Great Britain 1841 1d Pale Red-Brown (worn plates) Plate 61, SG9
A very fine unused, with original gum, imperforate example with large margins, lettered 'RA'.
Scarce in mint condition of this quality.
The 1841 penny red replaced the penny black. The cancellation colour was changed to black and the stamp colour changed to red-brown so that the black Maltese Cross would show clearly and prevent fraud from postal mark cleaning and re-use.
The 1841 penny red became the long-running imperforate work-horse of British mail until perforations were introduced in 1854.
By the mid-1840s demand for postage stamps was growing at a very fast pace meaning heavy use of printing plates and repeated cleanings left many 1d plates with lighter impressions, which collectors refer to as "worn plates".
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