When the plates of the Mauritius ‘Post paid’ stamps became too
worn to be used any longer, the former engraver Jules Lapirot, who had by then
become an actor, offered to engrave a new plate for £10. His offer was accepted
and he duly produced a copper plate of twelve individual stamp engravings of
the 2d value.
The copper plate didn’t last very long and soon yielded worn
impressions, and even retouching the plate extended its lifetime for only a
short period. They have now become classics, known as the Lapirot issue, but
back in the day they were known as Libel Stamps, after they had been described
as the greatest libel upon Queen Victoria ever to perpetrated on a stamp. The French
went even further and nicknamed it the Monkey head issue.
You will find Jules Lapirot's database HERE.