Penny Black
Country of production	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Location of production	London
Date of production	1 May 1840
Nature of rarity	World’s first adhesive postage stamp
Number in existence	Unknown
Face value	1-Penny
Estimated value	£3- 4,000 (mint)

A Penny Black, with a red cancellation that was hard to see and easily removed.

A rare large mint block of the Penny Black.

The Jacob Perkins’ press, that printed the Penny Black and the 2d Blue, in the British Library Philatelic Collections.

The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year.

All London post offices received official issues of the new stamps but other offices throughout the United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept postage payments in cash only for a period. Post offices such as those in Bath, began offering the stamp unofficially after 2 May.

The idea of an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage was part of Sir Rowland Hill’s 1837 proposals to reform the British postal system; it was normal then for the recipient to pay postage on delivery. A companion idea, which Hill disclosed on 13 February 1837 at a government enquiry, was that of a separate sheet that folded to form an enclosure or envelope for carrying letters. At that time postage was charged by the sheet and on the distance travelled.

Postal delivery systems using what may have been adhesive stamps existed before the Penny Black. Apparently the idea had at least been suggested earlier in Austria, Sweden, and possibly Greece.^[1]

[edit] Treasury competition

Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system, and together with Henry Cole he ran a competition to identify the best way to pre-pay letters. None of the 2,600 entries were good enough, so Hill launched the service in 1840 with an envelope bearing a reproduction of a design created by the artist William Mulready and a stamp bearing a representation of the profile of the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria. There are also references on the record to covers bearing the Mulready design. All British stamps still bear a picture or silhouette of the monarch somewhere on the design, and are the only postage stamps in the world that do not name their country of origin, leaving the monarch’s image to symbolise the United Kingdom.

In 1839, the British Treasury announced a competition to design the new stamps, but none of the submissions was considered suitable. The Treasury chose a rough design endorsed by Rowland Hill, featuring an easily recognisable profile of 15-year-old former Princess Victoria. Hill believed this would be difficult to forge. The head was engraved by Charles and Fredrick Heath based on a sketch provided by Henry Corbould. Corbould’s sketch was based on the cameo-like head by William Wyon, which had been designed for a medal used to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria to the City of London in 1837.^[2][3] The word “POSTAGE” appeared at the top of the stamp (revenue stamps had long been used in the UK) and “ONE PENNY.” at the bottom, indicating the amount that had been pre-paid for the transmission of the letter to which it was affixed. The background consisted of finely engraved engine turnings. The two upper corners contained star-like designs and the lower corners contained letters designating the position of the stamp in the printed sheet; “A A” for the stamp at the top left, and “T L” for the bottom right. The sheets, printed by Perkins Bacon, consisted of 240 stamps in 20 rows and 12 columns. In this way, one full sheet cost 240 pennies or one pound sterling. One row of 12 stamps cost a shilling. As the name suggests, the stamp was printed in black ink.

Although 6 May was the official date that the labels became available, there are covers postmarked 2 May, due to postmasters selling the stamps from 1 May. A single example is known on cover dated 1 May 1840.^[4]

The Penny Black was in use for only a little over a year. It was found that a red cancellation was hard to see on a black background and the red ink was easy to remove, making it possible to re-use stamps after they had been cancelled. In 1841, the Treasury switched to the Penny Red and issued cancellation devices with black ink, much more effective as a cancellation and harder to remove. However, the re-use of stamps with the un-cancelled portions of two stamps to form an unused whole impression continued, and in 1864 the stars in the top corners were replaced by the check letters as they appeared in the lower corners, but in reverse order.

[edit] Imprimatur sheets

When sheets of the Penny Black were first printed various postal and other officials took the liberty of removing various numbers of stamps from their sheets to present as gifts to dignitaries and other important people. These sheet portions are commonly referred to by collectors as “imprimaturs” or “imprimatur sheets”. There are approximately 850 of these sheet portions in the British Postal Museum which also include overprints for British Bechuanaland, Oil Rivers, Levant and Zululand and also departmental overprints such as Army and Inland Revenue.^[5]

[edit] Printing

The Penny Black was printed from 11 plates, but as plate 1 was completely overhauled due to excessive wear, it is generally considered to be two separate plates, 1a and 1b. Plate 11 was originally intended solely for the printing of new red stamps, but a small number were printed in black. These are scarce.

The stamps were printed in unperforated sheets, to be cut with scissors for sale and use.

