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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

FRENCH POST IN ZANZIBAR

Zanzibar Français

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From 1894 (January 16) to 1904 (July 31) a french post office existed in Zanzibar.

1894 Stamps of France surcharged with value in "ANNA"

1 1/2 a on 15 c, misprint with "ANNAS" instead of "ANNA"

  1/2 a (red) on 5 c green
  1 a (blue) on 10 c black
  1 1/2 a (red) on 15 c blue
  2 a on 20 c red on green
  2 1/2 a (blue) on 25 c black
  3 a on 30 c brown
  4 a on 40 c red on yellow
  5 a (blue) on 50 c red
  7 1/2 a (red) on 75 c lilac on yellow
  10 a (red) on 1 F olive
  50 a on 5 F lilac

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Further surcharged with "ZANZIBAR" horizontally and value 
in 'centimes (1894)

  1/2 ANNA + 5 c (red) on 1 c black
  1 ANNA + 10 c (red) on 2 c grey
  2 1/2 ANNAS + 25 c on 4 c brown
  5 ANNAS + 50 c on 20 c red on green
  10 ANNAS + 1 F on 40 c red on yellow

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted "ZANZIBAR" vertically and surcharged (provisional issue: july 1897)

(exists with and without 'Poste France')
  2 1/2 + 25 (black) on 1/2 a (red) on 5 c green
  2 1/2 + 25 (black) on 1 a (blue) on 10 c black
  2 1/2 + 25 (black) on 1 1/2 a (red) on 15 c blue
  5 + 50 on 3 a on 30 c brown
  5 + 50 on 4 a on 40 c red on yellow

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted "ZANZIBAR" horizontally and value (1897)

  1/2 a (red) on 5 c green
  1 a (blue) on 10 c black
  1 1/2 a (red) on 15 c blue
  2 a on 20 c red on green
  2 1/2 a (blue) on 25 c black
  3 a on 30 c brown
  4 a on 40 c red on yellow
  5 a (blue or black) on 50 c red
  10 a (red) on 1 F olive
  20 a on 2 F brown on blue
  50 a on 5 F lilac

The values 20 a on 2 F and 50 a on 5 F exist with error "ZANZIBAS" (with final "S" instead of "R": RRR); the second stamp might be a forgery, the "S" is different?

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged (only given to the public in cancelled condition)

  '25c = 2 1/2' on 4 a on 40 c red on yellow
  '50c = 5' on 3 a on 30 c brown
  '50c = 5' on 4 a on 40 c red on yellow
  '1F. = 10' on 3 a on 30 c brown
  '1F. = 10' on 4 a on 40 c red on yellow

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Bogus overprint:

(Bogus overprint)

Possibly forgeries, the overprint doesn't look "genuine" and there appears to be another cancel under the "ZANZIBAR" cancel.

1897 Inscription "Poste France ZANZIBAR", printed on empty fields of stamp sheets

  2 1/2 a + 25 c green
  2 1/2 a + 25 c black on lilac
  2 1/2 a + 25 c blue
  5 a + 50 c brown
  5 a + 50 c red on yellow

The '2 1/2 25 c' overprint exists in 3 types, the '5 50c' overprint in 2 types.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

I've been told that the above stamp is genuine, even though the word 'ZANZIBAR' is written horizontally instead of vertically.

Another 'misprint'? Inscription 'Post France' instead of 'Poste France'

Forgery with inscription "Posie Fronce"....

There are some reprints known made by Mannoni (see catalogue Thiaude), also with errors that do not exist for real stamps, such as "Foste Prance". Other sources write his name as Octave Manoni ( https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k98010269/f7.image ).

1902 Stamps as french types, but inscription "ZANZIBAR" and surcharged

  1/2 a (red) on 5 c green
  1 a on 10 c red
  1 1/2 a on 15 c red
  2 a on 20 c brown
  2 1/2 a on 25 c blue
  3 a on 30 c violet
  4 a on 40 c red and blue
  5 a on 50 c brown and grey
  10 a on 1 F red and green
  20 a on 2 F violet and brown
  50 a on 5 F blue and yellow

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged (only given to public in cancelled condition)

  '2 25' (red) on 1/2 a (red) on 5 c green
  '25c 2 1/2' on 1 a on 10 c red
  '25c 2 1/2' on 3 a on 30 c violet
  '50c cinq' on 3 a on 30 c violet
  '1 fr dix' on 3 a on 30 c violet

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1904 Postage Due stamps overprinted "Timbre" , "Affrancht" or bars on "CHIFFRE TAXE"

  1/2 a on 5 c blue
  1 a (blue) on 10 c black 
  '1 1/2 ANNA' and bars (red) on 15 c green

These stamps were given to the public in already cancelled condition.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Postage Due stamps

1897 Postage due stamps of France overprinted with value and "ZANZIBAR"

  1/2 a (red) on 5 c blue
  1 a (blue) on 10 brown
  1 1/2 a (red) on 15 c green
  3 a on 30 c red
  5 a (blue) on 50 c lilac

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

An error 2 1/2 a on 50 c exists (RRR). This error also exists with a handwritten '5' across the '2 1/2'. I have never seen the handwritten correction.

Error: "2 1/2 ANNAS" instead of "5 ANNAS" on 50 c

The overprint "3 ANNAS ZANZIBAR" was forged by the forger Fournier. Here a page from a Fournier Album with two of these forgeries. The "Zanzibar" overprints were applied on forgeries of British Zanzibar.

A Bristol reprint with printed perforation. They are printed on Bristol paper if I'm well informed and were printed for l'Exposition Philatelique in Paris in 1900. They are very rare.

Postage Due stamps overprinted "Timbre" , "Affrancht" or bars on "CHIFFRE TAXE" are actually postage stamps issued in 1904 (see there).

The very neat cancels on many of these postage due stamp appear highly suspicious to me. I have seen letters demanding the post office of Zanzibar for (large amounts of) cancelled postage due stamps. I presume the great manjority of cancelled stamps is of such origins.

Stamps - Timbres Poste - Briefmarken - Postzegels

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer