Postage stamps and postal history of Mauritius

Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

, a small island in the southwest Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

, is of towering importance in the world of philately

Philately

Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...

for a number of reasons. Its first two postage stamps issued in 1847, the so-called "Post Office" stamps, are of legendary rarity and value. They were the first stamps issued in any part of the British Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

outside of Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. The unique cover bearing both “Post Office” stamps has been called "la pièce de résistance de toute la philatélie" or "the greatest item in all philately". The cover was sold at auction, in Zurich, on 3 November 1993, for 5.75 million Swiss francs (inclusive of 15% buyers premium), the equivalent of about $4 million – the highest price ever paid for a single philatelic item. Mauritius, in addition, is well known for the subsequent locally produced issues known as "primitives," also prized by collectors.

Pre-adhesive stamps

Mauritius’ first post office was opened on December 21, 1772 when the island was under French rule. Mail was delivered internally and by ship to and from France and India. Great Britain took over the island on December 3, 1810, and continued the overseas mail service. The internal service apparently dwindled and terminated but was revived in 1834. A few pre-stamp markings, applied by rubber stamp, exist from the 1780s during the French administration, and more are known from the subsequent British period..

The Victorian period

In 1847, Mauritius followed Great Britain in issuing stamps carrying the image of the current regent of Great Britain, Victoria, which practice would be followed throughout the British Empire. Most of the early issues of Mauritius were locally designed and produced and have a distinct “primitive” character

Primitives (stamps)

Primitives in philately, also called natives, refer to postage stamps that were crudely designed and printed as compared with the sophisticated productions of industrialized countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States. A number of such stamps were produced in the classic stamp period...

The "Post Office" stamps

On September 21, 1847, Mauritius issued two stamps, an orange-red one penny

£sd

£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...

(1d) and a deep blue two pence (2d) . The words "Post Office" appear in the left panel, but were changed to "Post Paid" in the following issue, and are the source of the stamps' common name. The "Post Office" stamps are among the rarest stamps in the world, and are of legendary status in the world of philately.

Five hundred of each were printed from a single plate bearing both values, many of which were used on invitations sent out by the Mauritian Governor's wife for a ball which she was holding that weekend.

The stamps were engraved by Joseph Osmond Barnard

Joseph Osmond Barnard

Joseph Osmond Barnard was born in Portsmouth, England. He was a miniature painter and engraver who engraved the rare Mauritius "Post Office" stamps. He died in Mauritius on 30 May 1865.-References:...

, born in England on August 10, 1816, who stowed away on a ship to Mauritius in 1838.. The designs were based on the then current issue of Great Britain stamps (first released in 1841), bearing the profile head of Queen Victoria and issued in two denominations in similar colors: one penny red brown

Penny Red

The Penny Red was a British postage stamp, issued in 1841. It succeeded the Penny Black and continued as the main type of postage stamp in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until 1879, with only minor changes to the design during that time...

and Two pence blue

Two pence blue

The Two Penny Blue was the world’s second official postage stamp, issued after the Penny Black.It was issued in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and was first sold to the public at the London Inland revenue office in the afternoon of May 8th 1840. Except for its denomination of the...

. Although these locally-produced stamps have a distinct primitive character, they made Barnard’s “name immortal in the postal history of Mauritius” .

The words "Post Office" in the left panel were replaced in the following issue by "Post Paid." A legend arose later that the words "Post Office" had been an error. The "Post Office" stamps and this legend are discussed in greater detail in the Mauritius "Post Office" article.

The "Post Paid" stamps and subsequent "primitives"

Following the “Post Office” stamps, Mauritius released several stamps also bearing Queen Victoria's profile, locally designed, and primitive in appearance.

In 1848, Mauritius issued the first denomination (two pence) of the "Post Paid" issue, one and two pence stamps closely similar to the "Post Office" issue also engraved by Barnard. The one penny orange was issued in 1854.

In 1859, Mauritius released a third design, a two pence stamp very crudely engraved by Jules Lapirot, and known as the "Lapirot" issue. The stamp was described as "the greatest libel upon Her late Majesty Queen Victoria that has been ever been perpetrated" and it was nicknamed in France as the tête de singe (monkey head) issue.

In 1859, the two pence blue was re-engraved by Robert Sherwin. The final local product was a one penny red and two pence blue lithographed

Lithography

Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...

by L. A. Dardenne in 1859.

The “Post Paid” through the Sherwin issues were printed in sheets of 12 and stamp collectors have “plated” or reconstructed full sheets from individual or pairs of stamps, relying on small variations in the individual plates. The sheet size of the Dardenne issue is unknown.

To the end of the Victorian period

From 1859 to 1862, Mauritius issued several stamps in the "Britannia

Britannia

Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...

" design finely engraved by Perkins, Bacon & Co.

Perkins Bacon

Messrs. Perkins, Bacon & Co was a printer of books, bank notes and postage stamps, most notable for printing the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamps, in 1840.- Origins :...

and printed in London, and previously used in Trinidad (1851) and Barbados (1852). These stamps were issued during the period when Mauritius was also issuing locally produced stamps. From 1859 to 1902, Mauritius issued stamps typical of those of colonies of the British Empire, including a number of stamps depicting Queen Victoria in profile and stamps with Mauritius' coat of arms.

The Twentieth Century

The twentieth century issues of Mauritius, like those in other British colonies, generally depicted the current monarch, Edward VII, George V

George V of the United Kingdom

George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....

and George VI, and Elizabeth II, as well as Mauritius' coat of arms. In 1950, Mauritius began issuing more colorful stamps with images or scenes of local interest.

Independence (March 12, 1968)

Mauritius achieved independence on March 12, 1968. Its stamps thereafter depicted colorful images relevant to the island, such as wildlife and plants, local scenes and important persons. The early stamps of Mauritius have been reproduced several times on commemorative issues.

Postal stationery

The first items of postal stationery

Postal stationery

A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related service has been prepaid...

to be issued by Mauritius were envelopes in 1861 followed by postcard

Postcard

A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....

s in 1879 and registration envelopes in 1891. Newspaper wrappers were first issued in 1896 and lettercard

Lettercard

In philately a lettercard or letter card is a postal stationery item consisting of a folded card with a prepaid imprinted stamp. The fact that it is folded over gives the writer twice as much room for the message compared with a postal card. The message is written on the inside and the card is...

s were first issued in 1909. All these items of postal stationery were last issued in 1938 and when stocks run out they were discontinued. Aerogrammes were first issued in 1953 and are the only items of postal stationery currently available.

Pre-adhesive stamps

The Victorian period

The "Post Office" stamps

The "Post Paid" stamps and subsequent "primitives"

To the end of the Victorian period

The Twentieth Century

Independence (March 12, 1968)

Postal stationery

See also