Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

FRANCE, Postage due stamps 1881 onwards

France taxe

Return To Catalogue - France Postage Due Stamps, 1859 issue - France overview - French colonies, postage due stamps - Postage Due Stamps, 1881 forgeries - Postage Due Stamps, 1881 Fournier forgeries

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France Postage Due Stamps, 1859 issue

1881 Inscription "A PERCEVOIR CHIFFRE TAXE", so called 'Duval' type

20 c black 30 c red 50 c black

  1 c black
  2 c black
  3 c black
  4 c black
  5 c black
  5 c blue (1894)
  10 c black
  10 c brown (1893)
  15 c black
  15 c green (1894)
  20 c black
  20 c green (1906)
  25 c red (1923)
  30 c black (1881)
  30 c red (1894)
  40 c black
  40 c red (1925)
  45 c green (1924)
  50 c black (1892)
  50 c lilac (1895)
  60 c black (1884)
  60 c green (1925)
  1 F black
  1 F brown (1884)
  1 F red on yellow (1896)
  1 F lilac
  2 F black
  2 F brown (1884)
  2 F orange (1910)
  2 F violet (1926)
  3 F red (1926)
  5 F black
  5 F brown (1884)
  5 F red (1941)

The 30 c black was first introduced in August 1881, the 30 c is the only one of the set without an accent on top of the "A". The 'coloured' centimes stamps appeared from 1893/1894. In 1943 these stamps were withdrawn. These stamps are also known as 'Banderole' or 'Duval' (after the designer Gerard Duval).

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	vc	vc
2 c	**	**
3 c	**	**
4 c	**	**
5 c black	**	**
5 c blue	vc	vc
10 c black	*	c
10 c brown	c	vc
15 c black	***	*
15 c green	*	*
20 c black	***	***
20 c green	c	vc
25 c	*	*
30 c black	***	*
30 c red	c	vc	Orange: **
40 c black	***	***
40 c red	*	*
45 c	c	c
50 c black	R	***
50 c lilac	c	vc
60 black	***	***
60 c green	c	c
1 F black	RR	RR
1 F brown	R	***
1 F red on yellow	RR	RR
1 F lilac	*	vc
2 F black	RR	RR
2 F brown	R	R
2 F orange	R	***
2 F violet	*	vc
5 F black	RR	RR
5 F brown	R	R

A 60 c brown was prepared, but not issued.

These stamps, but imperforate, were used in the French colonies.

Some of these stamps were printed on grey inferior paper 'papier grande consommation' here with "GC" printed on top. Also note the 'millesieme', the number printed on a small white strip of paper between two stamps. The "9" refers to the last digit of the year the stamps were printed, here 1919.

Reprints with printed perforations. I have seen them of many other values. They are printed on Bristol paper if I'm well informed and were printed for l'Exposition Philatelique in Paris in 1900. They also exists without the date at the bottom. These Bristol reprints are quite rare. Also a Bristol reprint with a Zanzibar overprint.

I have often seen these stamps cancelled with a small triangle, with the letter "A" or "B". A similar cancel with "T" inside it exists, but is usally placed elsewhere on the envelope (not on the stamps). According to http://www.marcophilie.org/timbres-classiques/timtyp.html the "A" and "B" cancels also exist as precancels.

"A", "B" and "T" in a triangle cancels. Empty triangles also exist. Also a larger triangle, but with 'teeth' at the outer sides was used in the Seine department.

A 'Bureau de Cartier' cancel.

a 50 c stamp used in Smyrne (Turkey).

A 1 F stamp with a "RECOUVREMENT" cancel in blue.

Stamps with overprint "ANNULE" or "SPECIMEN" for the so-called 'Cours d'Instruction'; a cours for postal workers. The "ANNULE" overprint exists on 1 c black, 5 c blue, 10 c brown, 20 c green, 25 c red, 30 c red, 50 c lilac, 1 F lilac and 2 F red. The "SPECIMEN" overprint exists on 5 c blue, 10 c brown, 20 c green, 30 c red, 40 c red, 50 c lilac and 1 F lilac.

