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1903, Provisional postage due violet handstamp "A PERCEVOIR” on Sage 30 centimes brown, fresh colours and with its right sheet margin, neatly tied upon arrival by cds "TIEN TSIN CHINE 13 OCT 03” to envelope endorsed "Corps d´occupation de Chine”, sent from the village of Calenzana on the island of Corsica to the French armoury in China, the envelope with light vertical bend not detracting, very fine. A rare usage enhanced by the scarce origin, quite remarkable, signed Calves (Yvert-Nr. Taxe 9a)

Sent unpaid as a military mail in closed bag, the free frank privilege being revoked after the end of the Boxer rebellion the cover was therefore charged accordingly at double the domestic rate, i.e 30 centimes

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1875/1920, lovely group of 7 covers and cards, with French General Colonies Cérès 40 centimes orange tied by cds "PONDICCHERY JUIN 77” to entire letter to Nantes via Brindisi, Sage 25 centimes, two singles tied by "ALEXANDRIE EGYPTE 16 AVRIL 84” to a domestic envelope with adjacent "BM”, French Post Office Shanghai with Sage 4 centimes as a pair tied by GC "5104” to 1881 printed matter to France, etc., a most eclectic group, mostly in good condition

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1875/1924 (ca), Stationery Cards and Envelopes, fine group of 8 mostly used items with an interesting range of usages, some better items like Réunion 1885 10 centimes on 40 centimes (Mi.-Nr. 8) as a single franking, tied by blue cds "REUNION JUIN 86” to local formula card to France, Tunisia very scarce 1908 usage of a 30 centimes express letter formula card abroad, uprated with 25 centimes and sent to Germany, Nossi Bé 1894 10 centimes reply card used as a return from Germany with cds "HAMBURG 1/8 94” to Madagascar, etc, mostly in very fine condition, a delightful assembly

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1900/35, Postage Dues and taxed mail, 5 covers and cards, with 1928 "BYRD ANTACRTIC EXPEDITION” envelope to Tahiti and taxed upon arrival, scarce usage of a registered official envelope "VALEURS RECOUVRÉES” from Paris to the French Post Office in Constantinople with 10 centimes brown postage due applied upon arrival and tied by cds "CONSTANTINOPLE GALATA 19 10 06”, etc., some occasional faults, mostly in good condition

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1902 (April 3), French Officer's letter from Algeria to Paris, endorsed in manuscript "Troupes d'occupation des oasis Sahariennes,” struck with fine Taghit double-circle c.d.s., with corresponding Taghit garrison handstamp at left, revers with Paris c.d.s. receiver and remarkably intact red wax seal, a choice example of military mail from this Oasis town.

1871, Napoléon 80 centimes rose with Cérès 10 centimes yellow-brown, each tied with cds "PARIS 1 BATIGNOLLES 13 AOUT 77” repeated alongside to small registered envelope to Italy, reverse blue "PARIS ETRANGER” and arrival cds, the adhesives with small imperfections and a tiny part of one postmark tampered with, the cover with slight aging and removed wax seals, still fine. A remarkable convergence of a rare French colonies mixed issues franking with their domestic usage in France, very rare, signed Calves and J.-F. Brun (Yvert-Nr. 10, 11)

The tariff for a domestic registered letter to Italy was 80 centimes, the extra 10 centimes paying for the maritime fee from the colonies; the letter was presumably franked abroad, but for some reason avoided the postal system and was carried privately to France, where it finally entered the mail stream at Batignolles

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1872, Cérès 10 centimes brown on rose, together with 15 centimes yellow brown in horizontal pair, fresh colours and all with clear to large margins around, tied by dotted diamond to letter sheet (small part missing) from Guadeloupe to Bordeaux, endorsed "steamer français” with maritime cds "PAQ. FR. POINTE A PITRE 8 JUIL. 76”, reverse transit and arrival, very fine and rare (Yvert-Nr. 19, 22)

Possibly the earliest cover known from any French colonies franked at their first UPU tariff  (French possessions abroad were admitted to the UPU on 1st July 1876, incoming mail to France was charged at maritime rate of 40 centimes)

