The Red Mauritius 1847
Red Marutitius, 1 penny denomination, issued on 21 September 1847. This value was intended for franking letters sent through local transport. For example they were used for sending invitations to a celebratory ball held on 30. September 1847 by the wife of the governor of Mauritius, Lady Elisabeth Gomm, in Port Louis, the capital city of the island. Only 15 copies remain from the original print load 500 pieces. The here exhibited specimen is located in the collection of a Czech philatest from 2016.
Austiran 4-crown stamp on granite paper with the POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919 overprint
Among the numerous POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919 overprints, those nicknamed granite stand out significantly. Austrian postage stamps printed on this type of paper were marked with overprint of the new state, but they could hardly come from the original stocks of post offices in out territory. In Austria, their printing did not begin until the spring of 1919, and the way in which granite paper finally got into the Haase printing house in Prague is still the subject of an endless debate among philatelists. Equally unclear is the role that Jaroslav Lešetický himself played in the journey of these rare pieces to the pilatelic market. What is certain is that 4-crown stamps on granite paper were eventually protected from the fire of the boiler room of the main post office in Prague, where they would probably be burned in accordance with the protocol under normal circumstances. Over time, they appeared among the leading collectors and gradually gained the position among the most expensive Czechoslovak postage stamps.