Mauritius 'Post Paid' 1d Orange and 2d Blue

Mauritius · 1847 · 1d Orange, 2d Blue

This issue features a profile portrait of Queen Victoria, engraved by Joseph Osmond Barnard. The design is simple, with the words 'POST OFFICE' inscribed on the left panel, 'MAURITIUS' on the right, 'POSTAGE' at the top, and the denomination ('ONE PENNY' or 'TWO PENCE') at the bottom. These stamps were printed locally in Port Louis from a single copper plate.

Issued under British colonial rule, these were the first stamps issued in any British colony. They are famously known as the 'Post Office' issue because of the inscription, which was changed to 'Post Paid' in the subsequent 1848 printing.