An original printing press for the Penny Black, the D cylinder press invented by Jacob Perkins and patented in 1819, is on display at the British Library in London.^[6]

[edit] Rarity

The Penny Black is not a rare stamp. The total print run was 286,700 sheets with 68,808,000 stamps^[7] and a substantial number of these have survived, largely because envelopes were not normally used: letters in the form of letter sheets were folded and sealed, with the stamp and the address on the obverse. If the letter was kept, the stamp survived. However, the only known complete sheets of the Penny Black are owned by the British Postal Museum.^[8]

[edit] The VR official

In addition to the general issue of the Penny Black, a similar stamp was produced with the letters V and R in the top corners replacing the stars, intended for official mail. Following the general public’s acceptance of the postage stamps and the ridicule of the Mulready stationery produced at the same time, vast supplies of the letter sheets were given to government departments, such as the tax office, for official use and the idea of introducing an official stamp was abandoned. Only a few postally used examples exist, which probably originated from the Post Office circulars sent out as advance notice that the new stamps would be brought into use. Four are known on covers; all were cut from their envelopes and then replaced. Most of the cancelled examples are from trials which were made of cancellation types, inks, and experiments with their removal. These trials led to the change from black to red stamps, and vice versa for the cancellations.

The VR official is stated^{[attribution needed]} to have been made from the original master die. However, this cannot be the case as this die still exists with the original stars intact, in The British Postal Museum & Archive in London. It is believed that the master for this stamp was produced from the transfer roller used for the production of plate 1 with the stars removed from the top corners, as some impressions show traces of these original stars.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• List of British postage stamps
• List of notable postage stamps
• Mauritius “Post Office”
• Penny Red
• Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain
• Two penny blue

[edit] References and sources

References

Sources

• Golden, Catherine J. (2009). Posting It: The Victorian Revolution in Letter Writing. University Press of Florida. ISBN 978-0-8130-3379-2. 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Penny Black

• The digitised R.M. Phillips Collection of Victorian philately
• The 1840 Penny Black at the American National Postal Museum
• These stamps are the legends of the hobby Linns.com Refresher Courses
• Penny Black Catalog Information

Massey Ferguson Limited

Type	Subsidiary of AGCO
Industry	Agriculture
Founded	1958
Headquarters	Duluth, Georgia, USA
Products	Agricultural machinery, Consumer & Commercial Equipment, Financial Services, Tractors
Website	masseyferguson.com

A 1928 Wallis

A standard-tread^[1] 1948 Massey-Harris 20

A Massey Ferguson MF 3660 tractor from the early 1990s

Massey Ferguson 6490 from the mid-2000s

Massey Ferguson Limited was a major agricultural equipment manufacturer which was based in Canada before its purchase by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger between Massey Harris and the Ferguson tractor company in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However in 1958 the name was shortened for the first time to coin the brand Massey Ferguson. Today the company exists only as a brand name used by AGCO, but remains a major seller around the world.

[edit] History

The firm was founded in 1847 in Newcastle, Ontario by Daniel Massey as the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory. The company began making some of the world’s first mechanical threshers, first by assembling parts from the United States and eventually designing and building their own equipment. The firm was taken over and expanded by Daniel’s eldest son Hart Massey who renamed it the Massey Manufacturing Co. and in 1879 moved the company to Toronto where it soon became one of the city’s leading employers. The massive collection of factories, consisting of a 4.4 hectare (11 acre) site with plant and head office at 915 King Street West, became one of the best known features of the city. Massey expanded the company and began to sell its products internationally. Through extensive advertising campaigns he made it one of the most well known brands in Canada. The firm owed much of its success to Canadian tariffs that prevented the larger US firms from competing in Canada.^{[citation needed]} A labor shortage throughout the country also helped to make the firm’s mechanized equipment very attractive.

[edit] Massey-Harris Co.

In 1891, Massey merged with the A. Harris, Son & Co. Ltd. to become Massey-Harris Co. and became the largest agricultural equipment maker in the British Empire. The company made threshing machines and reapers as well as safety bicycles, introducing a shaft-driven model in 1898.^[2] In 1910, the company acquired the Johnson Harvester Company located in Batavia, New York, making it one of Canada’s first multinational firms.