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1921, Cayenne 'Winged Helmet' issue T.A.G. 75 c. black on grey, imperforate, a used example on piece with well margins all round, few tiny spots, cancelled by AVION handstamp struck in black. A scarce stamp, just 500 issued, fine, signed

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1931, CAYENNE - PORTO RICO First Flight 7.1.31 cover bearing two 5 fr. violet yellowish-green and 50 c. blue olive, cancelled Cayenne 7.1.31 d.s., on reverse San Juan P.R. transit mark and forwarded to Chicago with arrival mark 27.1.31 fine (Muller no.21)

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1921, St. Laurent du Maroni issue, Typographed from Woodblock Plate, 75 c. violet on buff paper, rouletted on two sides, with part of the Control cachet 'SOCIÉTÉ DES TRANSPORTS AERIENS GUYANAIS / ST. LAURENT DU MARONI' in red, tied by boxed "AVION” to small piece, a fine and very rare stamp, a.o. signed Scheller

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1921, 75 c. on grey, used with oval cancel, small margins at right, otherwise fine, signed

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1921, St. Laurent Du Maroni-Cayenne-Inini Route 75 c. on rose, fresh color, mostly good margins, just touched at upper right, otherwise fine, scarce, a.o. signed A. Brun and Kessler

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1941, FRANCE/LIBRE in blue on 2f. 9c. on 25 c., unused with fresh original gum and tiny hinge mark, very fine and rare. Certificate Scheller (2025)

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1941, FRANCE LIBRE, large resp. small overprint on exhibition souvenir sheets, unused with original gum and hinge remainders, fine and rare, each with certificate Scheller (2025)

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1849, Cérès 1 franc carmine and 25 centimes blue in horizontal pair, all of vivid colours and with good to large margins all around, neatly tied by roller grid cancel to letter sheet without content with large cds "POINTE-A-PITRE 15 JANV. 1852” to Paris, reverse arrival cds "PARIS 10 FEVR. 52”, endorsed on front "voie d´Angleterre” and sent via British packet, red framed "PD” and entry postmark via Calais. An extremely fine and lovely commercial cover from the Beuscher correspondence, correctly franked at the 1,50 francs first step weight rate, signed Calves (Yvert-Nr. 4, 6)

Provenance: Edward Grabowski (Spink auction, 2007), 350th Heinrich Köhler auction (2012)

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"SAINT BARTHELEMY GUADELOUPE 29 MARS 87” double cds, fair strike on Dubois 10 centimes black/lilac, repeated alongside to formula postal card to Sweden with maritime transit postmark and reverse arrival, very fine. The remote island of Saint Barthelemy was ceded to France in 1878 and attached to Guadeloupe, any early mail under French administration being exceedingly scarce, this very card being sublimated by the elusive destination. A remarkable item

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1871, General issue 30c brown in horizontal pair (2 smal marginal tears), tied by dotted lozenge, with adjacent Guadeloupe / Pointe a Pitre c.d.s. (10 Jul) to folded letter to Portland, Maine,, passed to the British Post Office with scarce "GUADELOUOPE PAID JY 11 73”, and backstamped with "Guadeloupe / A” c.d.s. (11 Jul), manuscript "4” (pence) in red crayon for the journey to St. Thomas, endorsed "Per U.S. & Brazil Mail Str via St. Thomas”, the United States portion unpaid and thus struck with crisp "N.Y. STEAMSHIP / 10” entry mark (21 Jul). An unusual and important entire conveyed from the French P.O. in Guadeloupe by the British Agency through the USBMSC via St. Thomas. Signed Scheller

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1876, Typeset Postage Due 15 centimes black on pale blue paper, a well margined copy of fresh colours, tied by cds "GUADELOUPE POINTE A PITRE 6 AOUT 1880” to local unfranked envelope with adjacent departure cds struck the day before, postage due handstamp "15" alongside, reverse flap missing, fine. A remarkable and most appealing Drop letter rate usage with only 2 covers recorded, certificate J.-F. Brun (2013) (Yvert-Nr. TT4)

Provenance: ex Grabowski, Spink Shreves Galleries 2007, lot 321

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