365 / September 2017

1830, 'Laissez-Passer' for a trip from Rennes to Douai

1849, Ceres 10 c. bistre, 2 copies in different shades, tied by PC "1331" with adjacent "45/Francescas" to not quite complete lettersheet to Larusingle with transit mark on reverse, very fine, sign. Calves

15 c. green on very thin paper in vertical pair, large margins with parts of 3 neighbour stamps, nice deep colour, neatly cancelled by grid, extremely fine, sign. Calves

15 c. green with ample to large margins, tied by clear star cancel to small entire local letter of Paris with arrival mark of April 19, 1852, fine, sign. Göbel

1849/50: 15 c. 'vert foncé', two examples with large margins all round used on cover to Montagne neatly cancelled by two strikes of the 'Paris Star' obliterator in black, with Paris (March 6) datestamp at right. The left  stamp light corner crease before applied, otherwise very fine and fresh;  a very rare multiple franking, signed Roumet, certificate Calves (2007)

20 c. black on white, horizontal block of 10 with good margins, small sheet margin at left, the 4th stamp in the upper row with distinctive printing flaw in "C.", unused with original gum, some stamps unmounted mint; few light stains on reverse, otherwise very fine, sign. von der Weid

20 c. black, 2 copies with clear to wide margins, tied by grid to entire letter with adjacent large cds. "LILLE 25 OCT. 1849" to Liège in Belgium, fine

25 c. blue, slightly touched at bottom, otherwise good margins, tied by manuscript cancellation to small lettersheet (side flaps missing) with adjacent ship post mark "ALGER MARSEILLE 20 DEC. 52" to Marseille with arrival mark of December 22, fine and scarce

1 fr. carmine, clear to large margins with part of neighbour stamp at left, tied by clear grid to entire letter from "MARSEILLE 23 AOUT 51" to Lyon, sign. Calves

1 fr. carmine in horizontal pair, clear to large margins and nice fresh colour, tied by PC "2388" with adjacent "PAU 4 NOV. 52" to entire letter to a captain of the 22nd regiment at Rawul Pindee in Bengal, India, showing on front 4line "BOMBAY DE.. 1852 / STR. POSTAGE (8) / INLD. DO (15)"; a fine and fresh entire

1852, REPUB. FRANC. 10 c. yellow-brown with 1849, 40 c. orange, both with ample to wide margins, tied by PC "417" to small registered envelope from "BLETTERANS 25 MAI 1854" to Besancon, very fine, sign. Calves with certificate (2008)

1852, REPUB. FRANC. 25 c. blue, reprint of 1862 in horizontal block of 15, unused with original gum, the 2 outer stamps in the top row hinged, otherwise unmounted mint, bottom right stamp with light diagonal crease, otherwise very fine, certificate PF (1995) (Yvert 10c)

10 c. bistre and 40 c. orange, each with four large margins, used on 1858 cover from Paris to Albertville, Savoie cancelled by lozenge of 36 dots struck in red. Framed red 'PD' below in same slightly orange tinked ink, and Paris despatch cds at right (Sept 8). 'Albertville' arrival cds (Sept 9) on reverse;  a remarkable and extremely attractive cover, unique with the red cancellation, signed Calves,  certificate Jamet/Baudot (2008)

Napoléon 20 c. blue, previously used but untied on cover to Douai with adjacent post mark "ANGOULEME 25.SEPT.54" and tax mark "30", complete with "Avis de L'emmission dans le Service des Postes" and letter, fine item of postal fraud

1862, Napoléon perforated 1 c.-80 c. in blocks of 4 with handstamp "SPECIMEN", unused o.g.; 1 c. one stamp rounded corner and 20 c. one stamp corner perf missing, one 10 c. tiny hinge thin, otherwise fine and fresh; a scarce set

80 c. rose in horizontal strip of 7, tied by GC "532" with adjacent "BORDEAUX 23 SEPT. 65" to lettersheet to Buenos Aires; some minor staining, otherwise fine franking with a scarce strip, sign. Brun and Roumet

1862, Napoleon Lauré 4c. grey as block of four, fresh colour and good perforation, upper pair unused the lower mint never hinged, tiny thin spot at upper left stamp, otherwise a fine and attractive multiple, signed A. Brun

