Category: France

Postal Markings of Normandy

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Ian Lasok-Smith.  Owner, Publisher and Editor “The Philatelic Register”

Philatelic Traders Society (Gold Membership)

The Pneumatic Mail of Vienna and Paris

Pneumatic post or pneumatic mail is a system to deliver letters through pressurized air tubes. It was invented by the Scottish engineer William Murdoch in the 19th century and was later developed by the London Pneumatic Despatch Company.

The use of Pneumatic Mail in Vienna and Paris was described in two articles published in Stamp Collecting Weekly issues of September 6th 1963 and September 11th 1964. The articles authored by P. Schoenmann.

The articles can be downloaded from the links below.

The Pneumatic Mail at Vienna

The Pneumatic Mail of Paris

An account of the London Pneumatic Despatch Company may be found on the link below

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Pneumatic_Despatch_Company

 

 

The Date Stamps of France 1849-1876

A long and detailed article was serialised in “Stamp Collecting Weekly” between November 2nd 1951 and April 11th 1952.It was written by Wilfred Bentley, the subject being the date stamps of France.  I emphasise date stamps as the same author had previuosly written two articles published in   in “Stamp Collecting Weekly” covering the Grille, Paris Star and Lozenge cancellations of around the same period.  These earlier articles are  also in The Philatelic Register archive.  Although the terms “date stamp” and “cancellation” are used quite loosely and often interchangeably there is a very distinct  and important difference difference.

The main purpose of a date stamp is to record a a date and sometime a time of receipt and as such often did not touch the stamp.  The purpose of a cancellation is just to ensure a stamp cannot be reused.

The complete article can be downloaded from the attachment below.

Date Stamps of France 1849-1876

The Grille, The Paris Star and other Cancellations of France

This article by Wilfred Bentley should be read along with a previous article of his  published on The Philatelic Register (The “Lozenge of Dots” Postmarks).

The article which can be dowloaded from attachment below covers a range of other cancellations in use between 1849-1876 including the “Grille” more or less the equivalent of the British Maltese Cross.

The Grille, The Paris Star and other Cancellations

The “Lozenge Dots” Postmarks of France

For a long time the postal authorities in France were concerned that the ordinary date stamp would be inadequate as a cancellation in preventing the reuse of postage stamps. A number of experiments were undertaken, even that of the use of an “explosive” charge fastened to the back of stamp.

In 1852 a circular was issued to postmasters annoucing the cancellation of stamps with a lozenge or in some instances a star of dots.  These dots being small conical points that penetrated paper.

The articles that can be downloaded from the attachment below, detail the use of these cancelations between 1852 and 1876. The articles by Wilfred Bentley were published in “Stamp Collecting Weekly” between April  and June 1950.

The Lozenge Dots Postmarks of France