France: Postal History (Covers, Postcards, etc.)

True, but it is for those who also collect/specialize in France!!! and maybe someone will become inspired- who knows.

Later this year I may be posting obscure Belgium! or??? 

A letter from a co-worker to another, who was a friend of my uncles!   The stamp is Yvert #1131  issued 10/21/1957. The cancellation is 8/23/1958 from Cannes  PPal - Alpes Maritime. The slogan is  (translation) "International Amateur Film Festival Debut September"  (Cannes Film Festival).  Not sure who paid th epostage due, but no stamp(s) or marking on the back of the envelope

The stationary is from the S.S. Independence which was built in 1961 by Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Quincy Massachusetts for the American export Lines which operated beginning in 1919 until  it went bankrupt in 1977. It offered cargo and passenger service between the US east coast and trhe Mediterranean. It owned the SS Independence until 1974 when it was sold (several times and eventually scrapped/beached at the Alang Shipyard, India.  During its lifetime at sea it  carried Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr,  President Harry Truman, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock and King Saud.  The sender (Carmen) was getting stamps from abroad and sending back to co-workers...sadly the  stamps were not wirh this! (dang)

captphil  Such a lovely cover with so many corner selvage copies. The French engraved issues are beautiful. If I didn't already collect too many countries, I'd be tempted to add France. And adding covers really adds some pizzazz to a collection. Thanks for sharing. 

A beautiful cover indeed. Vaires-sur-Marne is a Paris suburb (now, may not have been in 1947) half-way to the Disneyland-Paris site. It will soon become a little more famous on its own right as it will be one of the sites of the Paris 2024 Olympics, for rowing and sailing events. A new Olympic basin was created there and it already is hosting competitions (my eldest son went there this summer). 

Centenaire du Chemin de Fer du Nord 1846-1946 Centenary of the Northern Railway Company

A postcard issued for this event and for 25th Anniversary of the Philatelist Railwaymen (Cheminots Philatélistes). There was an exhibition at Paris Gare du Nord from 9th-11th November 1946. A commemorative cinderella stamp was also produced and attached to the picture side of the postcard. A special postmark has been applied to the postage stamp for Gare du Nord and also, a special handstamp in red has been applied to the cinderella.

Maury 23 ,issued in 1862 on a letter sent to Mulhouse,France.The letter shows a cancellation from Alexandria,Egypt dated 11 January 1868.
A backstamp shows arrival in Mulhouse on 19 January 1868.
The sender also added the letter to be sent by vapeur anglais..English steamship ...via Marseille
One other cancellation dated 18 January which I am unable to figure out.Looks like Paq.Amol ?

vikingeck
Thanks for your suggestion.It makes perfect sense too as I can now make out the letters.
Thanks again....
Anglobob

Maury 160,issued in 1922 with a paquebot cancellation from 14 April 1923,on a postcard sent to Montevideo,Uruguay.
The postcard features the steamship Lutetia owned by Compagne de Navigation Sud-Atlantique.Launched in 1913 and was used on the Bordeaux-Buenos Aires route.Taken out of service in 1931 and scrapped in 1938. Info from Wikipedia.

Earlier today, I was passing time going over some covers looking for any with June dates that I might set aside for the daily 'Postmark / Cover Calendar'.

I came across this one. It was postmarked June 8, 1871 in Muhlhausen, Elsass. It has a 20 centimes German occupation stamp. I'm assuming that the stamp on the back is a transit stamp from Belfort on June 9. And there is a second stamp, which I haven't yet been able to make out. It's either another transit stamp or an arrival stamp for June 11 or 14 probably the arrival stamp - Bourdeaux June 11. [Edit: Thanks franoise ...]





Here's the thing. I bought this a few years ago, and stuck it in album with my small collection of 1870 occupation stamps. I assumed it was an envelope and I was more interested in the stamp.

This is the first time I've really looked at it. It's actually a folded letter. The ends are open and if when I flex them I can see it's actually a folded letter.



It's sealed, however. That's why I thought it was an envelope and the side opening was how the addressee got the letter out. (be kind). It looks almost like it was never opened. But, I can see that someone wrote something on the back which continues under the sealed flap. If this was done by the person who got the letter then it must have been carefully opened and re-sealed. If it was done by the sender, the letter may never have been read. 

I can't see any indication that the letter was refused? There is a squiggle on the front.

I don't want to tear the thing open ... I see there is already a small tear on the flap. Any ideas or suggestions?

Cheers. 

Thanks, definitely one option. 

So far this evening, I've heard from people about steaming, putting it in the deep freeze, using a thin and sharp blade to just cut it open along the seam. I've also explored a lot of interesting professional archive sites. As an aside, I found a fascinating blog about the Prize Papers project in the UK. They have a similar challenge opening mail from Royal Navy prizes between 1652-1856. Lots of great ideas on dealing with seals. If you're interested, here's the URL ... blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/letters-unread-opening-closed-letters-in-the-prize-papers-project/

However, getting back to my cover. I was concerned about steaming it as I didn't want to lose the stamp in the process. However, I did try it ... and it was a no go. Whoever sealed it, used some sort of glue to paste down the entire flap from end to end and about 15cm wide. And, it was serious glue. I think the paper would have disintegrated before the glue melted.

Worse, on closer inspection, I see that whoever did this created a pocket into which part of the folded letter was inserted. And, it's not only glued on the back but there is also glue on the inside corners as well. 



It's almost like the sender was trying to create a locked letter. Something that you'd have to seriously mess up to open. Which again begs the question. Was it ever opened in the first place? Or, was it the person who received it who applied the glue ... to keep the contents private? Or, was it just an accident of 154 years of non-archival storage and it just stuck together over time?

It's hard to believe it was a deliberate act. I mean, why? It looks like a commercial cover. There is a blue oval handstamp on the front, typical of many businesses of the period, for "P. Boeringer" and the seal on the back has the initials "P.B". 

Anyway, I stuck it in an air-tight container and have left it in the freezer overnight. If that doesn't work, I may just be tempted to use a letter-opener (smile).