Penny Red - Question

Please what does the number 70 in the circle mean?
thank you

Good morning nicos
You are looking at a number 8.

Try turning the stamp sideways ! WM

good morning

Thank you

The 8 forms what is probably a 3 digit plate number......138. How it looks from here.

That appears as "138" to me as well.

Edit: There certainly were a lot of plate-numbers, from 1864 to 1879...

Roughly ten years before, these did not exhibit plate-numbers...

To avoid confusion the penny stars were printed and available up to the introduction of the 1d plates in 1864

First issued 1 April 1864 - letters in all four corners and plate number engraved on each stamp from plate 71 onwards until 27 October 1879 - last plate (225) put to press. 3 December 1879 - contract to print the Penny Red formally ended.

The era of the Penny Red came to its close at the end of 1879, along with Perkins Bacon's contract. It was superseded by the Penny Venetian Red printed by De La Rue, which was in use for a little over a year before being succeeded in turn by the long-lived Penny Lilac.

I have these, and collected over the years...


The 1d pale lilac(?), die I, postmarked at 101 Cannon St. in London in 1881, belonged to my late father. It was the first one I ever saw, naturally.

101 Cannon St. as it appears today...

Yes StampGuy64 a varied selection of nicely used surface printed copies.

Talking about dealers I've always been astounded with regards to the differential between commonwealth and GB stamp prices for a lot of the QV-GV issues.

I recently purchased this pair of Bahamas 6d QV 1884 vlmm for the princely sum of £4. >

On looking at a similar stamp (6d) issued in the same year, but for a GB stamp the asking price was £475. >

I realise there is the difference between supply and demand, but £2 as against £475 ?

The mind boggles!

Perhaps a topic on this subject would be more appropriate WM.