Two Penny Blue stamp value: identify the right issue

Start with an identified price, not the blue color

Samwells Postal History lists the following used 1840 stamps by catalog reference, plate and lower corner letters. The prices describe those individual offerings, including their photographed condition. They show why a name alone is insufficient: the same issue can have several asking prices, and a later perforated blue stamp requires a different comparison.

Keep the stock reference beside your notes so you can revisit the actual specimen. Before comparing margins or cancellation, check whether the description mentions a fault. Warwick & Warwick’s often-repeated £10–£15 examples refer to later issues in 2021; that historical figure is neither an October 2026 quote nor a price for every original.

The white lines are your first sorting test

Read POSTAGE at the top and TWO PENCE at the bottom, then look just inside those inscriptions. The 1840 design has no added horizontal white line below POSTAGE or above TWO PENCE. The revised 1841 design has both lines. Look at the whole strip, since a cancellation can hide part of a line and make a later issue seem earlier.

Do not confuse those lines with the ordinary outer border or the white paper margin. Use a focused enlargement alongside an uncropped photograph. If you cannot see one strip because of ink, record the design as unresolved and inspect another part of the stamp. Calling every blue Victoria portrait an 1840 original skips the most useful identification step.

Separate the three early design groups

A practical sorting sequence is original imperforate without added lines, later imperforate with lines, then perforated issues with lines. Imperforate means the stamps were cut apart rather than separated along rows of holes. The earlier two groups can both have smooth edges, so smoothness alone does not identify the original.

Warwick & Warwick associates original 1840 stamps with plates 1 and 2, the line-added imperforates with plates 3 and 4, and the early perforated star-corner designs with plates 4, 5 and 6. Later designs also need their own catalog lookup. Keep the plate statement tied to its design group instead of applying one plate list to every TWO PENCE stamp.

Measure the edges before calling a stamp imperforate

For an imperforate stamp, inspect how much paper survives beyond the frame on all four sides. A cut into the design is a condition feature, not evidence of an earlier printing. For a perforated stamp, record the gauge and whether any sides are naturally straight because of the original format. Our perforation workflow explains the measurement.

A perforated stamp can be trimmed until its teeth disappear. Look for enough intact paper around the design to support the claimed format; an edge alone is not proof. Do not trim a specimen to compare it with a dealer image. Preserve the original size and photograph the reverse, where a crease or thinning may explain an apparently attractive low price.

Letters, plates and cancellations need separate notes

The lower check letters locate the stamp within a sheet. They do not print the plate number for you. When a dealer assigns plate 1 or 2 to an original, the identification depends on specialist details as well as the lettering. Retain a previous certificate or plating reference and check that the same letters and physical faults match your piece.

Record the cancellation independently: color, shape, legibility and how much of the design it covers. Keep any complete letter intact, because date, rate and destination provide more information than a detached single. The Penny Black guide explains the related corner-letter system without implying that the two denominations have interchangeable prices.

Choose the next reference for your particular group

Once the design group is established, use a catalog to narrow paper, watermark, perforation and shade. A watermark may settle a later-issue question that the portrait cannot. Work with the watermark guide and preserve any observation that remains uncertain rather than selecting the most expensive suffix.

For a group of Victorian stamps, keep separate rows for Penny Black, Penny Red and each Two Penny Blue issue. The Penny Red guide helps with red lookalikes and later visible plate numbers. Bring a specialist the exact unresolved feature, such as an original plate attribution or suspected trimmed edge, rather than asking whether an entire album is rare.

Compare a like-for-like price

Use the catalog identity, format and condition together when looking for a comparable. A single, pair, booklet pane and complete cover belong in different searches. A catalog number without its suffix can leave out the very feature that explains the price. Keep the catalog publisher and edition in your notes so another collector can reproduce the identification.

Our old stamps price list gives a broader set of dealer offers to compare after identification. Make two lists: currently offered examples and completed sales. In the first, record the asking price and whether postage is extra; in the second, record the date, currency, lot contents and any buyer’s premium. Keep the original currency until you have made the comparison.

An expensive listing can be an optimistic seller, a different variety or a much better specimen. Read the description and examine the photographs before adding it to your comparison. If three apparent matches disagree widely, investigate their differences rather than averaging their prices. A small bundle of ordinary stamps also needs a bundle comparison, because selling costs can exceed the value of a single.

Inspect the front, back and edges

Begin with the item as you found it. Photograph the front and reverse under neutral light and keep every edge visible. Look for tears, thin spots, creases, missing perforation teeth, staining and repairs. Describe a fault by its location, such as a short tooth at the upper right, so it can be checked against the image.

For an unused stamp, record whether gum is present and whether a hinge mark or residue remains. For a cancelled stamp, note how much of the design is covered and whether a place or date can be read. The stamp condition guide explains the vocabulary for a useful description. Do this before comparing a sharp, centered dealer example with your own copy.

Keep a stamp on its complete envelope or card while researching it. The address, date, rate and other postal markings can explain how it was used. A loose-stamp price will not describe that combination. Avoid cleaning the paper, tracing a faint mark or trimming an edge to make the item look tidier; each would change evidence you are trying to read.

Check your stamp from a photo

Place one stamp on a plain background and photograph it straight on. Include the full outline and focus on the printed design, not the album page behind it. Use the free checker below for a first identification and value estimate, then compare its suggested issue with the specific features in this guide.

Add collector notes with observations that the picture does not show clearly: a measured perforation, a legible inscription, original gum, an attached envelope or a catalog reference already written in the album. Write observations rather than the rare variety you hope to find. Save the original photograph so you can compare it with a later close-up.

See the photo identification workflow for lighting and focus. If several stamps are attached as a pair or block, keep them connected and describe that format in your notes. For a whole album, take individual photographs of representative issues before working through duplicates.

Build a useful collection record

Assign the item a simple reference and keep its photographs, candidate catalog number, measurements, condition notes and price comparisons together. Separate what you have observed from what still needs checking. For example, a visible numeral is an observation; a catalog identity that depends on a watermark is a candidate until that watermark is established.

When asking a specialist for help, send the full front and back, a close-up of the disputed feature, the measurements you took and the reference you used. Ask one concrete question: which issue fits these features, is the plate reading correct, or does this format match the catalog description? That makes a response easier to assess than a photograph accompanied only by a large price.

If you have several similar stamps, keep the ordinary examples for comparison. Differences are easier to see when the specimens are side by side under the same light. Store each securely without adhesive touching its surface, and keep any certificate with the corresponding item. Revisit the record when you obtain better evidence rather than giving every duplicate the most expensive identity.

Frequently asked questions