Great Britain postage stamps QV year 1858/70 1/2 d Complete set – all plates

Great Britain postage stamps from the reign of Queen Victoria (QV), specifically the ½d (half penny) issues between 1858 and 1870.

The ½d Queen Victoria Issues (1858–1870)

• First issued: 1 October 1870
• Reason: To cover the new “Book Post” and circular postage rate.
• Design:
  • Portrait of Queen Victoria facing left in a circular frame.
  • Inscribed “HALF PENNY” at the bottom.
  • Denomination ½d not shown numerically, only in words.
• Colours:
  • The original was rose-red (later lake-red).
• Printing: Surface-printed by De La Rue.
• Perforations: 14 (some varieties exist).
• Paper: Unwatermarked.

Key Points

• These ½d rose-red stamps (SG 48 and SG 49 in Stanley Gibbons catalogue) are the first ever halfpenny stamps of Great Britain.
• Issued 1870–1880, so strictly speaking not as early as 1858—the 1858–79 period mainly covers the 1d “Penny Reds” (plate numbers).
• The ½d was only introduced in 1870, so no halfpenny stamps exist before that date.

Collecting Notes

• Common but popular with collectors due to being the first of their value.
• Shades and plate varieties exist (rose-red, lake-red, etc.).
• Condition (perforations, centering, cancellations) heavily affects value.
• Mint, lightly mounted copies fetch more than used ones.