Penny Black printing plates Penny Black printing plates The printing plates for the Penny Black, two pence blue and the VR official were all constructed by Perkins Bacon, the printers of the first postage stamps issued in Great Britain. The construction of these plates was long and complicated, which was intentional so as to make the forgery of the finished article almost impossible. The first stage involved the engraving of a background for the design. This was produced with a rose engine which laid down a circular pattern of symmetrical design onto a piece of soft steel. This was then partly cleared to leave
Penny knife on an axle mounted through a steel-bolstered wooden handle. Penny knife The penny knife dates from the 18th century and was a very basic utility knife, originally with a fixed blade. It received the name "penny knife" for what it reportedly cost in England and America during the late 18th century: one penny. The famous "Fuller's Penny Knife" helped build the reputation of Sheffield, England, cutlers in the pre-industrial era of the early 18th century. The "penny knife" would later evolve into a very simple, mass-produced pocketknife with a folding blade, which pivoted freely in and out of the handle