The Classic Imperforate Issues of France

2nd October 2008

By Joseph Hackmey

The issues with which we are concerned are the Ceres 1849-53, the Presidence 1852-53, the Empire 1853-61 and the Chiffres Taxe of 1859-82. These four issues are the classic imperforate issues of France. The Bordeaux issue of 1870-71 is also imperforate but came after two important perforated issues - namely the Perforated Empire and the Laureated Empire.

The order of the display is as follows:

Ceres 20c black
Ceres 1fr vermilion
Ceres 1fr rouge brun
Ceres 10c bistre
Ceres 15c green
Ceres 25c blue
Ceres 40c orange
Ceres 1fr carmine
Ceres the unissued 20c blue
The Presidence issue
The Empire issue
Chiffres Taxe

This short note is not meant to be an introduction to the subject, but as a guide to the exhibit. The subject is too vast for a few page introduction. The reader is referred to:

1. Encyclopedie Des Timbres Postes Vol. 1 by the French Academie de Philatelie, Paris
2. Encyclopedie Des Timbres Postes Vol. 1 Annexes, by the French Academie de Philatelie, Paris
3. Catalogue Specialisé des Timbres de France, Tome 1 (1849-1900) by Yvert and Tellier, 1975.
4. Ceres France Catalogue Timbres-Poste
5. Les Tarifs Postaux Français 1627-1969 by Alexandre, Barbey, Brun, Desarnaud and Joany
6. Les Chiffres-Taxe Carrés 1859-1882 by Noêl, Blanc, Delwaulle, Loeuillet and Schroeder

Most of the present display is devoted to the first issue Ceres 1849-53. This is by far the most important and most interesting of the French issues. Then, a few issues of the Presidence and Empire Collection are displayed. The quantity of material in the Empire selection of the collection is very large, therefore only a small selection can be shown in this instance. The treatment of the Empire issue in this display, except for the 1fr carmine, is rather limited. The Empire 1fr carmine is treated with more depth with over 50 pages. To do justice to this issue, one needs a special display of this size. This is especially so when it comes to the 20c blue, the most common of the issue, but which has a very remarkable postal history and variety of uses, handstamps and cancellations, in particular overseas military marks.

The Chiffres Taxe shown is my 8 frame 128 page exhibit. It is written in French as France is probably the only place where these stamps are properly appreciated and where they would be shown. The postage dues reflect the workings of the French postal system and its postal mentality. Besides the wide variety of the stamps, the relative technicality of their use makes it interesting with very many rare items.