Lot 20125 – THE UNIQUE ‘MAURITUS’ ERROR COVER: 1859 Lapirot 2d blue horizontal pair both from the RETOUCHED PLATE, position 9 showing the UNIQUE ‘MAURITUS’ for MAURITIUS error

THE UNIQUE ‘MAURITUS’ ERROR ON COVER2d blue, HORIZONTAL PAIR, positions 9-10, both from the RETOUCHED PLATE, position 9 showing the UNIQUE ‘MAURITUS’ for MAURITIUS error, clear even margins all round, light PAID in circle cancels on folded 1859 cover to Portrieux, France, showing frontside with ms “Via Suez & Marseille” and red PAYS ETR. cds transit alongside, names of addressee and sender excised, plus hs “8” rate marking, with backside displaying ‘MAURITIUS/GPO/No.9.1859’ cds and several St.Brieux and Portrieux French arrival and transit mkgs, some small cover faults away from stamps.A significant Mauritius rarity discovered by Philip Kinns of Stanley Gibbons and listed by SG as number 39ac, illustrated by Kanai in his “Classic Mauritius” book page 93 (SG £130’000+)Provenance: Hiroyuki Kanai, November 1993 (Lot 197)Edward M. Gilbert, June 2006 (Lot 879)Expertise: Cert. BPA (1994)