Postage-due stamp of France

The postage-due stamps of France are introduced in 1859 to mark on the fold the carriage forward by the recipient, in the case of a stamping missing or insufficient. With the success of the postal Reform of 1840 and increase in the port paid thanks to the use of the postage stamp, the postal tax to discharge quickly becomes higher than the normal tariffs.

At the beginning, they are used only on the folds intended to be distributed locally to the countryside. As from 1882, they are used on all the insufficiently freed folds which undergo a multiplying coefficient of 1,5 in 1859 and of 2 in 1878.

Introduced like postage-due stamp in 1859, they are called postage-due stamp in March 1947. The notched postage-due stamps disappear in 1988 and are replaced by impressed franking machine.

History

Before the postage-due stamp

Before the postal Reform and the introduction of the postage stamp, the port, by social practice, is paid by the recipient. It is the carriage forward, contrary to the paid port. A mark gives the amount of transport in the shape of figures handwritten or plugged in formats pre-establish.

These marks disappear definitively on February 28th, 1882 when the postage-due stamps are made compulsory for any taxation whatever the origin of the fold. The stamps Banderole necessary are emitted on October 1st, 1882.

Precursor

There exists, in France, of the precursors to the postage-due stamps. Ordinances of December 14th, 1825 and of November 17th, 1845 create a “double tax” which strikes the letters and the packages of the administrations of State whose contents proved to be a private correspondence.

Establishment and generalization of the postage-due stamp

January 1st, 1859, the emitted postage-due stamp is of 10 centimes and it is useful in the campaigns on the folds intended for the local zone, that the rural factor can thus distribute on the way of its round. As soon as it receives a not freed letter, it must immediately stick one of these postage-due stamps. The account of the postage-due stamps in the possession of the employee makes it possible to limit the frauds: certain factors keep for them the 10 centimes of the tax paid by the recipients.

Beyond the local zone, the tax is assembled to once and half missing stamping, but it remains meant by postal Marque. January 1st, 1863, this coefficient applies to all the mails, except, for the local mail, from September 1st, 1871 to April 6th, 1878 when a scale is created according to the weight.

It is on April 6th, 1878 that a tax of twice stamping is established if no stamp is visible, preparing the single tariffs and the final disappearance of the local zone. In 1882, any fold from which stamping insufficient is undergone this tax of the double.

However, it is in February 1882 that the postage-due stamps on all the insufficiently freed folds whatever their origin is decided to use.

End of a career

In 1988, the postage-due stamps, printed polychromic illustrations of flora and fauna since 1964, are withdrawn from circulation. The tax from now on is marked by a Empreinte franking machine self-adhesive.

Series of postage-due stamps of France

Postage-due stamp squares

The first postage-due stamps of France are not notched and registered in a black square whose sides are decorated mentions “STATIONS” laterally and “QUANTIFIES” to top, “TAX” in bottom. In the center, is printed the facial value “to perceive”. The name of their author is not known.

The 10 centimes black is brought into service on January 1st, 1859 for the tax on the local mail of countryside in port due. It is initially lithographed with a text in fine characters, before being printed as from at the end of February 1859, recognizable version with thicker letters.

It is joined in 1863 by one 15 centimes to follow the increase in the local tariff in port due to 1,5 times the tariff in port paid using postage stamp. In 1871, to allow the post-office employees to tax with the new tariffs, are emitted postage-due stamp of 25,40 and 60 centimes, the two last knowing of color printing blue (the 60 centime appears in yellow-bistre on September 1st, 1871 before passing in blue at the end of the same month).

The 30 centimes black of June 1878 makes it possible to apply the double tax on any fold not freed whatever from now on its origin.

Streamer or type black Duval

June 7th, 1881, the 30 centimes inaugurates a new illustration for the postage-due stamp: of rectangular form vertical like the postage stamps, the framework preserves the same mentions as previously. In the center, on a decorated scene, a streamer carries the facial value always expressed with the sentence “to perceive”. The drawing is signed per G. Duval and the impression is carried out in typography. The postage-due stamps are henceforth notched.

To make it possible to announce a taxation on all the insufficiently franked letters, a series of twelve values appears in October 1882, of the 1 centime to the 40 centimes and the 1 franc to the 5 francs. They are supplemented in 1884 by one 60 centimes and 1892 by one 50 centimes.

Quickly, the 2,3,4,20 and 40 centimes are withdrawn from the service in 1892, the 60 centimes in September 1896.

monochromic Streamer

In spring 1884, the three stronger values (1, 2 and 5 francs) are reprinted out of chestnut, but are withdrawn in the years 1890.