The values 5 c and 10 c exist with overprint "TIMBRE POSTE" in red and a red bar were issued for French Morocco:

These stamps, overprinted in "CACHES" or "FANONS" were issued in French India:

French India surcharges

Stamps overprinted with "CENTS" and Chinese characters were issued for the French Post in China:

2 c on 5 c blue
French Post in China

Similar stamps with value in "Milliemes" were issued in the french post offices in Alexandria and Port Said (Egypt):

(Similar stamp with value in "Milliemes" issued for french post offices in Egypt)

Here the overprint "ANDORRE" for Andorra.

"MOYEN-CONGO A.E.F." for Middle Congo

Other stamps in a similar design were issued for Andorra, Monaco, Algeria and Tunesia.

Local stamps of Karlsruhe (1888), with an imitation of the French postage due stamps.

Toy stamps in the same design as the French postage due stamps.

Forgeries:

Distinguishing characteristics of genuine stamps for the specific values (see also https://www.franceandcolonies.org/philatelist/185.pdf):
5 c : there are extra dots in the leaf pattern under the "CH" of "CHIFFRE"
10 c: broken outer loop in the band just to the right of the second "R" of "PERCEVOIR"
20 c, 25 c and 45 c: break in the inner vertical line under "RF".
30 c: there is no accent on the "a"
1 F: there is a dot below the grape(?) under the "CE" of "PERCEVOIR"
2 F: there is an extra dot in the leaf pattern under the "CH" of "CHIFFRE"
5 F: in my opinion, a break in the leaf pattern above the "X" of "TAXE" (yet many forgeries also have this characteristic)

1908 Inscription "RECOUVREMENTS VALEURS IMPAYEES"

  1 c green
  10 c violet
  20 c brown
  30 c brown
  50 c red
  60 c red

Surcharged

  '20 c.' on 30 c brown
  '40 c' on 50 c red
  '=50 c.' on 10 c violet
  '=60 c' on 1 c green
  '=1 F' on 60 c red
  '=2 F' on 60 c red

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	vc	vc
10 c	c	vc
20 c	*	c
30 c	***	vc
50 c	R	***
60 c	*	c
Surcharged
20 c on 30 c	*	c
40 c on 50 c	*	c
50 c on 10 c	*	c
60 c on 1 c	*	*	Exists with broader '6': R
1 F on 60 c	*	*
2 F on 60 c	*	*

1917 Postage stamp of France (sower), with overprint 'T' in a triangle

  5 c green

This was a provisional issue, introduced due to a lack of 5 c postage due stamps. This stamp was used from 2 to 17 January 1917.

1927 Slightly different design, now inscription "TAXE A PERCEVOIR"

With 'T' in a triangle cancel

  1 c green
  10 c red
  30 c brown
  60 c red
  1 F violet
  1 F green
  2 F blue
  2 F brown

Surcharged

  'UN FRANC' on 60 c red
  '= 1F20' (red) on 2 F blue
  '= 5 F' on 1 F violet

Other stamps with inscription "a percevoir" see Guadeloupe:

Example of a postage due stamp of a later date (1943):

'FRANCE CHIFFRE-TAXE'

In this design exist:
Inscription "CHIFFRE-TAXE" (1943): 10 c brown, 30 c lilac, 50 c green, 1 F blue, 1.50 F red, 2 F blue, 3 F brown, 4 F violet, 5 F lilac, 10 F orange and 20 F olive.

Inscription "TIMBRE TAXE" (1946): 10 c brown, 30 c lilac, 50 c green, 1 F blue, 2 F blue, 3 F brown, 4 F violet, 5 F lilac, 10 F orange, 20 F olive, 50 F green, 100 F green.

Furthermore in 1960 the currency was changed (inscription "TIMBRE TAXE"): 0.05 F red, 0.10 F orange, 0.20 F olive, 0.50 F green, 1.00 F green.

Postage due stamps with overprint "CFA" and surcharged were issued for Reunion, example:

Reunion issue

Postage due issue for Andorra, similar to a 1946 postage due stamp of France.

1964 Flowers, inscription "TIMBRE TAXE REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE POSTES"

  0.05 F red, green and orange
  0.10 F lilac, green and blue
  0.15 F brown, green and red
  0.20 F green and violet
  0.30 F brown, green and blue
  0.40 F green, red and yellow
  0.50 F violet, green and red
  1.00 F violet, green and lilac

All stamps have different flowers in their design.