The plates of the ‘post paid’ stamps of Mauritius, engraved
in 1848, were worn to the point of no longer being able to be used after some
eleven years of duty. It was decided to re-engrave the old plate, and this was
done by a local engraver, Robert Sherwin. While Sherwin had to copy the old
lines as much as possible, he did replace the queen’s crown with a fillet, or
headband, which is why these have become known as the ‘Large Fillet’ stamps,
although they are also known as the Sherwin stamps.
The Sherwin stamps have become a rarity. The one penny was
never even printed, and exists only as proof printings. The twopenny was
printed, and used as well, but for such a short time that not many mint or used
copies have survived.