Massey-Harris built models including the Massey-Harris GP, Massey-Harris Pacemaker, Massey-Harris Pony, Model 20, Model 81, Model 101, Model 744

[edit] Sawyer-Massey

In a complex turn of events, the Massey family turned to steam engine builder Sawyer of Hamilton, Ontario, and started a line steam tractors. These engines were quite successful and were built in a number of sizes. The 25 horsepower was popular, and the expanding Prairie provinces clamoured for big breaking engines. Massey also experimented with tandem compound engines. Sawyer Massey lasted only until 1910 when the firm was wound down, and Massey went into oil engines. Sawyer-Massey and Massey-Harris were two separate companies, both managed by the Massey family.

[edit] Wallis Gas Tractor and wider influence

Massey began experimenting with oil engines about 1910, with engines such as the Bulldog. However, success came only later in the 1920s with the Wallis line of tractors which was purchased by the firm.

In the 1930s, it introduced the first self-propelled combine harvester. Massey Harris also produced one of the world’s first four-wheel drive tractors. Hart Massey’s sons Charles, Walter, Chester and Fred became closely involved in the business and eventually took over its operations. They were, however, the last generation of Masseys to run the company. Other members of the family went on to other accomplishments: Vincent Massey became Governor General of Canada and Raymond Massey became a noted actor in American films. The Massey family used its fortune to improve the city of Toronto and many institutions, such as the University of Guelph, University of Toronto, Upper Canada College, Crescent School, Appleby College, Massey Hall and Metropolitan United Church, were partially financed by the Masseys.

[edit] Massey-Harris-Ferguson

In 1953, the company merged with the Ferguson Company to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson, before finally taking on its current name in 1958.

[edit] Massey Ferguson

The company shortened the name to Massey Ferguson in 1958, and tried to consolidate the two dealer networks and product lines. Its television and radio advertising featured an upbeat jingle, with a male chorus singing, “He’s a get-up-early, keep-’em-rollin’, Massey-Ferguson kind of a man.” But the company soon began to decline financially. Facing increasing international competition and an agricultural sector diminishing in importance, the firm began to struggle.

[edit] Sunshine

In 1955, Massey purchased the Australian H.V. McKay company, manufacturers of the brand Sunshine. Hugh Victor McKay had invented the stripper harvester in 1884, the first machine to combine the functions of reaping, threshing and winnowing grain from a standing crop. McKay later established a manufacturing base at Ballarat, and then transferred to Braybrook Junction, where he took over the Braybrook Implement Company Works and re-named it the Sunshine Harvester Works after the harvester’s brand name. Residents of Braybrook Junction subsequently voted to change the name of the suburb to Sunshine after the harvester in 1907. By the 1920s the H.V. McKay Company was running the largest implement factory in the southern hemisphere, covering 30.4 hectares (76 acres), and were leading the international agricultural industry through the development of the world’s first self-propelled harvester in 1924.

In 1930 the H.V. McKay Company was granted exclusive Australian distribution of Massey-Harris machinery. The company was then renamed H.V. McKay Massey Harris Pty Ltd. Throughout World War II H.V. McKay Massey Harris exported over 20,000 Sunshine drills, disc harrows and binders to England to facilitate the increase in food production.

[edit] Landini

In 1959, Massey bought 100% of Landini, based in Italy. Landini has built many models for Massey over the years, especially vineyard and crawler models. Massey sold 66% to ARGO SpA in 1989, some to Iseki later on, and the final portion was sold to AGCO in 2000. ARGO and AGCO still provide models to one another.^[3]

[edit] Perkins

In 1959 Perkins Engines of Peterborough, England, was purchased, Perkins having been the main diesel engine supplier for Massey Ferguson for many years. In 1990, Massey Ferguson took over Dorman Diesels of Stafford and merged it with Perkins to form Perkins Engines (Stafford) Ltd. In the 1980s, Perkins purchased Rolls Royce (Diesels) Ltd, to form Perkins Engines (Shrewsbury) Ltd. Perkins was sold off in 1998 by then owner LucasVarity to Caterpillar Inc., who were a major customer for their smaller and mid-sized engines; Caterpillar was a major producer of large diesel engines for static and mobile application.^[4]

[edit] Ebro of Spain

In 1966, Massey purchased 32% of the Spanish tractor and auto company Ebro, or Motor Iberica. Ebro had previously built Ford tractors under license, but now began building models for Massey, and Massey models under license. Massey sold its interest to Nissan in the 1980s.^[5]

In the early 1960s MF moved their Head Office from 915 King Street to the Sun Life tower at 200 University Avenue in the downtown core.

Starting in 1969, Massey Ferguson began producing a line of snowmobiles by the name Ski Whiz. The snowmobile line was discontinued in 1977, due to a decline in sales.

