First piece of mail sent with postage stamp could fetch up to $2.5 million at auction

The first known piece ofmailsent using a postage stamp is about to hit the auction block at Sotheby's New York.

The Penny Black stamp dates to May 2, 1840. It features the young Queen Victoria’s head in profile with the words "Postage One Penny" on handmade watermarked paper with gum on the back.

“Penny Blacks aren't rare, I mean, because they were so widely used,” said Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books and Manuscripts. “However, this is the first case of it being used successfully, and that is often what defines the collectability of an object."

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While the contents of the letter have been lost, the postal markings reveal a clear picture of its journey.

It was sent from London on the evening of Saturday, May 2, to a 35-year-old manager of an iron works, William Blenkinsop Jr., in Dalston, Cumbria, 75 miles to the west of London. Although the original sender remains unknown, the markings on the envelope reveal a journey of over 300 miles.

“I think within 10 years of this being introduced in 1840 in England, themailwent from 75 million pieces annually to 350 million pieces annually. So, it was, it was incredibly popular,” Austin said. “This is really one of the first great leaps forward in human communication.”

Sotheby’s estimates it could sell for between $1.5 million and $2.5 million.

The live auction takes place on February 2 in New York City.