Stamp collecting stamp collecting began at the same time that stamps were first issued, and by 1860 thousands of collectors and stamp dealers were appearing around the world as this new study and hobby spread across Europe, European colonies, the United States and other parts of the world. The first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued by Britain in May 1840 and pictured a young Queen Victoria. It was produced without perforations (imperforate) and consequently had to be cut from the sheet with scissors in order to be used. While unused examples of the Penny Black are quite scarce, used examples
Compendium of postage stamp issuers (Q) QATAR. The agencies closed on 23 May 1963 when Qatar began its own service. Compendium of postage stamp issuers (Q) Each "article" in this category is in fact a collection of entries about several stamp issuers, presented in alphabetical order. The entries themselves are formulated on the micro model and so provide summary information about all known issuers. See the page for details of the project. Qatar had special treaty relations with Great Britain from 1916 until 3 September 1971, when it became an independent state. British Agency general issues were used at Doha from August 1950 and at Umm