365 / September 2017

Entire letter franked with lauré 80 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS 15 DEC." to St. Petersburg with arrival mark; the cover re-folded at right; the stamp originally fixed around the edge of the cover (here crease resp. paper break); an attractive and scarce item, certificate Sismondo (2001)

Double weight entire letter with 3 pages of text, franked with siège 10 c. and lauré 30 c. and 40 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. ST. DOMQUE. ST. GN 56 / 16 DEC." addressed to a French officer 'prisoner of war after the capitulation of Metz' at Mayence (at that time Prussian fortress) with adjacent red "PD" without arrival mark; the entire re-folded at top and top perforation of the stamps slightly damaged where applied at the edge of the cover; a fine and scarce entire full of history, signed Calves

DAVY Plis confiés: Envelope franked with siège 20 c., tied by GC "532" and adjacent "BORDEAUX 20 DEC." to Lesieux with transit mark "CAEN A PARIS" and arrival mark of December 24; the envelope was somewhat roughly opened, nevertheless fine and attractive. A rare entire, signed Roumet with certificate (2001)

LAVOISIER 'Gazette des Absents no. 17' with long text, franked with lauré 20 c., tied by star cancel "4" with adjacent "R. D'ENGHIEN 19 DEC." to Le Havre with unclear arrival mark

Entire letter with siège 20 c. (partly toned and small faults), tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS (60) 21 DEC" to Colmar; on reverse manuscript notation, that the letter was held at Blamont due to Prussian occupation of Alsace; on reverse Blamont dispatch mark of May 20, 1871, transit mark of Belfort and Colmar arrival mark, on front tax mark "30"; the thin paper of the letter enforced in places; a scarce and interesting item

Entire letter with lauré 30 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. ST. LAZARE 21 DEC." to Prangins in Switzerland with transit marks of Geneva and Nyon

'Gazette des Absents no. 18" with text, franked with 2 copies lauré 10 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS GARE DU NORD 21 DEC." to Bresles with arrival mark of December 29, franking with small faults

TOURVILLE Envelope with lauré 20 c. with star cancel and adjacent "PARIS MINISTÈRE DES FINANCES 22 DEC." with arrival mark of December 29, signed Pfenninger

'Gazette des Absents no. 18' with long text, franked with lauré 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS BT. MAZAS 22 DEC." to Clermont Ferrand with arrival mark of December 28, an attractive cover

"DÉPÊCHE-BALLON" no. 17 with long text, franked with lauré 20 c., tied by star cancel "20" and adjacent "PARIS R. ST. DOMQUE ST. GN 58 / 26 DEC." to Elbeuf with arrival mark

'CORRESPONDANCE DE PRESSE' in German language franked with siège 10 c. and 2 copies 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS (60) / 25 DEC." to the Vossische Zeitung in Berlin without arrival mark; fine and scarce, signed Calves

'Gazette des Absents no. 19' with small coloured map of Paris (mentioned in the sender's message), franked with lauré 30 c., tied by star cancel "9" with adjacent "PARIS R. MONTAIGNE 24 DEC." to England and re-directed with arrival marks of January 3 and 4; a rare ensemble

BAYARD 'Gazette des Absents no. 20' with long text, franked with siège 20 c. with star cancel and adjacent "PARIS R. D'AMSTERDAM 28 DEC." to Fecamp with arrival mark of January 2

Entire letter with lauré 30 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. DE CLERY 27 DEC." with the rare destination of St. Hélier on the Isle of Jersey with arrival mark of January 4; fine and scarce, signed Brun with certificate

'Gazette des Absents no. 19' with long text of December 27, franked with lauré 30 c., tied by rare blue star cancel of the foreign mail office without dispatch mark, addressd to Norfolk, England with arrival mark "THETFORD JA 3 71", an attractive cover

ARMEE DE LA LOIRE  'Gazette des Absents no. 19" with one page of text, franked with siège 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. D'AMSTERDAM  30 DEC." addressed to Bologne sur Mer. After the printed "PAR BALLON MONTÉ" endorsed "ou voie rapides"

'Gazette des Absents no. 20' with supplement and small coloured map of Paris (mentioned in the letter), franked with siège 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. ST. DOMQUE ST GN 53 / 28 DEC." to Mme. Gauthereau at Tannay without arrival mark with matching 'Boule de Moulins' to M. Gauthereau in Paris, franked with Bordeaux 20 c. and 80 c., tied by GC "3902" with adjacent "TANNAY 15 JANV. 71" with arrival mark "PARIS R. ST. DOMQUE. ST. GN. 17 FEVR. 71". A fabulous and most likely unique group of the same correspondance, both letters signed Brun, 'Ballon Monté' additionally Calves with certificate (1998). A tremendous pair of the Gauthereau correspondence!

