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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

MAURITIUS 1860-1895

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Mauritius 1858 sitting Brittania issue

Stamps of Mauritius with cancel 'B64' were used in the Seychelles from 1860-1890. Examples:

1860 Queen Victoria in a circle, value in 'cents' or 'shilling'

  1 p brown
  2 p blue
  3 p orange
  4 p red
  6 p green
  6 p grey
  6 p lilac
  6 p green
  9 p lilac
  9 p green
  10 p red (different design)
  1 Sh brown
  1 Sh green
  1 Sh yellow
  1 Sh blue
  5 Sh lilac

Surcharged in 'pence'(1876-77)

  'HALF PENNY' on 9 p lilac
  '1/2 d HALF PENNY' (red or black) on 9 p lilac (non-issued)
  'HALF PENNY' (in two lines) on 10 p red
  'HALF PENNY' (in one line) and bar on 10 p red
  'One Penny' and bar on 4 p red
  'One Shilling' and bar on 5 Sh lilac

These stamps exists with overprint "CANCELLED", this overprint was applied to stamps sold in large quantities to stamp collectors (or dealers?). They are not very valuable with this overprint.

Surcharged in 'cents' or 'rupees' (1878)

  '2 CENTS' on (10 p) red (value erased in original stamp)
  '4 CENTS' on 1 p brown
  '8 CENTS' on 2 p blue
  '13 CENTS' on 3 p orange
  '17 CENTS' on 4 p red
  '25 CENTS' on 6 p blue
  '38 CENTS' on 9 p violet
  '50 CENTS' on 1 Sh green
  '2 Rs. 50 c.' on 5 Sh lilac

Overprinted twice

'TWO CENTS' on 38 c on 9 p violet (1891)

These stamps were first issued in 1860 without any watermark. In 1863 they were also issued with watermark 'CC crown'.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Typical cancels, the 'B53' was often used in Mauritius:

(B53 cancels, reduced sizes)

A booklet about the 'B53' (Port Louis) cancels has appeared: 'The B53 Obliterators of Mauritius' by Ken Baker. According to http://www.philatepat.net16.net/index.php?p=1_12 the following types exist (several sub-types exist):
1) oval 'B53' single cancel, three bars above and below the numerals.
2) Duplex B53 in combination with a 'MAURITIUS' date cancel; 'B53 is in a circle with three bars below and above the numerals.
3) Duplex B53 in combination with a 'MAURITIUS' date cancel; B53 is in a circle with four bars below and above the numerals.
4) Circular B53 cancel; four bars below and above the numeral (no duplex); rounded top of the '3'.
5) Circular B53 cancel; four bars below and above the numeral (no duplex); flat top of the '3'.
6) Oval 'B53' cancel in combination with a 'PORT LOUIS MAURITIUS' date cancel (duplex cancel), four bars above and below the numeral.

Type 1 'B53' cancel

Other numeral cancels are 'B44' to 'B65'. Not all numbers have been attributed to a particular post office for example the ones that are know are: 'B45' (Camp du Masque), 'B47' (St.Julien), 'B48' (Forest Side), 'B49' (Reduit), 'B53' (Port Louis), 'B64' (Seychelles) and 'B65' (Rodriguez Island).

Fournier forged overprint (taken from a Fournier album):

Forgeries, examples:

Primitive forgeries

Genuine stamps are engraved, the forgeries are lithographed. Comparison with a genuine stamp will reveal the difference immediatly, although I've seen them offered as genuine in prestigious Internet auctons.... These might be Oneglia forgeries.

These forgeries even have (fake oil) watermarks.

I have seen stamps with inverted overprints, genuine?:

The forger Sperati made a forgery of the 9 p value, here a blackprint of such a forgery.

1879 Queen Victoria, value in 'cents' or 'rupees'

  1 c violet
  2 c brown
  2 c green
  4 c orange
  4 c red
  8 c blue
  13 c black
  15 c brown
  15 c blue
  16 c brown
  17 c red
  25 c yellow
  38 c violet
  50 c green
  50 c orange
  2 R 50 c violet

Surcharged

  'ONE CENT' on 2 c violet (1892)
  'ONE CENT' on 16 c brown (1892)
  'TWO CENTS' on 4 c red (1891)
  'TWO CENTS' on 17 c red (1891)
  '2 CENTS' on 13 c black (1887)
  'TWO CENTS' on 38 c violet (1891)
  '2 CENTS' on 38 c violet (1885)
  '4 Cents' on 16 c brown (1900)
  '16 CENTS' on 17 c red (1883)
  'SIXTEEN CENTS' on 17 c red 

Overprinted 'Postage & Revenue' (1902)

  25 c yellow
  50 c green
  2 R 50 c brown

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

I have seen stamps with inverted overprints, examples:

Unlisted overprint '2 1/2' and bar on 4 c (probably a forgery):

Some stamp cancelled with a numeral cance (Barred numeral oval cancels)l:

(Numeral cancels '39' and '41')

These numeral cancels were introduced in 1869, they go from '1' to '43'. I know that the following numeral cancels belonged to the following post offices (not all numbers are identified to a specific town):

1: Port Louis
2: Flacq
4: St.Pierre
7: Mapou
8: Poudre d'Or
9: Riviere du Rempart
10: Flacq(?)
12: Riviere Seche
14: Mahebourg
15: Union Vale
16: Rose Belle
18: Grand Savanne
20: Cluny
21: Curepipe
22: Vacoas
24: Quatre Bornes
25: Rose Hill
26: Moka
27: Beau Bassin
28: Petite Riviere
32: Pailles
33: Riviere Dragon
34: Riviere des Anguilles
35: Chemin Grenier
37: Curepipe Road
38: Midlands
41: St.Pierre
43: Quartier Militaire

Forgeries, example:

(The above forgery even has an impressed watermark! It might be an Oneglia forgery)

Bogus issue 9 c green with bogus "462" numeral cancel and a circular 'CYPRUS"? cancel.

4 c forgery, possibly a cut from some kind of souvenir card.

Deceptive Sperati forgeries.

Mauritius 1896-1920 and miscellaneous

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer