In 1840 the first stamp to be produced was said to be One Penny Black of Great Britain. It was created at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign, bearing the likeness of the young monarch. Stamps were originally introduced as labels so that mail could be pre-paid by the sender.Prior to this innovation, the recipient paid for all mail, which made for an expensive and inefficient system. Almost ten years later, stamp usage had become widespread throughout the world, with almost every major country issuing its own stamps.