30 c. brown, 40 c. orange and 80 c. rose, tied by GC "110" to quintuple rate letter from "ANNECY 4 NOV. 68" to Geneva, fine and attractive

40 c. tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS MINISTÈRE DES FINANCES 27 MAI 69" to small envelope endorsed "via Marseille, Alexandria and Beyruth" to Bagdad; the lower left corner perf with crease, otherwise very fine; a scarce cover from well-known correspondance

5 fr. grey with 1862, 5 c. green and Ceres 15 c. brown, tied by star cancel "18" with adjacent "PARIS R. D'AMSTERDAM 1 NOV. 71" to quadruple rate entire letter to Arequipa, Peru with adjacent "Voie de Southampton" and "Voie de Panama"; on front London transit mark; a very fine and attractive letter to Southamerica, sign. Calves with statement (1978)

1870, Bordeaux 2 c. light-chocolate-brown, report 1, block of 4, good to large margins, unused with fresh original gum, the top right stamp large part original gum; a fine and very scarce multiple, signed in pencil (Yvert 40A)

2 c. light-chocolate-brown, report 1, ample to wide margins and lightly cancelled, fine, certificate BPA (1954) (Yvert 40A)

1870/71, Bordeaux issue 20 c. blue (Type III, report 2) just touched at right, large margined 40 c. orange and 80 c. carmine on rose all tied by 3176, gros chiffres of Rocheservière (Vendée) to registered cover to Nantes, adjacent straight line "CHARGÈ" in red and endorsed as containing 'Milles Francs' at top in manuscript. One flap missing and re-inforced sensibly on reverse, a splendid and rare three colour franking , signed Baudot and Calves, certificate Vachat (2010)

Leon Gambetta, document in his own hand with his signature, dated Tours, 11.10. 1870, concerning the dismissal of the famous German writer Theodor Fontane, who was imprisioned by the french for spying , also his release papers from the Chateau-D'oleron and a further document to this matter; a phantastic historical document of the franko-prussian war

10.8., telegram formular, franked with perforated issue 1 fr. orange, from Paris headquarters to the commander of "8e batterie 10e artillerie - camp Chalons" inquiring on the whereabouts of units; an interesting and rare document

"Eidgenössische Grenzbesetzung. Feldpost.", preprinted envelope with blue oval "EIDGENÖSSISCHER OBERFELD-ARZT" from "OLTEN 23 VIII 70" to Basle, plus envelope with blue "SERVICE MILITAIRE BON. 84" and straight line "Offiziel" dated 1.11.1870 to Geneva, both sign. Kimmel BPP  

10.9.1870, Fieldpostcard endorsed "Belagerungs-Corps vor Straßburg" to Prussia; a scarce and interesting document of the siege of Straßburg

7.1.71, "Feldpost-Correspondenzkarte" used on large linnen envelope from Berlin to a volunteer of the German siége army before Paris, interesting item

"K:PR.FELD-POST-AMT 10. ARMEE CPS. 27/2" on sealed letter containing 100 Thaler to Nordheim; a rare money letter

"LAISSEZ-PASSER" for an English lady retourning to London, dated "Paris le 3 février 1871", little unfresh

'LAISSEZ-PASSER." dated "Paris le 17 février 1871" for a French worker and his family; at bottom checkpoint handstamp "ETAPPEN-KOMMANDO ZU VITRY S/S"

"VERSAILLES AUSWECHSLUNGS STELLE", blue boxed marking on reverse of opened-out envelope, franked with Siège 20 c. from "PARIS SENAT 18 FEVR. 71" to Switzerland, charged in red crayon

"VERSAILLES AUSWECHSLUNGS STELLE", blue marking on reverse of envelope with Siège 20 c. from "PARIS MONTAIGNE 12 FEVR. 71" to London, charged with "4 d."; a scarce cover to abroad

Part of sketch book of a French soldier with also some other notations

"Feldpostbrief frei laut Ordre vom 7. August 1870....", POW envelope, preprinted on reverse with seal and signature of German officer, sent from Altdamm 26.4.1871 to France with arrival marks

"TAXE ALLEMANDE", straight line of entire letter from "PARIS 21 FEVR. 71" to Abbeville with tax mark "20", stamp with faults