Two penny blue Two penny blue The Two Penny Blue or The Two Pence Blue was the world's second official postage stamp, produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and issued after the Penny Black. Initial printing took place from 1 May 1840, and in all 6,460,000 were printed from two plates until 29 August. Officially the stamps were valid for postage from 6 May but were only available from 8 May. It was first sold to the public at the London Inland revenue office on 6 May 1840. Except for its denomination, the design is exactly the same as
Penny sit-up Penny sit-up The penny sit-up was a Victorian era term to describe one of the first homeless shelters to be created for the people of Blackfriars, in central London. It was operated by the Salvation Army during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century in order to provide comfort and support to its destitute clients. What made this shelter unique was that in exchange for a penny, clients would be allowed to sit on a bench in a reasonably warm room all night long. Moreover, they were not allowed to lie down and sleep on the bench. A penny