1859 Lapirot 2d. deep blue, position 2, clear to good margins, cancelled by '16' numeral hs from Eastern Suburb, very small surface scuff on reverse, a rare usage in this issue Provenance: Burrus, Kanai (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. deep blue, horizontal pair, positions 9-10, cut very slightly into at lower left, complete margins in other respects, showing target cancels, small hole at left, a very rare pair Expertise: Cert. RPS (1959) (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. deep blue, position 11, a very fresh example with clear to wide margins, cleanly and neatly tied on large piece of cover to France by barred oval hs, showing red Fresh entry at right, 'GPO/JU20 1859/MAURITIUS' and Paris cds at top, very fine and rare (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. blue, position 5, large balanced margins all around, very good impression, cancelled by negative '3' barred circle from Souillac, thin spot in centre causing a tiny hole being barely noticeable, still though of outstanding appearance and with a very scarce cancellation in this issue (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. blue, group of five used examples, positions 1, 3, 7 (2) & 8, two with clear margins, oval bars or target cancellations, all with faults and two extensively repaired including position 3 which is also strongly damaged (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. blue, partial plate reconstruction including ten positions, 9 & 11 missing, most examples touched or cut into, cancelled by oval bars or target cancel, mostly with faults (SG £32'500) (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d blue, horizontal pair, positions 10-11, very fresh displaying complete margins, carefully tied on folded cover from Port Louis to Bordeaux by oval bar cancels, carried via Marseilles and charged on delivery with '8' due marking on front, also struck with red Suez entry cds, showing 'GPO / JU20 1859 / MAURITIUS' and Bordeaux cds's on back, a clean, very attractive and rare usage Provenance: Arthur Hind, Vikram Chand Expertise: Signed Pfenninger, cert. RPSL (1978) (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. blue, horizontal pair, positions 11-12, mainly clear margins, slightly touched at top left, showing target cancels and affixed to a front which is split away from accompanying contents which are the second page of this letter from Port Louis to Marseille, France, endorsed 'P. Str. Northam - Via Suez', charged with '8' cachet due on receipt, backstamped with 'GPO / AU 8 1859 / MAURITIUS' cds the cover is soiled and with some creases, stains slightly affecting the franking, still though a rare early-impression usage Note: The P&O 'Northam' sailed from Sydney on schedule with the July mail and anchored in Port Louis on 7th August, and she left the next day for Aden and cleared the port on 17th August for Suez reaching on the 28th, after having been grounded on a reef in the Red Sea from 20th to 25th August, (and succeeding in getting the ship afloat) the 'Northam' put her mail on board the P&O 'Panther' which sailed for Marseille via Alexandria, where it arrived on 12th September Provenance: Vikram Chand Expertise: Cert. Holcombe (1995) and Brandon (2007) (Image)

1859 Lapirot 2d. blue, DOUBLE IMPRESSION at top, a largely margined example cancelled by barred oval hs, closed vertical tear -quite skilfully repaired- from the top to the bottom tablet, and tiny portion portion of the margin at right also repaired, nevertheless an extremely rare variety, this example being, according to our knowledge, the only recorded in the early impressions (Image)