My fields of interests in French postal history are the changes in postal services after the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1871 up to the adherence of the GPU / UPU (Union Générale des Postes / Union Postale Universelle) in 1876. I'm fascinated by the 1870s with their dramatic ups and downs in the tariffs, the switch from classic to semi-modern stamp issues, and the changes in postmarks.
  |
Registered and charged letters in France between 1871 and 1880 The charges for registration and chargement were drastically increased in France after the lost Franco-Prussian war. These high tariffs didn't change until 1878 / 1879 when they were reduced to their pre-war level. These pages prove the development of the surtaxes within France and they are shown in combination with the tariffs for the different letter weights during that time. A side aspect are registered postcards and consignements. In a second part insured letters abroad are presented. |
 |
Internal letter rates of the first Sage period (1876-1878). This page describes the internal tariffs of the first Sage period (January 1st, 1876 - April 30th, 1878) using more or less common stamp combinations. The tariff structure is considered with respect to the tariffs before and thereafter. Therefore, the tariffs of the first Sage period for letters, local letters, registered letters and charged letters in the Régime Intérieur are contrasted in tabular form with those from September 1st, 1871 / February 1873 and May 1st, 1878 / January 16th, 1879, respectively. A concluding paragraph deals with the question if the first Sage period can be considered as the close of the classics due to its internal tariffs. |
 |
The use of the 25 c. Sage ultramarine and blue. The different stamps, their late and early use, different tariffs, different postmarks. |
 |
The end of the "Gros chiffres" (in deutsch: Das Ende der Gros chiffres). At the end of March and beginning of April 1876 the Gros chiffres were no more used for the cancellation of the stamp in France. From this time the date postmark was used twice on each letter: first on the stamp itself to prevent its re-use and second on the front side to indicate the date of acceptance of the letter. There was no exact date for this change. I collect covers proving it and I would like to get your help to show where the Gros chiffres were replaced early and where late. |
 |
The re-installation of the registered letter service. In February 1873 the service of the "lettres chargées" was abolished and replaced by the "lettres recommandées". Also in this case there is no exact date for this switch which was not accompanied by a tariff change. But it was more than the change from one postmark to another. Registered letters were not insured against loss and no idemnity was paid in this case. As part of my charged and registered letter collection I'm also interested in this and I would like to get your help to know more about this switch. |
 |
The use of the rectangular registration postmark "R" after 1873. From March 1829 until June 1854 letters could be sent registered. To mark them on their way, the letter had to be postmarked with a large "R" in a rectangular frame. After 1854, this postmark should be returned to the postal administration. This was not done always. After the re-installation of the registered letter service in February 1873, in rare cases the old "R" postmarks of the first type were used again. |