Penny Black VR official Penny Black VR official The VR official was one of three postage stamps introduced by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in May 1840 for the pre-payment of postage. While the Penny Black and the Two Pence Blue were for use by the general public, as were the Mulready envelopes and letter sheets, the VR official was for use on official mail. In appearance the VR Official was the same as the issued Penny Black except that the Maltese crosses in the top corners were removed and replaced by the letters V and R, hence its common name.
Penny dreadful such titles as "Boys' Leisure Hour, Boys' Standard, Young Men of Great Britain", etc. As the price and quality of other types of fiction works were the same, these also fell under the general definition of penny dreadfuls. Appearing in the 1860s, American dime novels were edited and rewritten for a British audience. These appeared in booklet form, such as the "Boy's First Rate Pocket Library". Frank Reade, Buffalo Bill, and Deadwood Dick were all popular with the penny dreadful audience. The penny dreadfuls were influential since they were, in the words of one commentator, "the most alluring and low-priced