A rare multiple of the Mauritius 1848-1859 "post paid" 2d blue stamp made £20,000 ($32,264) at Spink's November 14 sale in London.
The multiple led the Robert Marion Collection, which comprised a variety of stamps that make up the postal history of Mauritius.
It performed well against a £12,000-15,000 ($19,243-24,054) estimate - achieving an increase of 33%.
 The multiple features fine impressions and colour |
The 2d blue was created in 1847, with just 500 printed. These early examples feature the words "post office" in the border.
Examples from 1848 onwards, which include the multiple in the sale, feature "post paid" instead.
The stamps were designed by Joseph Osmond Barnard, who came to Mauritius as a stowaway in 1838, and are similar to the Great Britain issue stamps that entered circulation in 1841.
The multiple features good impressions and colour along with largely clear margins, and carries only minimal defects.
Examples of the 1847 2d blue have long been among the most desirable of philatelic items, with collectors willing to exchange large sums in order to acquire them.
King George V, a well known stamp collector, paid £1,450 for a "post office" 2d blue in 1904 - a world record at the time and a figure which equates to around £137,500 ($220,495) today.
Another "post office" 2d blue made $1m ($1.7m) at Spink London in 2011, which is the current record for a single stamp auctioned in the UK.
We have a range of rare stamps available, including this unmounted 1915 10s Seahorse.
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