The world's first adhesive postage stamp, issued in Britain in 1840. It was printed in black with an effigy of Queen Victoria, and had a value of one penny.
Anyone that knows him will realise that is as rare as a penny black.
Everyone knows Rowland Hill invented the penny black and the world was captivated by the idea.
However, if your ‘penny black’ was printed from a rare plate then it could command a price tag of £2,500.
They were singing about revolution and sticking penny blacks in an album.
The Glasgow of Collins's youth is something preserved in aspic, a violent place where a teenage boy had to sell his stamp collection - ‘a penny black with four clear margins and a tuppeny blue’ - to buy an electric guitar.