BLUE PORT LOUIS "1d/TO PAY" MARKS - THE TWO TYPES ON COVERS EX CALCUTTA VIA CEYLON/ADEN; Very fine 6 June 1867 EL from Calcutta to Port Louis "P. Str. Golconda via Galle" with 8a Red tied by v. fine blue "B/1" octagon & firm's "Stamped" having a mainly very fine blue 1st-Type (narrow "1") Port Louis "1d/TO PAY" Postage Due mark alongside; plus matching fine 7 Dec. 1868 EL from Calcutta to P. Louis "via Bombay & Aden" with similar franking and a very fine 2nd-Type (thick "1") "1d/TO PAY" mark on the front, but also having a mainly fine small unframed red "ADEN/STEAMER POINT" cds (19 Nov.!) on the flap. Fine pair showing the two recorded types of the very scarce 1d charge mark. Both of Exhibition Quality. (2 covers)Cross Reference: INDIA, ACCOUNTANCY MARKS, CEYLON/SRI LANKA, ADEN (Image)

RARE BLUE PORT LOUIS "2d/TO PAY" MARK ON PORT LOUIS LOCAL TOWN LETTER; Fine unpaid 21 Sept. 1869 EL (a few closed flap tears) from Port Louis to "M.Laplace, Consul de France, Port Louis" with a very fine blue Port Louis "2d/TO PAY" Postage Due mark nicely placed on the front with matching blue Port Louis "MAURITIUS" cds on the reverse across the join. Ruffle only recorded one other on a local letter like this. [Pitray only recorded 8 examples of this mark in Mauritius, whereas he recorded 49 of the 1d mark and 155 of the 6d mark.] Rare and of Exhibition Quality. (Image)

BLUE PORT LOUIS "3d" MARK ON UNPAID REUNION COVER TO PORT LOUIS; Very fine unpaid 24/27 Oct. 1870 EL from St. Denis Reunion (sender's cachet on the front) to Port Louis "P. [Ship]. Sucrier" with a very fine blue Port Louis "3d" Postage Due mark nicely placed on the front with very fine matching blue Port Louis "MAURITIUS" cds on the reverse. [Pitray only recorded 13 examples of this mark in Mauritius, whereas he recorded 49 of the 1d mark and 155 of the 6d mark.] Exhibition Quality. Cross Reference: POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, REUNION (Image)

VERY RARE BLUE PORT LOUIS "4d/TO PAY" MARK ON INCOMING REGISTERED COVER FROM INDIA TO PORT LOUIS; Remarkable small 11 June 1869 env. (slightly trimmed at left) from Calcutta to Port Louis "Via Bombay by Mail Steamer" with a mainly very fine blue Port Louis "4d/TO PAY" Postage Due mark on the reverse where the English address and stamps are; franked by India 8a+4a tied by fine blue Calcutta "B/1" octagons with a faint red boxed Calcutta "REGD. LETTER No." alongside (beneath the 4d mark), with very fine matching blue Port Louis "MAURITIUS" cds (9 July) on the reverse. Dave Tarry had only recorded one other example of this "4d/TO PAY" on Registered Mail. Exhibition Quality. [This cover was illustrated on the back cover of Ruffle's 1985 book on these To Pay marks.]Cross Reference: REGISTERED MAIL, INDIA, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS (Image)

BLUE PORT LOUIS "6d/TO PAY" MARK ON COVER EX INDIA ALSO WITH RED "Late Received" MARK; Fine 2 June 1864 EL from Calcutta to Port Louis "P. Ship Beau Monde" franked by India 1a (fault) + 2a tied by v. fine Calcutta "B/1" octagons, with a fine blue Port Louis "6d/TO PAY" Postage Due mark nicely placed on the front but most unusually also alongside a very fine red Port Louis "Late Received" mark. The Late mark - of which Dave Tarry had only recorded one other example in red ink - is explained by a red P.O. endorsement on the flap; "Received from the Captain of the Beau Monde"; he handed in his letters after the last Port Louis delivery time of the day. There is a red boxed "CALCUTTA/SHIP LETTER/PAID" ds and blue Port Louis "MAURITIUS" cds 26 July) on the reverse. Possibly a unique combination of Port Louis markings? Spectacular and of Exhibition Quality. Cross Reference: LATE FEE MAIL, INDIA, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS (Image)

