 As a collection field, philately appeared after the introduction of the postage stamps in 1840, but did not gain large attraction until the mid-1850s.Some authors believe that the first philatelist appeared on the day of the release of the world's first postage stamp, dated to May 6, 1840, when the Liverson, Denby and Lavie London law office sent a letter to Scotland franked with ten uncut Penny Blacks, stamped with the postmark “LS.6MY6.1840."