LEGENDARY BLUE AND RED MAURITIUS STAMPS REUNITED IN BERLIN EXHIBIT

Only for three weeks and only in Berlin: This unique exhibition is the only one in the world to unite most of the legendary Blue and Red Mauritius stamps still in existence. For stamp collectors all over the world, just the thought of a Blue Mauritius is enough to set the pulse racing – and even for the casual audience, it symbolises everything that makes a stamp special: an astronomical price, rarity beyond compare, and a fascinating story that has inspired myths and legends. At the ‘The Blue Mauritius: Meeting of the Queens in Berlin' exhibition from September 2 to 25, 2011, the Museum for Communication Berlin will be presenting around two-thirds of the 27 Mauritius ‘Post Office' stamps still in existence.

In this unparalleled exhibition, the Museum for Communication Berlin, itself the proud owner of a Blue and Red Mauritius, is presenting the largest number of these philatelic gems ever shown together anywhere in the world. The exhibition is only running for a total of three weeks and tickets are limited. Tickets can be booked online at www.mauritius-in-berlin.de. Timed-entry tickets cost €8 (concessions €5), and VIP tickets with no time restrictions are available for €22.

These renowned stamps, issued more than 160 years ago in the British colony Mauritius and now on display in Berlin, are on loan from the Royal Philatelic Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the British Library, the Postal Museums in The Hague and in Stockholm, the Blue Penny Museum (Port Louis, Mauritius), and a number of private collectors. An accompanying exhibition and a catalogue provide an insight into the historical background of the ‘Mauritius legend' and document the continuing fascination with these famous stamps. The stunning range of exhibits include the original cost estimate for the printing of the stamps, the sole remaining test print from 1847, the year the stamps were issued, and three prints produced in 1912 from the original plate, now lost.

To read the complete article, see: Exhibition in Berlin unite most of the legendary Blue and Red Mauritius stamps (www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=50212)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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