The 1847 Mauritius One Penny and Two Pence Post Office was one of the first stamps authorized by any British colonial government, the other being the Mauritius Two Pence Post Office. Designed by local engraver Joseph O. Barnard, the Mauritius issues feature an image of Queen Victoria and the inscription "Post Office" along the left edge. This inscription was later correct to read "Post Paid" on the next issuance of these stamps. There is only one known copy of the unused one penny issue bearing the Post Office inscription. In 1993, a copy from the Hiroyuki Kanai collection sold at a David Feldman auction for the sum of $1,072,260. A cover bearing both a one penny and a two pence issue, sold at the same auction for $3,829,500, the highest selling philatelic item to date.
No comments:
Post a Comment