1848: Entire letter from Montauban to Rignac, Dept. of Haut L'Ain with "Montauban" despatch cds (Feb 21) and Toulouse cds and arrivals on reverse - the inside of the entire with outstanding hand-painted print from the Chasseurs of the 11th Regiment showing mounted Cavalry Officer with sword drawn with letter writer and name of artist J.M. Broligue below. A delightful and rare entire sent during the "Year of Revolutions" (Image)

1849: 1 fr. vermillon, a superb example with even large margins, tied by a crisp grille. A bijou, signed Amedée Brun Yvert = € 22'000 / Maury = € 22'500 (Image)

1870/71: Covers (2) with 10 c. bistre, Report II, a fine used horizontal pair used on coverr tied "2341" gros chiffres with Meursault cds alongside (signed Calves), and Bordeaux 5 c. green, Report II, used with 1871 Siège 20 c. blue in 1871 cover from Toulouse to Millau (Image)

1876: Sage 25 c. ultramarine, Type I N sous B in a horizontal pair in unused condition with original gum. Maury = € 13'000 (Image)

1927: Souvenir sheet Strasbourg unmounted, just a mini brown point on gum side (in lower part of margin) Yvert = € 3600 for unmounted, € 1350 for hinged (Image)

1936/50: 10 F. 'Atlantique Sud' alone on cover (envelope a bit reduced on top right), a sigle set of airpoststamps 1954 and a blocks of 4 of the 500 F. and 1000 F., both with print date. Yvert = € 2150 (Image)

1870: Last Mail prior to full Siege of Paris. Laureated 20 c. blue used on cover to Libourne, Gironde tied by "18" Paris Star obliterator with "Paris / R. D'Amsterdam" cds alonside (Sept 18, 4th levée). Possibly eventually carried on the Ballon Monté "Le Fulton" with two backstamps of "Libourne" (dated Nov 3 and Nov 4) on reverse. Unusual cover (Image)

1870/71: Pigeon Post / Ballon Monté from beseiged Paris; Micoscopic photographic microfilm of Gazette Des Absents inset into printed grey card (159 x 239 mm.) with fancy embossing of Pigeons above a tower with surround "Aux Heros des Postes,Telegraphes et Chins de Fer / Souvenir de Participation / Au Monument des Aeronautes du Siege de Paris 1870-1871" and below stating the attached was a "Specimen Identique aux pelligules du Siege" and imprinte at base of A. Bartholdi, believed produced by René Prudent Patrice Dagron. Rare (Image)

1870: Ballon Monté # 2. Entire letter to Nièvre franked by laureated 1867 20 c. blue tied by Paris Star with "Paris / Place de la Bourse" cds (première levée) below (Sept 25), flown on the "Ville de Florence". Reverse with Decize transit cds (Oct 1) in black. A fine entire Maury = € 1'000 (Image)

Ballon Monté #6 1870: Laureated 20 c. blue used on 4 Oct 1870 entire letter (Plis Confiés) to Finhan via Montech, Tarn et Garonne, lightly tied by dotted "CP 1" lozenge with corresponding "Calais a Paris 2º / D" circular datestamp (Oct 8) at left; flown on the Ballon Monté "L'Armand Barbes" with circular Aerostiers "REPUBLIQUE-FRANCAISE / 1 / Aerostiers / Nadar-Dartois / Duruof" large red cachet on reverse and Montech cds of receipt (Oct 11). A rare and fine entire with the letter mentioning the Ballon. Cert. Bolaffi (2000) Maury = € 3'000+ (Image)

Ballon Monté #6 1870: Laureated 20 c. blue used on 1870 entire letter to Chinon, Indre et Loire, endorsed "Par Ballon Monté", boldly tied by "Paris / Cardinal Lemoine" cds (Oct 5, 3rd levée) circular datestamp in black; flown on the "L'Armand Barbès" with Chinon arrival cds on reverse (Oct 8) in black. A fresh and very fine entire (Image)

Ballon Monté #13 or 14 1870: Laureated 10 c. bistre vertical pair used on 14 Oct 1870 entire letter with printed "Par Ballon Monté" addressed to Rennes, tied by Paris Star obliterators with "Paris - 5 - 60" circular datestamp below (Oct 14) in black, with datestamp of receipt. Carrried on the Ballon Monté "Jules Favre No. 1" or "Jean Bart No. 2". Some minor ageing imperfections but scarce (Image)

Ballon Monté #21 1870: Stampless cover addressed to Le Mans, Sarthe endorsed "Par Ballon Monté" at lower left, struck with "Paris / Rue Dom.que St. G." cds in black (Oct 27, 6th levée) and charged with handstruck "30" due marking in black. Carried on Ballon "Le Colonel Charras" and backstamped at Le Mans (Nov 2) and readdressed to Bort, Corrèze with arrival cds (Nov 6). Slight internal repairs to thin paper but most unusual with manuscript "4" at left - presumably 40 c. to pay (Image)

Ballon Monté #60 1871: Entire letter from Paris to Belley, Ain endorsed "Par Ballon Monté" at top, prepaid struck with small "30" handstamp in black in lieu of postage stamps, overlapped by "Paris / Rue St. Lazare" circular datestamp (Jan 13, 6th levée) in black. Probably carried on "Le Vaucanson". Fresh and very fine. Certificate Lhériter (Image)

Boules de Moulins 1871: Laureated 20 c. blue and 80 c. carmine used on small 1871 cover from Marseille with complete original contents, addressed to beseiged Paris and endorsed "Par Moulins", tied by gros chiffres "2240" of Marseille with cds alongside (Jan 3) of despatch. Superb quality and rare this fine Maury = € 1'000 (Image)

