Mauritius: 1847 manuscript estimate for the production of the "Post Office"1d, 2d, postmarks, etc., by Joseph Barnard, dated 12th November, 1846.

The first British Colonial postage stamps were issued in Mauritius in 1847. These are the famous “Post Office” issue, so called because of the inscription in the left margin. The design and colours were based upon the then current stamps of Great Britian.

Joseph Barnard, a local watch-maker, engraved and printed the stamps from a single plate. His estimate for the work is shown here, (mounted on the page from the Tapling collection).

Altogether, only fourteen copies of the 1d orange-red and twelve copies of the 2d deep blue are known to exist today. These stamps are considered as some of the most famous and important of all the philatelic rarities.