![]() ![]() Different values are used for mailing different weights and types of mail. There are many different types of stamps. Perforations leave the small scalloped edges around individual stamps that we are familiar with. These allowed people to tear stamps free of the big sheets instead of needing scissors. These are small holes around the edges of each stamp in a sheet. Early on, people cut the stamps off the sheets with scissors. ![]() Stamps are printed in large sheets, with many stamps on each one. On the back is a sticky substance (an adhesive) to keep the stamp stuck on the envelope. Ī stamp usually includes the country it is from, its value, and a design or image. The job of the stamp was to prove that the postage had been paid. Sir Rowland Hill argued that a low, standard cost to send a letter would mean more people would use the mail. And he proposed that the cost of sending a letter be the same, no matter how far it had to travel or how many pages it had. He suggested that the person sending the mail pay for the postage. After doing research, he wrote a proposal to the British government. But he was also interested in making the world better. He was a school teacher in Great Britain. Sending mail became much easier (and cheaper) when Sir Rowland Hill invented the postage stamp in 1837. This cost the post office a lot of money. When people refused their mail, the post office returned it to the sender. This way, the person receiving it got the news, but didn’t have to pay. Some people used tricks and sent secret messages on the outside of the letter. This system was a problem when the person receiving the letter could not afford to pay or did not want to. And it was often expensive! The cost was based on how far the letter traveled and how many sheets of paper it had. The cost of mail was usually paid by the person receiving it, not the person sending it. Collections of the Postal Museum, London.īefore the invention of postage stamps, this is how the mail worked.
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