388th Auction

POSTE DE PARIS, entire letter with Cérès 40 c. orange tied by Dotted Star with cds. “PARIS 15 JANV. 71” alongside, sent to a French prisoner of war in Düsseldorf and endorsed “par Bruxelles” (Belgium route), fine and unusual destination, signed Scheller

AGENCE HAVAS German edition, Siège 10 c. bistre-brown and 20 c. blue used on entire letter addressed to the "Badische Landes Zeitung" in Karlsruhe, Baden, lightly tied by Paris Star with adjacent "PARIS (60) 2 DEC 70" and red "P.D.", arrival mark of 3.1.71. Very fine. Also letter of the Havas-corespondence after the siege 29.1.1871 to Cairo.

PARIS COMMUNE: entire letter with full content written on board the prison ship Arcole by a Commune prisoner, franked with Cérès 20 c. blue (faulty) and 10 c. bistre and sent to the mayor of St Légiers in Switzerland, alongside censor handstamp “VU BON A EXPEDIER” and departure cds. “CHERBOURG 15 AOUT 1871”, reverse arrival, fine. Interesting text with the sender requesting a birth certificate and arguing that he was not member of the Commune; Cherbourg harbour was the departure place for the Paris insurgents to be exiled to New Caledonia

1914, Red Cross 10+5 c. red, in complete booklet with 20 stamps, mint never hinged, fine  (Maury No. 66)

ITALY CAMPAIGN: 1859, folded lettersheet to Alexandria, Egypt, written in Triest and transmitted via forwarding agent to France (instead of the Austrian Lloyd, the eastern postal route being severed due to the military operations), franked at the triple rate with Napoleon 10 c., 20c. 40 c. and 80 c. (cut in) all tied with PC “1896” (Marseilles) and handed over to the ship “Simois” from the Messageries Impériales, reverse arrival cds. “ALEXANDRIE EGYPTE 22 MAI 59”. Interesting text in Italian “the departure of Austrian steamships is prohibited … my correspondence, having to take indirect routes, will arrive late and irregularly”; some minor transportation traces and a vertical archival fold away from the adhesives, fine and rare. A delightful item and poignant testimony to the Risorgimento vicissitudes

Alexandretta: 1869, entire letter to Marseilles, franked on reverse with Turkey 1868 Duloz 20 pa. green and 1 pi. yellow, perf. 13¼, tied by Arabic framed “Haleb” in blue, mailed through the French P.O. in Alexandrette with 1862 Napoléon laureated 20 c. blue, two singles including one with plate flaw “Napoleon with horn”, tied by faint GC “5079” with adjacent red framed “PAQUEBOT DE LA MEDITERRANEE”, on reverse Smyrna French P.O. transit and Marseilles arrival (August 15) cds. The adhesives with negligible faults, still fine and scarce combination usage opened out for display, probably unique with the plate variety, signed Calves

1879, 25 c. black on red rose tied to envelope by CONSTANTINOPLE GALATA 29/OCT/79, bilingual cds., adressed to Aleppo, on reverse french blue transit mark ALEXANDRETTE SYRIA. Turkey 20 para green and 1 piastre yellow 1876 issue tied by all arabic POSTAHANE-I HALEP 1278 (with crescent, A&P #3) on reverse, tiny crease, fine and attractive, vertificate du Vachat (2010).

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1a. black on lilac, Type IV Setting B-F-H, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine. A rare stamp with a printing of only 12, signed Calves, certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 33d)

1897, Sage 2½ a. + 25 c. on 1a. black on lilac, Type V, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 27 JUIL. 97” to small piece, extremely fine, very scarce, certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 33)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1a. black on lilac, Type V Setting A-D-H, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 27 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine and very scarce, certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 33)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1a. black on lilac, Type IX Setting B-D-J, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine. A rare stamp with a printing of only 18, signed Calves, certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 33h)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1a. black on lilac, Type X Setting B-D-K, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine. A rare stamp with a printing of only 18, signed Calves, certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 33j)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1a. black on lilac, Type XII Setting A-D-K, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine. A very rare stamp with a printing of only 6, signed Calves, certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 33I)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1½ a. blue, Type IV Setting B-F-H, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine and scarce, signed and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 34d)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1½ a. blue, Type IX Setting B-D-J, fresh colours, tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 26 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine and extremely scarce, only 24 printed, signed Kosack and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 34h)

2½ a. + 25 c. on 1½ a. blue, Type X Setting B-D-K, fresh colours, used, very fine. A very scarce stamp with only 24 printed, signed A. Brun and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 34j)

5 a. + 50 c. on 3 a. brown, Type II Setting L-H-P, fresh colours, neatly tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine and scarce, signed and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 35a)

5 a. + 50 c. on 3 a. brown, Type IV Setting L-I-P, fresh colours, neatly tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 27 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine. A very scarce stamp with only 36 printed, signed Calves and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 35c)

