VERY RARE BLOCKADE MAIL CARRIED BY HAND TO LONDON; Remarkable 14 Dec. 1870 EL to Nantes from a firm in Reims hand carried to London where franked by GB 1d Red (3) and tied by London EC duplexes of 19 Dec. with S.B.J.Selby forwarding agents cachet on front and with Calais and Nantes cds on front or rear. Important cover. About six such examples (sent via London) believed to exist. RPSL Cert. (1990) (Image)

MAIL SENT DURING THE SIEGE OF PARIS; Range with 10 Nov. 1870 printed small format supplement to Journal Poste on very thin paper, 16 Nov. 1870 Lettre-Journal in small format and on thin paper, 1 Dec. 1870 issue of Le Balloon Poste, small format mirco-photo pigeongramme containing 8 pages of text, Nov. 1870 'Depeche-Reponse' cards unused (2) and used to Paris franked 5c but uncancelled, Dec. 1870 unused newspaper Letter-sheet for 'Gazette Des Absents' 31 Dec. 1870 'Ballon Mote' local front franked 20c ex Paris and a Feb. 1871 official Laissez-Passer with Police and military handstamps. (10 items) (Image)

MICROFILM 'PELLICULE' DESIGNED TO BE CARRIED BY PIGEON OUT OF BESIEGED PARIS; c.1870 'pellicule' collodion negative (horiz split across middle but mounted in card 'frame') of printed messages headed "Service des dépèches par pigeons voyageurs organisé par M. STEENACKERS, DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DES TÉLÉGRAPHES ET DES POSTES" which was designed to be carried out of besieged Paris attached to a homing pigeon. Rare item. Cross Reference : FRANCE, MILITARY (Image)

BALLOON MAIL TO BELGIUM; Jan. 1871 'PAR BALLON MONTE' printed lettersheet (contents ref; ....up to the present we have enough to eat.....we can win....with courage.....) to Brussels franked 20c + 10c tied by numeral '4' star cancels and believed carried on the Le Duquesne piloted by M.Richard carrying 150kg of mail and four pigeons, landing at Puisieulx in Marne. Fine. (Image)

FRENCH POW MAIL FROM PRUSSIAN CAMPS; Unfranked trio of Feb./Mar. 1871 envs. (one opened out) to Vire, Paris or St Geoire from Camps in Spandau, Magdeburg or Tapiau, one endorsed 'Port Franc' and all with Blue military cachets on front or rear, one of the 12th Lithuanian Regiment of Ulans and with framed "P.P." or Prussian Porto marks. (Image)

PRUSSIAN FORCES MAIL; Range with Aug. 1870 unfranked env. (with contents The murdering battle of Beaumont has been finished yesterday......our squadron lost alone 60 men) to Berlin with Royal Prussian Campaign Post d.s. on front, Aug. 1870 "Feldpopst-Correspondenzkarte" to Wetzlar sent free and with Royal Prussian Campaign Post d.s. on front, Oct. 1870 unfranked env. to Saarbrucken with "K.PR.FELD-POST-EXPED/6/INF.DIV" d.s. on front and Feb./Apr 1871 unfranked env. to Breslau or Gnesen ex Paris with "K.PR.FELD-POST-EXPED./11/INF.DIV." d.s. on front. (5 items) (Image)