BLUE PORT LOUIS "6d/TO PAY" MARK - BOTH TYPES - ON PAIR OF COVERS FROM CALCUTTA; Very fine 23 Dec. 1864 & 26 Jan. 1868 ELs from the same correspondence from Calcutta to Port Louis "P. Nemesis via Aden" or "Pr Ship Henry Handley" franked by India 4a or 1a pair all tied by partly fine blue Calcutta "B/1" octagons, and each with a very fine blue Port Louis "6d/TO PAY" Postage Due mark - with short gap and long gap between "d" and underline respectively. Excellent matched pair showing the two types. (2 covers) Cross Reference: INDIA, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS (Image)

REUNION - PAIR OF UNPAID COVERS TO PORT LOUIS WITH BLUE "6d/TO PAY" OR "8d/TO PAY" MARKS; Fine 29 Jan. 1867 EL from St. Denis (no Reunion marks) to Port Louis with a very fine dark blue "6d/TO PAY" mark on the front; plus 24 Nov. 1871 mourning env. from St. Denis (partial 2-ring cds on the front) to Port Louis with mainly fine very scarce bright blue "8d/TO PAY" mark on the front. Good pair, showing the unpaid Ship Letter and Packet Letter rates from Reunion. (2 covers)Cross Reference: POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, REUNION (Image)

RARE BLUE PORT LOUIS "7d/TO PAY" MARK ON INGOING UNDERPAID COVER EX IRELAND; Spectacular 6 June 1866 env. (slight flap faults) from "PARSONSTOWN" (v. fine cds on reverse) to Mauritius "By French Mail Packet from Marseilles" (for which the rate was 10d) but only franked for the 8d rate - with 6d Lilac (pl.5) and 2 1d Reds (all tied by v. fine Parsonstown "371" Irish numerals) and so charged postage due. There is a very fine London "DEFICIENT-POSTAGE [12]/HALF-FINE [3=45]" on the front along with the red London "1d" Accountancy Mark (only 1d credit from GB to Mauritius) and so also having the rare blue Port Louis "7d/TO PAY" on the front. This 7d hs is thought to be one of the three rarest of the Port Louis TO PAY marks. [Ruffle/Pitray only recorded three hs 7d's compared to 156 6d's.] Exceptional and attractive ingoing GB cover; we can only recall having seen one similar underpaid GB cover with this 7d mark, from this same correspondence. [Viz. Cavendish June 2021, lot 1552; realised £1,100+BP.] Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, IRELAND PRE-1922 - POSTAL HISTORY, POSTAGE DUE MARKS, ACCOUNTANCY MARKS (Image)

BLUE PORT LOUIS "10d/TO PAY" OR "1/ /TO PAY" MARKS ON COVERS FROM FRANCE OR CALCUTTA; Fine pair of ELs to Port Louis; 27 Mar. 1864 unpaid EL from Marseille "Via Suez" with a very fine scarce dull blue "10d/TO PAY" mark nicely placed on the front; plus 20 Dec. 1875 EL from India "Pr French Mail" with India 2a(2)+4a (double rate) all tied by fine Calcutta "B/1" octagons with very fine "SHIP.LETTER/G.P.O./CALCUTTA" & "CALCUTTA/INDIA PAID" cds's on the top flap, and so with a double-rate very fine scarce bright blue "1/ /TO PAY" on the front. Scarce markings and an attractive pair. (2 covers) Cross Reference: POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, INDIA, FRANCE (Image)

