Stick that stamp
With email, WhatsApp and video calls, the art of writing a letter is slowly going out of fashion. One very important part of sending a letter was the postage stamp. A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that a sender buys from the postal department and then fixes onto the letter or parcel that he/she wants to send.
The first adhesive postage stamp – known as the Penny Black – was first issued in Great Britain in 1840. Each country has a range of stamps it issues to commemorate events or people. This is what it looked like:
Here is a look at some of the stamps issued by the Indian government:
How different do you think these are from the Penny Black?
Philately is the study of stamps and stamp collecting is a world famous hobby. However the two are not the same. To build a collection of rare and valuable stamps requires some level of philatelic knowledge.
Here is an activity-based game for you on stamps.