In 1893 and 1894, a color is assigned to each not withdrawn value of the service, the 1 centime remaining black: blue for the 5 centimes, brown for the 10 centimes, green-yellow for the 15, red for 30 the, lilac-brown one for the 50 centimes.

With the increase in the postage rates, values appear in the years 1910 and 1920. The 2 francs reappeared between 1910 and 1912 out of orange, return in 1926 purple. Between 1923 and 1926, one 25 centimes and one are also printed 40 centimes pink, transitory 45 centimes green, one 60 centimes dark green and one 3 francs lilac-pink.

All the stamps with the type Duval still from of use in 1943 are withdrawn from the service, replaced by the series Gerbes of corn .

Sheaves of corn

In 1943, the new type represents two sheaves of corn intersected above the facial value. The mentions are “FRANCE” in top and “POSTAGE-DUE STAMP” in bottom. The drawing is of Pierre Gandon and the engraving of Henri Cortot. The stamps are printed in typography.

Eleven values enter in service on August 23rd, 1943, of the 10 centimes sepia to the 5 pink franc. Join one 4 francs purple in October 1945, one 10 francs orange in November 1945 and one 20 francs olive in May 1946. These stamps are thus used during the Régime as Vichy and the Provisional government.

The series is modified between 1946 and 1955 to modify the lower mention which becomes “STAMP TAX” (without indent). The stamp of 1,50 franc disappears because of the Inflation which involves the need to print one 50 francs dark green and one 100 francs green

In February 1960, five stamps franc make their appearance with a facial value converted into new: 0,05 pink franc, 0,10 orange, 0,20 olive, 0,50 dark green and the 1 green franc, taking again the same colors as their corresponding value into old frankly.

The stamps with the type Gerbes of corn are withdrawn on June 5th, 1965, five months after the emission of the whole of the values Fleurs of the fields necessary for their replacement.

Flowers of the fields

In May 1964, in service the first postage-due stamps printed and illustrated three colors enter. The subject are flowers of the fields drawn by Jacques Combet and engraved by various artists (of which the half by Jean Miermont).

Two stamps appear on May 25th: 0,15 franc “Poppy” and 0,30 franc “Forgets-me-not” engraved by Jean Miermont. The following arrives on January 18th, 1965 and allows the withdrawal in June of the series Gerbes of corn : 0,05 franc “Centaur jacée” engraved by Andre Frères, 0,10 franc “Gentian” by Gilbert Aufschneider, 0,50 franc “Clover” by Andre Barre and 1 franc “Soldanelle of the Alps” by Miermont.

Two complementary values are added on March 15th, 1971: one 0,20 franc “Periwinkle” engraved by Claude Jumelet and one 0,40 franc “Ancolie” by Miermont.

The eight stamps are withdrawn from the service in 1982 and are replaced by the series Insectes .

Insects

Appeared in January 1982, the postage-due stamps of the series Insectes are the only French series of tax printed in Taille-douce. The drawings of the specimens seen of top are signed Yvonne Schach-Duke and two engravers officiated: Claude Halley and Michel Monvoisin (40 and 50 centimes, and 5 francs).

Six postage-due stamps are of use starting from January 4th, 1982, representative: Ampedus cinnabarinus (0,10 franc), Dorcadion fuliginator (0,20 franc), Pyrochroa coccinea (0,50 franc), Scarites laevigatus (1 franc), Trichius gallicus (2 francs) and Apoderus corily (4 francs).

They are supplemented by four values, on January 3rd, 1983: Leplura will cordigera (0,30 franc), Paedurus littoralis (0,40 franc), Adelia alpina (3 francs) and Trichodes alvearius (5 francs).

They all are withdrawn on November 18th, 1998 and are not replaced by a series of notched stamps, but by prints of franking machine making office from postage-due stamp.

In the French postal territories

Notched in metropolis, the series Banderole were useful not notched in the French colonies.

Postage-due stamps of strike

For the official postage-due stamps of France stated above, it is necessary to add the particular case of the three private postage-due stamps of strike, emitted by the Teased Office, at the time of the postal strike of 1971.

See too

Sources

Catalog of quotations of stamps of France , ED. Dallay, 2005-2006, pages 778-787. The introduction presents the principles of taxation in France as from 1859, then list and dimension the whole of the emitted stamps and not emitted known of Metropolitan France.

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