We all know the famous Penny Black, but how original was it? There have been claims much earlier than 1840 for the first adhesive stamp, and Penny Posts in British towns and cities had been authorised for over a century. Sir Rowland Hill’s postal reforms combined a universal penny post for a letter, with a pre-paid adhesive stamp for the postage. But could these revolutionary changes have been influenced by a proposed penny post in the North Wales town of Wrexham.

   Here merchants and industrialists were invited to provide financial backing for a town penny post and prepaid postage stamps went through some test printings so the organisers could demonstrate how it would work. The stamps even had the profile of King William IV on the 1d and 2d values, with Queen Adelaide on the halfpenny and George IV on a farthing value.

   Alas things did not go well. In 1837, before the service had started, the king had died, so had the artist who did an excellent job on the stamps, and Hill’s reforms were announced. So the project was cancelled. Many of the stamps already printed are in the possession of a descendant of the chairman of the service. He refuses to release any of them for fear of passing on a curse that is said to accompany the stamps. Nearly all of those involved suffered unexplained deaths, flood, hauntings, ugly children, bancruptcy. unfaithful spouses and so on. However some examples appear from time to time. Only the brave collector will put these stamps in their collection, though many do, but labelling them as fake or bogus to stay the curse.