5 a. + 50 c. on 4 a. red-orange on salmon, Type I Setting L-H-O, fresh colours, neatly tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 28 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine and very scarce, only 48 printed, signed Calves and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 36)

5 a. + 50 c. on 4 a. red-orange on salmon, Type IV Setting L-I-P, fresh colours, neatly tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 29 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine. A rare stamp with only 18 printed, signed Calves and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 36c)

5 a. + 50 c. on 4 a. red-orange on salmon, Type VI Setting L-K-O, fresh colours, neatly tied by cds. “ZANZIBAR 27 JUIL. 97” to small piece, very fine and extremely scarce, only 24 printed, signed and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 36e)

1904, Sage 25 c. on 4 a. red-orange on salmon, Type I Setting L-H-O, fresh colours, used with cds. “ZANZIBAR 22 JUIL. 04”, very fine, signed and certificate Scheller (2025) (Yvert-Nr. 58)

1892, Allegory 1 fr. olive/red on yellowish paper, together with additional franking including Forerunner Dubois, each neatly tied by cds. “LIBREVILLE CONGO-FRANCAIS AVRIL 1893” to registered envelope endorsed “Par courrier francais”, alongside boxed “R” and red octogonal maritime “LOANGO A MARSEILLE 23 AVRIL 93”, reverse arrival “HAMBURG 13 5 93”, fine and very scarce

1941, Paris Exposition 5 fa. with "France Libre" overprint in blue on Souvenir Sheet tied to small piece by "Inde Francaise, Pondichery 21-1-1942" double-circle datestamp, small oil stain at bottom right, otherwise Very Fine, only 775 examples were overprinted and while the unused examples are scarce, we seldom see used examples, signed Roumet

1932, Paris-Noumea Flight  50 c. , unused, lightly hinged, vf, signed Scheller

1933/38, Landscapes 15 c. and 55 c., each in imperforated horizontal pair,  mint never hinged, vf (Yvert 130a,136Aa; 890,-)

“AVIATION-MILITAIRE SERVICE POSTAL SUD TUNISIEN”, violet three-line framed cachet on stampless postcard with adjacent cds “GABES 4 6 18” and arrival cds “MEDENINE 7 6 18”, very fine. A rare military flight card, signed Todd

1861, Large Hermes head 2l. brown, two singles 5l. green and singles 40l. lilac on blue and 80 l. carmine on rose, fresh colors and mostly good margins, 40c. touched at top, applied upon arrival and tied by numeral “1” to folded letter originating in Marseille, an attractive 4-color franking, signed Bühler and certificate Scheller (2025)

1863, Volos (Turkey): Entire folded letter, with six pages content, marked in blue with the handstamp of the "Agency of the Hellenic Steamship Company at VOLOS", dateline 29-5-1861, red crayon ‘40’ (Lepta), sent to Syra with arrival mark on reverse, usual file folds, otherwise fine.

Provenienz: Cihangir, C. Arsman (Corinphila, 2000)

1912/14, 2 l., 3 l. 10 l. and 2 copies 30 l., tied by bilingual "SALONIQUE 26/2 13" to registered envelope to Dresden with arrival mark

1871, Austria Franz Joseph 10 kr. blue tied by cds. "IHUROCZSZ.MARTON 26.1. to complete money order to Preßburg with arrival mark, vertical folded and small part of the lower right corner missing, otherwise fine

1871, Austria Franz Joseph 5 kr. red tied by cds. “MAGYAR LAPOS 29.6.” to complete money order to Szamos Ujivar with arrival mark, vertical folded, otherwise fine

1874, 10 kr. blue and 5 kr. rose tied by cds. SZABADKA 22.1.76" to complete money order to Bezdan with arrival mark. The lower stamp with creases, otherwise fine

1577, papal vellum manuscript issued in Rome in official curial script, addressed to the Vescovo (Bishop) of Pistoia in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, headed “GREGORIUS PP. XIII.”. From the pontificate of Pope Gregory XIII (Ugo Boncompagni, 1502–1585), head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1572 to 1585, best known for initiating the Gregorian calendar reform of 1582. Fine and historically significant papal document. Certificate Bolaffi (2008).

1856, 50 b. blue with 2 b. olive green tied by overlapping diamond cancellations on a complete, freshly preserved collector's folded letter with full content, alongside local ‘ROMA 3.1.1856’ cds., ‘ROMA FRANCA’ and red decorative oval ‘A FRANCA’, addressed to Luciano Serra/ Duca di Cardinale/ Palazzo Paliano/ Napoli with red arrival mark on reverse. 50 b. tiny closed at bottom, otherwise absolutely flawless, fantastically fresh with part of the neighbouring stamp on the right in an equally effective and rare combination. Certificate E. Diena (1989)

1852, 6 baj. on greenish grey and two pairs 8 baj. black, mostly good to large margins, tied by grid cancel to entire letter from Rome 1857 via France and England to Rio de Janeiro with transit marks on front and reverse. Small paper fault in the outer letter at left, otherwise fine and fresh for this destination. Letters from Europe to Brazil during this period are exceedingly rare.