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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

FRENCH COLONIES, GENERAL 1881 ISSUE

Colonies Françaises

Return To Catalogue - Forgeries of these stamps - French colonies, other general issues - French colonies, overview - French colonies, postage due stamps - French colonies forgeries - France overview

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

Stamps used in the french colonies, general issues for all colonies. For other French colonies general issues, click here.

 

1881 Woman sitting, inscription "COLONIES POSTES REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE", also known as "Alphée Dubois" issue or 'Commerce' issue

2 c brown on yellow 5 c green 35 c brown on yellow 75 c red 

  1 c black on blue
  2 c brown on yellow
  4 c brown on grey
  5 c green
  10 c black
  15 c blue
  20 c red on green
  25 c brown
  25 c black on lilac (1886)
  30 c brown
  35 c brown on yellow
  40 c red on yellow
  75 c red
  1 F olive

These stamps have perforation 14 x 13 1/2.

Value of the stamps

 
vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
 
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
Value Unused Used Remarks
1 c * *  
2 c * *  
4 c * *  
5 c * c  
10 c * *  
15 c ** c  
20 c ** *  
25 c brown * *  
25 c black on lilac * *  
30 c *** ***  
35 c R R  
40 c *** ***  
75 c R R  
1 F *** ***  

 

The next table show in which colonies the values were used and where they are rare. This table is taken from https://www.franceandcolonies.org/philatelist/146.pdf

The following abbreviations are used for the colonies (including the main post office(s), other offices are usually rarer):
SPM : St. Pierre and Miquelon - St. Pierre
GPE : Guadeloupe - Pointe-a-Pitre and Basse-Terre
MQE : Martinique - St.Pierre and Fort-de-France
GUY : French Guiana - Cayenne
SNG/GOR : Senegal and Goree - St.Louis and Goree
RDS/GUI : Rivieres du Sud (Guinea) - Conakry
CDO/CDI/BEN - Cote d'Or (Ivory Coast) and Benin (Dahomey) - Assinie, Grand Bassam, Kotonou, Grand Popo, Whydah
ASI/GAB/CON - Assinie, Gabon, Congo - Libreville
OBK : Obock
MAY/NSB : Mayotte and Nossi-Be (to 1885) -Dzaoudzi
REU : Reunion - St.Denis and St.Pierre
INDE : French India - Pondichery
CCH : French Indochina - Saigon
NCE : New Caledonia - Noumea
OCN : Oceania (Tahiti) - Papeete
DSZ/NSB/MAD : Duego Suarez, Nossi Be and Madagascra (1885 onwards) - Diego Suarez, Tamatave and Tananarivo.

The symbols mean:
+ : the stamp was send to the colony, but no evidence of actual use (or questionable)
/ : the stamp was send to the colony, but not sold
X : no information available
R : rare or very rare
S : scarce
C : common
P : philatelic use or cancelled to order (CTO)
O : stamp not send to the colony (but accidental or philatelic use may exist)

  SPM GPE MQE GUY SNG
GOR		 RDS
GUI		 CDO
CDI
BEN		 ASI
GAB
CON		 OBK MAY
NSB		 DSZ
NSB
MAD		 REU INDE CCH NCE OCN
1 c R C S X S X X S X P R C C C X R
2 c R S S R S X X R X P S C S S O R
4 c R S S R S X X R X P S C S C O R
5 c S C C S C R R S X P C C C C S S
10 c S C C S C R R S P P C C C C C S
15 c S C C S C R R S P S S C C C C S
20 c R C C R C X X R X S S C S R R R
25 c
yellow		 C C C C C O X S P C R S C C C S
25 c
black		 S C C C C R R S P C C C C C C S
30 c R / S R R X X R P P R S R C C R
35 c R / S R R X R S P P R R S S S R
40 c R / C P P X X S P P S C S C P S
75 c S + P P P X X R P P P P P P P P
1 Fr R + S P S X X S X P C R S C P S

For information on forgeries of these stamps, click here.

I have seen postal stationary in similar design in the values 1 c black, 2 c brown, 3 c red and 5 c green. The values 4 c brown, 10 c black, 15 c blue and 25 c black should also exist. Examples:

Overprints for the various colonies:

Cochin China

'5' on 25 c, 'C.CH' overprint, 15/15 on 30 c.

Madagascar

Genuine overprint '5' on 10 c black Image obtained from a Harmers auction Madagascar Madagascar Madagascar Madagascar

'05' on 10 c, '5' on 10 c, '05' on 25 c, '5' on 25 c, '05' on 40 c, '15' and '25' on 40 c

Diego Suarez

'15' on 1 c, '15' on 5 c, '15' on 10 c, '15' on 20 c, '15' on 25 c

Gabon

Gabon Image obtained from a Harmers auction Image obtained from a Harmers auction Image obtained from a Harmers auction

'GAB' and dots overprint: 5 on 20 c, 10 on 20 c, 25 on 20 c, 50 on 15 c and 75 on 15 c.

Genuine overprint Image reproduced with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com '25' on 5 c green Image reproduced with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com Image reproduced with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com

'15' on 10 c black, '15' on 1 F green, '25' on 5 c green, '25' on 10 c black, '25' on 75 c red

Nossi Be

Image obtained from a Harmers auction Image obtained from a Harmers auction Image obtained from a Harmers auction Stamp surcharged in Nossi-Be Image obtained from a Harmers auction

'5 c.' on 10 c, '5 c. ' on 20 c, '15' on 20 c, '25' on 30 c, '25' on 40 c

Reunion

Reunion

'2 c' on 20 c

Senegal

Senegal

'5' on 20 c, '5' on 30 c, '10' on 4 c, '10' on 20 c, '15' on 20 c. Many types of these Senegal surcharges exist.


This "30" on 40 c stamp is a fiscal stamp used in French India. The values 30 on 1 c, 30 on 5 c and 30 on 35 c also exist. They were issued in 1882.

These stamps overprinted with a value and "GREFFE" were issued in Indo China: 1 c on 5 c green, 5 c on 25 c black, 10 c on 75 c red and 20 c on 1 F green:


"GREFFE" overprints.

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