Post Office Mauritius（毛里求斯郵局）

Post Office Mauritius

Estimated value: US$1.67 million

Post Office Mauritius is an error postal stamp issued in Mauritius.

In September 1847, Lady Gomm, Mauritius' governor's wife, invited friends and celebrities to a ball. For the convenience of sending out the invitations, the Mauritius Post Office issued a set of stamps designed by Joseph Barnard, following the pattern of British stamps. However, the words of "Post Office" instead of "Post Paid" were engraved on the copper plate of the stamp, which produced a big mistake. A total of 240 pieces of this stamp were sold before the error was noticed.

There are only 26 known pieces of the Post Office Mauritius stamps that have survived to this day, including several 14 one-penny and 12 two-penny pieces. In 2011, a blue two-penny Post Office Mauritius was auctioned off for 1.05 million pounds (US$1.67 million) in the UK.