[edit] Conrad Black take-over

In the 1970s, Conrad Black, whose family had purchased control of Massey Ferguson’s parent company, Argus Corporation, became active in Massey Ferguson’s management. Under Black’s leadership, Massey Ferguson instituted significant cost-cutting programmes that returned the company to profitability. During the late 1970s, production was relocated to a new large facility in Brantford, Ontario. In 1978 Massey Ferguson was the first to introduce an electronic control system for the three-point hitch on a tractor.^{[citation needed]}

In 1973, Massey purchased the German company Eicher, and many Massey-licensed Eichers were built. They later sold their interest, and Dromson now owns the company. They now build specialized tractors for vineyards and such.

However, a world-wide decline in the agricultural equipment market combined with high inflation, high domestic interest rates and a major recession, caused Massey Ferguson to slip into a loss once again. In 1981, Argus donated its shares in Massey Ferguson to the employee’s pension plans, leading the way to a $250 million bail-out from the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario for the collapsing company which later renamed itself Varity Corporation. In the mid 1980s, Varity spun off several money-losing divisions into an entity called Massey Combines Corporation. Massey Combines Corporation was headquartered in Brantford, Ontario and became insolvent on March 8, 1998, and its assets were re-acquired by Massey Ferguson.

[edit] Fermec sale

In 1992, a management buyout of MF Industrial created the company Fermec, which finally ceased trading in 2001 when it was taken over by the Terex Corporation (Terex was formerly a unit of General Motors. This encompassed all construction equipment from Massey. It was then purchased by J.I.Case in 1997.^[6]

Varity left Toronto and relocated to their head offices to the Williams-Butler House at 672 Delaware Avenue in the Millionaire Row area of Buffalo, New York.

Despite some of the company’s hardships, Massey Ferguson was selling 25% more tractors than its nearest competitors at this time. In 1995 Massey Ferguson’s worldwide holdings were purchased by the US-based AGCO Corporation. In August 1996, Varity merged with Lucas Automotive to become LucasVarity.

After a series of mergers and take-overs, the remains of LucasVarity were taken over by the US company TRW. Since 1962, Massey Ferguson has been the world’s leading tractor brand.^{[citation needed]} Currently, there are more Massey tractors than any other, worldwide.

[edit] Models

Massey Ferguson developed a wide range of agricultural vehicles and have a large share in the market across the world especially in Europe. The companies first mass produced tractor was the Massey Harris Ferguson TVO which was quickly replaced by the Diesel 20. In 1958 the MF35, the first Massey Ferguson branded tractor (a Ferguson design) rolled off the factory floor. These tractors were massively popular and sold across the UK, Australia, Ireland and the United States.

The next big selling model was the MF135, widely popular because of its reliability and power compared with other tractors at the time.^{[citation needed]} This was the first model in the MF 100 series. These included the MF 135, 145, 148, 150, 165, 168, 175, 178, 180, 185 and 188.The same time the MF 100 series came out, the MF 1000 series was introduced. These include the MF 1080, 1100, 1130 and 1150. Later came the MF 550, 565, 575, 590, 595(500 series). From the mid 70s and early 80s came the 200 series tractor, which included the MF 230, 235, 240, 245, 250, 255, 260, 265, 270, 275, 278, 280, 285, 290, 298, 299.

In the mid ’80s the short-lived 600 series was released. This included the 675, 690, 690T, 695, 698 and 699. The reason for poor sale was due to poor looks and cab awkwardness compared to its predecessors.^{[citation needed]} In the late ’80s, one of the greatest selling tractors of all time was released- the 300 series Massey Ferguson. Excellent power, simplicity of cab, high range of gears and components made the MF 300 series a success especially in Europe. The range included the MF 350,362,375,390, 390T, 393, 394, 395, 398, and the most powerful and popular Massey Ferguson 399 with horsepower ranging from 72HP to 104HP.

In the mid ’90s the 6100 series and 8100 series were released, including the 6150, 6180 and 8130.

Massey Ferguson MF 8290 tractor towing a grain trailer

[edit] Today

Tractors that came after the 300 series included the 4200 range, the 4300 range, 3600 (early 90s), 3000/3100 (early to mid 90s), 3005/3105 (mid 90s), 6100 (late 90s), 6200 (late 90s/early 2000s), 8200 (late 90s/early 2000s), 5400 (present), 6400(present), 7400(present), 8400(present), and 8600(present).

