the Penny Black proof sheet

Submissions for the 1879 printing contract

Also included in the collection are all the submissions by various printers for the new 1879 printing contract. This changed the printing method for all stamps from recess (sometimes known as intaglio printing) to letterpress.

'Old Original'

No printing plates survive from the Victorian period. However, there are a small number of line-engraved (recess) steel dies including the “Old Original” for the Penny Black.

'Old Original' Penny Black die

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