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Blue Penny Museum

The MCB has always shown a keen interest in the protection of national heritage and has built, since its establishment in 1838, a rich collection of historical documents and works of art.

This collection, which started with the acquisition of original plans retracing the conquest of the island by the British in 1810, now extends to various fields like cartography, numismatics, art and philately.

Through the Blue Penny Museum, the MCB offers everyone the opportunity to discover these exceptional and often unique works in a city full of history: Port Louis.

The doors of the museum open on a voyage of discovery... We follow in the footsteps of the explorers and first settlers, meet at the crossroads of European, African and Asian civilizations, travel to the very heart of legendary and contemporary Mauritius, an island which appeals deeply to the tourist as much as to its own people, whether artist or mere passer-by.

Gems of philately

The most striking items in the museum are the unused one penny orange-red stamp of which only two specimens are known, and one of the four unused two pence indigo-blue stamps in existence. These were the first stamps issued in 1847 (Mauritius was the first British colony to issue postage stamps) and engraved Post Office by Barnard. Considered as two gems of world philately, they came back to their native land in 1993 and are now on show for your personal pleasure at the Blue Penny Museum.