Boules de Moulins 1871: Entire letters (2) with 2 Jan 1871 entire letter from Dinan addressed to Paris endorsed "par Moulins Allier", with circular fault at top and stamps missing, and a second entire to Paris, also with stamps floated off, similarly endorsed "par Moulins Allier" on obverse and reverse. Scarce Maury = € 370 (Image)

1890-1960 ca: Diverse lot of covers and cards, including PERFIN-cover, censored items, better frankings, and picture postcards, with a good range of pioneer flight cards and stationery. The majority are from France and its colonies (mostly Africa), many addressed to Switzerland. Approximately 170 items in total (Image)

1925/29: Small group of three items: 1925 Type Sage 5 fr. red, a block of four cut from the Miniature sheet, fresh and fine, unmounted og. and all signed Calves; 1927 Strasbourg Triptych with Sower 5 fr. blue + 10 fr. red and label cut from sheetlet, fine unmounted og. (cert. E. Diena, 1987); 1929 'Caisse d'Amortisement' third issue, unused set of three values fine unmounted og. (cert. E. Diena, 1982); a scarce group Maury (2017) € = 2'500+ (Image)

1849/1949: Collection in a preprinted Lighthouse album with additional blank pages for duplicates and covers. The strength lies in issues up to 1875, featuring a range of appealing stamps, particularly the 1849 Ceres issue, though condition is mixed. Except for two mounted liberation sets, all stamps are used. Included with this album are two stock cards showcasing fine cancellations on 19th-century stamps from post offices abroad, Algeria, etc (Image)

1849/1960ca.: Collection of France featuring classics in very mixed condition, including a few better pre-war issues used or unused, such as the 50 Francs airmail 'banknote' and the 'Pexip' souvenir sheet (both unused). Better post-war stamps are often included twice and are generally unmounted. Also part of this collection is a small but compact and valuable selection from Andorra (French and Spanish) and Monaco (Image)

1900/98: Solid collection of hundreds stamps, at the beginning primarily unused, later issues unmounted og., incl. 1917 / 1922 Orphelins, 1927 Strasbourg minaiture sheet, 1927 Salon d'Aviation, 1929 Salon du Havre, 1936 Avion survolant Paris 50 f. green, a corner marginal unmounted og. example, Burelage unmounted og., 1937 PEXIP miniature sheet, a hinged example and another one with slight staining, Célébrités, 1949 CITEX miniature sheet, in addition Franchise militaire, Timbres de Guerre St. Nazaire, Préos, postage due, and Conseil d'Europe. A fine and fresh collection in three albums (Image)

1646/1868: Accumulation of 34 small letters of predominantly exceptional quality. Beginning with eight pre-philatelic items including two charming 17th century letters, red "P33P MONTPELLIER" departmental cachet on 1802 letter to Italy or an attractive 1832 disinfected letter from Marseille to Bologna with the usual slits and disinfection markings confirming the treatment. Later items include five letters bearing 1849 Ceres single frankings with large margins, a letter with "Emission Presidence", a letter with emission Presidence, Empire non dentele with a letter bearing a just touched 20c. tied by three strikes "OR" in single circle, a marginal 10c. and a handful of later letters as well as to 1868/70 italian 10 c. Postage Dues on attractive letters. A delightful collection (Image)

1747/1869: Group of covers / entire letters (21), mostly pre-philatelic from a "Horses" thematic collection, including scarce Revolutionary period official cancels incl. 1795c. "Agence National des Postes aux Chevaux et Relais" well struck in red, 1828 entire with cachet "Le Maréchal de Camp / Comm. l'ecole Royale de Cavalerie", 1858 wonderful cover from Besançon with exceptionally early illustrated cachet with Horse vignette in blue etc. A most unusual and interesting collection (Image)

1753/1833: Selection 12 prephilatelic entire letters, struck in overall clear quality, incl. 1753 entire from Livorno to Marseille, showing "DE TOSCANE" handstamp, 1796 entire to Bruges with "57 / NORD-LIBRE" handstamp, 1806 Venezia to Aix-les-Bains with "No 14 /ARM. D'ITALIE" handstamp in red, an 1809 military entire from Murano to Milano with "No. 8 / ARM. D'ITALIE" handstamp in black, 1805/17 three covers "85 LE PUGET", "85 MONACO" and "54 L'ORIENT", also two prepaid items with "P 85 P NICE" from 1808 and "P 52 P LUNÉVILLE" from 1826, Déboursé entire from the prefect of the Dept Eure with "DÉB 26 / GAILLON", 1833 prepaid entire from Moulinds to Lyon, and 1826 entire from POGETTO in the County of Nizza to Torino. A most interesting group, ex collection Provera (Image)

1849/70ca: Fine lot of 13 classic covers, including a 10 c. number 1 on an 1852 letter from NOMTRON, two letters with 20 c. 1849 stamps, 10 c. République from L'AIGLE signed by Roumet and J.F. Brun; a letter from 1865 from CONSTANTINOPLE to Paris with 40 c. + 10 c. Empire perforated, 20 c. Empire perforated on a small envelope cancelled with a black grids, alongside the cds "CORPS EXP: D' ITALIE 2E DIVISION 27 SEPT 65"; 80 c. Empire perforated from PAU to VARSOVIE, insured letter with 80 c. + 10 c. siege Cérès/Siège; 10 c. 2x + 80 c. Cérès from MARSEILLES to BUENOS-AYRES in 1876, etc. Additionally, 4 covers from Alsace-Lorraine, one featuring a 25 c. single franking from STRASBOURG to La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland (Image)