3 'DÉPÊCHE-RÉPONSE' of the Gauthereau correspondance with carrier envelope with blue "Le Receveur principal des Postes du Département de la Seinte" addressed to M. Gauthereau with cds. "PARIS RC (60) / 16 FEVR. 71". An interesting and scarce ensemble, signed Calves with certificate (1998)

Entire letter with 3 pages of text, franked with siège 20c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. DES VLLES HAUBRT. 30 DEC.", addressed to Diette with arrival mark of January 3; re-directed to Anvers, Belgium with boxed "AFFRANCHISSEMENT INSUFFISANT", transit and arrival marks; fine and interesting letter

NEWTON Entire letter with lauré 20 c., tied by GC "432" with adjacent "PARIS BELLEVILLE 1 JANV." to Arras with unclear arrival mark

'Gazette des Absents no. 21' without any further text, franked with lauré 40 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS AVENUE JOSÉPHINE 31 DEC." to Florence with transit mark "DA SUSA A TORINO" and arrival mark; part of upper back flap torn away by opening, otherwise very fine and attractive

'Gazette des Absents no. 21' with long text, franked with lauré 30 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. TAITBOUT 31 DEC." to Basel, Switzerland with arrival mark

Entire letter with 3 pages of text, franked with lauré 30 c. and 40 c. (letter applied with heavy crease/tear), tied by star cancel "6" with partly tying "PARIS SENAT 3 JANV." via England to New York with transit and arrival marks on front; a fine and very scarce entire, signed Calves

DUQUESNE Group of 4 letters: 'Gazette des Absents' no. 21, 22, 23 and 24, all carried on the same flight with dispatch marks between January 3 and 7, 1871 and except one all with arrival marks; a fine group

Printed matter of the insurance "LA NATIONALE" franked with lauré 20 c. with star cancel and adjacent "PARIS PL. DE LA BOURSE 6 JANV." to Oloron with arrival mark of January 18; fine and scarce; 'Ballon Monté' printed matters to be found only very rarely, certificate F. Feldman

'DÉPÊCHE-BALLON no. 21' with one page of text, franked with Siège 10 c. in horizontal tête-bêche pair, tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS (60) 7 JANV. 71" to Carcassone with arrival mark of January 22; a fine and rare letter; only few ballon monté letters are known with tête-bêche franking, a popular highlight of any 'Ballon Monté' collection; signed Calves and certificate Brun (2017)

GAMBETTA Entire letter with siège 10 c. and Napoléon 20 c. (slightly rounded corner), tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. TAITBOUT 9 JANV." to Delémont in Switzerland with Swiss transit and arrival marks of January 14/15; a fine letter

Plis confiés: Entire letter franked with siège 20 c. (small nick at top) tied by dotted "A.P." (railroad auxerre to Paris) to Lons-le-Saunier with unclear arrival mark and clear "RÉPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE DARTOIS & YON AÉRONAUTES DU GOUVERNEMENT" on reverse; a fine and rare letter, signed Calves with certificate (1982)

KEPLER "BALLON POSTE" no. 19 franked with lauré 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS (60) / 10 JANV." to Langoiran with arrival mark of January 15, little stained, signed Brun with certificate

VAUCANSON Entire letter with 3 pages of text, franked with siège 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS MINISTÈRE DES FINANCES 13 JANV." and on front and reverse a red cachet "GARDE NATIONALE DE LA SEINE / INTENDANCE MILITAIRE" to Douai with small part of arrial mark; stamp with small perforation faults where applied at the edge of the cover, otherwise fine and scarce

'Gazette des Absents no. 15' with long text (small part of inside torn a little by opening) franked with siège 20 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. D'AMSTERDAM 12 JANV." to Trouville with arrival mark of January 19 and re-directed to London with transit and arrival marks; on front two strikes of rare red "Timbre Poste insuffisant" and manuscript tax; slightly restored in the address area, fine, attractive and rare; signed Roumet with certificate (1999)

Folded lettersheet with original contents, franked with lauré 30 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS RUE D'ENGHIEN 11 JANV." to London with arrival mark on front, very fine

POSTE DE PARIS Entire letter with lauré 20 c. and 30 c., tied by star cancel with adjacent "PARIS R. TAITBOUT 16 JANV." to Copenhagen, Denmark with arrival mark; the entire with light creasing and a thin paper break in the line below "Par Ballon Monté" backed, not affecting the adhesives, still fine; a very rare Scandinavian destination, signed Calves and certificate Sismondo (2001)

Entire letter franked with 2 copies siège 20 c., tied by star cancel "18" with adjacent "PARIS R. D'AMSTERDAM 16 JANV." to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs at Lisbon, Portugal, endorsed "Voie d'Espagne", adjacent oval "FRANCO"; somewhat unclear arrival mark; also letter from the same correspondance posted the day after armistice endorsed "Par Ballon Monté", returned to sender as the German postal authorities would not accept sealed letters; a fine and scarce pair nicely documenting the end of the Siége and the beginning of the armistice

Envelope franked with pair lauré 30 c. tied by star cancel "21" with adjacent "PARIS R. ST. ANTOINE 17 JANV." to As in Sweden with arrival mark "BKXP. Nr. 2 / 30 1 1871"; two marginal tears in the envelope closed, otherwise fine and most attractive, several signature incl. Calves and Sismondo with certificate (2001)

GENERAL BOURBAKI 'Gazette des Absents' no. 27 and 28, each franked with siège 20 c. to Bologne-sur-Mer resp. Alzonne with arrival marks