AGCO/Massey factories build tractors for Challenger, Iseki and AGCO.

Massey Ferguson has become famous amongst sports fans in Spain, thanks to an advertisement regularly run on the radio program Carrusel Deportivo. In it, the host Pepe Domingo Castaño relates its many qualities and awards before singing a Corrido about the tractor.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Agricultural equipment-current production

[edit] Tractors

[edit] United States

• MF GC2400 – compact
• MF GC2600 – compact
• MF 500 series
• MF 1500 series – Compact
• MF 1600 series – Compact
• MF 2600 series – Utility
• MF HD2600 series – Utility
• MF 3600 series
• MF 5400 series
• MF 6400 series
• MF 7400 series
• MF 8600 series
• And the new MF 7600 series

[edit] Europe

• MF GC2300 – compact
• MF 1500 series – Compact
• MF 3000/3100 series (Beauvais France)
• MF 3600 series
• MF 3600VSF series
• MF 4400 series
• MF 5400 series
• MF 6400 series
• MF 6400 Panoramic series
• MF 7400 series
• MF 7400 Panoramic series
• MF 375E series

[edit] Combine Harvesters

[edit] United States combines

• MF 9005 (Rotary) series

[edit] European combines

• ACTIVA series
• BETA series
• CENTORA (former CEREA) series
• MF 3640 – MF 5650 series

[edit] Combine headers

• MF 1000 – MF 1200 series

[edit] Square balers

• MF 1800 series (Small)
• MF 2100 series (Large)

[edit] Round balers

• MF 163F – MF 169V series (European Balers)
• MF 2600 Hesston series (United States)
• MF 2700 Hesston series (United States)

[edit] Self-propelled windrowers

• MF 9000 Hesston Series

[edit] Planters

• MF 555 series

[edit] Loaders

• MF 900 series
• MF 250 series
• MF 300 series
• MF 100 series

[edit] Telehandlers

• MF 8900 series

[edit] AgTV

• MF 400 – MF 650 series

[edit] Grounds care

[edit] Gasoline ride-On mowers

• MF 2107 – MF 3320HE series

[edit] Professional mowers

• MF 2927D series

[edit] Product images

• 

  Massey Ferguson 35

• 

  Massey Ferguson MF 3660

• 

  Massey Ferguson 698

• 

  Massey Ferguson self-propelled combine in use

• 

  Massey Ferguson Super 90 Diesel

• 

  Massey-Harris Clipper Combine circa 1950

[edit] Licensees

Massey Ferguson is the most widely sold brand of agricultural machinery in the world. The brand and designs are or were licensed to a variety of companies around the world including:

• AEIG – Aftab Ekbatan Industrial Group, current exclusive licensee of Massey Ferguson Tractors in Iran
• Ebro – Spanish company purchased and later sold by MF.
• Eicher – German company purchased and later sold by MF.
• Farmwell – assembled by Samarakoon Tractor Industries Private Limited in Sri Lanka.
• GIAD – assembled by the Giad Automotive Industry Co in Sudan.
• IMT – Industrija Masina i Traktora in Yugoslavia.
• ITMCo – Iran Tractor Mfg Co in Iran. Own/sell under VenIran, TajIran, MFT and Eder Derdison names.
• Landini – Italian company purchased and later sold by MF.
• Millat – Millat Tractors in Pakistan.
• Sutcliff – license built
• TAFE – assemble and license designs, in India.
• TajIran – joint venture between Iran Tractor and Homa Company in Tajikistan. Assembles tractors.
• Ursus – former licensee in Poland.
• Uzel – Uzel Tractor Plant in Turkey
• VenIran – joint venture between Iran Tractor and Corporation Venezuela de Guayana in Venezuela. Assembles tractors.
• Zadrugar – of Yugoslavia. Built the MF 35 under license.

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• Pripps, Robert N. The Big Book of Farm Tractors. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books, 2001. ISBN 978-1-55192-393-2.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Massey Ferguson

This article’s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia’s policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references (November 2009)

• Massey-Ferguson Tractors
• Massey-Ferguson Tractors – UK/Ireland/Eire
• Massey-Ferguson Tractors – USA/Canada
• Massey Ferguson Tractors videos, YouTracktor.com
• Biography Harry Ferguson
• Massey-Harris-Ferguson Collection, University of Guelph
• Massey Ferguson Parts Catalogs Library, Massey Ferguson Parts Catalogs Library, Archival and Special Collections