RARE POSTAGE DUE (BLUE INK) USAGE OF THE PORT LOUIS "11d" ACCOUNTANCY MARK ON INDIA COVER; Fine 18 Oct. 1865 underpaid E from Bombay "Via Aden" to Port Louis with India 2as pair tied by a single fair Bombay duplex (leaving one Queen's profile clear) with a fine "BOMBAY/B.P.P/Bearing" in circle alongside. The rate had recently been increased from 4as to 8as so there is a black manuscript "5d" charge (the 6d deficiency minus 1d for India), and so there was a 5d plus ingoing 6d charge to raise in Port Louis; but there was no 11d "TO PAY" mark and so a very fine strike of the "11d" Accountancy Mark (usually struck in red) was applied in blue on the front (filing fold). Ruffle illustrates a similar Sept. 1865 cover (p.25), but very few blue "11d" covers have been recorded. Exhibition Item.Cross Reference: ACCOUNTANCY MARKS, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, INDIA (Image)

RARE BLUE PORT LOUIS "1/4d/TO PAY" MARK ON INGOING UNDERPAID COVER EX LONDON; 19 Jan. 1870 env. (some bleaching of blued paper mainly round edges) from London to Mauritius but endorsed "over ½oz" and so liable to the 1s-8d double rate - with scarce 10d Brown (pl.1) tied by a v. fine London SW duplex; there is also a red London ms "2" Accountancy Mark (1d due to Mauritius for each ½oz rate). And so charged "1/1" postage due with a partly fine London "DEFICIENT-POSTAGE [10]/HALF-FINE [3]" on the front (10d deficiency + half the 6d fine); this was converted into a 1s-4d charge in Mauritius (1s-1d + the other half of the 6d fine) and there is a very fine rare blue Port Louis "1/4d/TO PAY" mark also on the front. Spectacular and rare 10d-franked cover. [Illustrated in Ruffle, p.14.] Cross Reference: OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, LONDON POSTAL HISTORY (Image)

BALANCE OF THE STERLING "TO PAY" MARKS - "2d/TO PAY" + "6d/TO PAY" (2) ON INDIA MAIL, ETC.; 11 Aug. 1868 EL ex Bombay "Via Aden" with 8as strip of three tied by v. fine Bombay duplexes with mainly fine rare scarce "2d/TO PAY", 8 Nov. 1865 EL with 8as tied by blue Calcutta "B/1" octagon having a mainly very fine blue "6d/TO PAY" alongside, and an unusual [Nov.?] 1865 env. (some wear) from Madras "per Steamer" with 2as strip of four tied by heavy duplexes having a fine blue "6d/TO PAY" alongside. Good trio. With a sad group of stamp-removed 1864-70 covers (8) ex various countries to Port Louis all with mainly fine to v. fine blue "TO PAY" marks; rare 2d (2), 6d (3), scarce 8d, 10d and very rare "2/". (11 covers)Cross Reference: POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, INDIA (Image)

PORT LOUIS CENTS "TO PAY" MARKS ON LOCAL MAIL (4c+8c), EX FRANCE (8c) & EX INDIA (20c); 1879 underpaid EL ex France with blue "T" in triangle & v. fine blue "8c/TO PAY" (early usage), 1895 India ½a env. with "T" in circle overstruck by mainly fine scarce "20c/TO PAY", and pair of local Mauritius 1902/19 P. Stat. envs. (4c on 18c, or 2c) with mainly very fine "8c/TO PAY" or "4c/TO PAY" respectively. Scarce group. (4 covers)Cross Reference: POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS, INDIA, FRANCE (Image)

MADAGASCAR/REUNION - UNPAID COVERS WITH PORT LOUIS "26c/TO PAY" MARK OR MS "20c" MARKINGS; 3 Feb. 1881 unpaid mourning env. from St. Denis (Reunion; fair cds on front) to Port Louis with fair small "T" in triangle and so having a Port louis ms "20c" Postage Due marking in blue crayon also on the front. Plus rare 26/29 Mar. 1887 unpaid mourning env. (slight toning; with original contents) from "Tamatave" (Madagascar) to Port Louis with a very fine rare Port Louis "26c/TO PAY" mark (Proud UP68) nicely placed on the front. Unusual pair. (2 covers) Cross Reference: REUNION, MADAGASCAR, POSTAGE DUE STAMPS & COVERS (Image)