Blue Mauritius: The Hunt for the World's Most Valuable Stamps

by Helen Morgan

Follow the adventures of the world's most sought-after postage stamps—from a tropical Indian Ocean island to the hushed atmosphere of the modern auction room—in this dramatic and passionate tale of the first stamp hunters. In September 1847 colored squares of paper were stuck on to envelopes and used to send out admission cards to a fancy-dress ball on the tropical island of Mauritius. No one at the party would have guessed that these stamps would one day be worth more than a million dollars. When a two-pence "Blue Mauritius" surfaced on the fledgling French stamp-collecting market in 1865 it gained instant celebrity. Soldiers, schoolboys, and the entire German nation became obsessed with finding one of these extremely rare examples. When in 1903 a perfect specimen, discovered in a childhood album, was bought at auction by the Prince of Wales, the Blue Mauritius gained superstar status. Even now, "Post Office Mauritius" stamps are synonymous with fame, wealth, and mystery. The most coveted scraps of paper in existence, this is their story—from their birth during days of sail, taking them from Port Louis to Bordeaux, India and Great Britain, Switzerland and Japan, into the hearts and imagination of collectors everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2006

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am not a thief, Madame, I knew there was some mistake....For a few minutes they were mine; that is enough" (41).

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable study of the 1847 1d and 2d stamps of the British colony of Mauritius—this book falls into my category of “non-fiction that reads like fiction”. It’s probably a more enjoyable read if you’re a stamp collector, but Morgan’s narrative of stamp collectors, dealers and others involved with the Mauritius stamps is as fascinating as it is well-researched and written. Highly recommended!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read of the historical perspective of one of the world's most rare and beautiful stamps. The information is well researched and organized. It was exciting to read of the first finds, the changing of hands and watching the price rise through time. As a stamp collector I highly recommend adding this to your personal library as I did, finding plenty of used reasonably priced copies online.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great job by this historian of covering these stamps and the history of stamp use, stamp collecting, stamp discovery, and stamp auctions and sales. I read a different stamp history book before this one and I much prefer historians to "journalists" when covering this topic. Helen Morgan made it relevant and entertaining.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of the 26 known examples of the Post Office Mauritius stamps.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed history of the Mauritius Post Office stamps that became among the most valuable in history. Read as research on a project.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!!

Very enjoyable and well researched book. Will send many people searching in the attic for old letters. Nice book for stamp collectors.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed, academic reference work, cleverly disguised as an entertaing historical narrative. Captures the quirks, obsessions and crimes of philatelists.