Tag: France stamp

Here we have a castle dating to Roman times on the overland trade route from the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean sea. Over the years it has witnessed so much daring do from Romans, Visigoths, Saracens, Spaniards and Franks that kids today are playing video and board games based in the legends. If they are enjoying themselves, the tykes should remember to thank architect Eugene Violet le Duc and Napoleon III. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Though the quality of printing isn’t the best, France knew how to show off it’s tourist sites on their stamps. Most far outside Paris, reminding the tourists that there is much more to see than the city of light. This is a tradition that continues and as resulted in some fantastic little perforated portraits.

Todays stamp is issue A85, a 5 Franc stamp issued by France in 1938. It was a 6 stamp issue in various denominations showing tourist sites. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 40 cents used.

The Cite’ de Carcassonne was first fortified by the Romans on 333AD. It lay on an important trade route. It was the first fortress to employ hoardings that were wooden ramparts outside the walls to improve fields of fire esspecially toward the base of the walls. In 462 AD, the Romans ceded the area to the Visigoths under King Theodoric II. It later passed to the Saracens, who were Muslim Moors up from Spain.

Now to the legend that gave Carcassonne it’s name. The Saracen knights of the city were under the command of Lady Carcas after the death of her husband. The Franks under King Charlemagne were laying siege to the town in the hopes of pushing the Saracens back into Spain. The siege was taking it’s toll and Lady Carcas asked for an inventory of the remaining food. A pig and some wheat were brought to her. She had the idea of letting the pig gorge itself on the wheat fattening it up. She then had the pig thrown over the walls at Charlemagne’s troops.  The troops were then devastated that the siege would go on forever if they have so much food to be wasting it like that. Lady Carcas then had all the church bells ring, a signal that the siege was over. Hearing the bells, the Frank troops exclaimed Carcassonne, Lady Carcas has been heard from and the siege really was over.

In the nineteenth century many sites like Carcassonne were in ruins. French architect Eugene Viollet le Duc put together plans to rebuilt them in their traditional form. His efforts around France were much benefited from funding from now Emperor Napoleon III. Doing so the way they had been  was controversial as most of the architectural establishment wanted things done in a more modern style that emanated from Rome. Viollet le Duc noted that Rome was one of the few places never to build in the French Gothic style because they had their own style. When a country is blessed with it’s own style, it might be worthwhile to keep it. An argument that can never be won or lost but always worth having.

The board game inspired by the Castle came in 2000 and was a product surprisingly of Germany. Well perhaps not, there is a German tradition in toys. A computer multiplayer video game came later with the ever multiplying expansion packs and spinoffs you would expect.

Well my drink is empty and I am afraid I am not much of a gamer. A better question is whether I am too old to learn a new board game? Come again on Monday for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

In 1940, France was conquered by Germany in a few months despite having a larger Army and hosting a large British force. Quite embarrassing and partly a result of being only ready to return to World War I trenches not a battle of maneuver. France did have a tank general, recently promoted, with a fake name and too much money in his pocket. Why not talk up his tiny role in liberation. Is that better than just forgetting? So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

American troops had done the bulk of the work liberating France. They tended to stop before major cities already abandoned by the Germans to allow the Free French forces march in first. This was also done out of nervousness as to reception. So this stamp shows the Liberation of Strasbourg in November 1944. Leclerc may not really have been really his name but he definitely looked the part of a Marshal of France. The tank on the stamp is an American Sherman, but you can’t expect the average stamp user to know tank models. Notice the troops commanded by Leclerc are not shown, if they were French???

Todays stamp is issue A1101, a 2.2 Franc stamp issued by France on November 28th, 1987. It was a single stamp honoring Marshal of France Leclerc on the 40th anniversary of his death in an American airplane gifted to France. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.

Philippe de Hautclocque was a junior officer in the French Army during the fall of France. He was briefly taken prisoner as he tried to run away disguised as a civilian refugee. The Germans found his French Army pay stub in his pocket. Upon Armistice, French soldiers were allowed to return home to their families. His wife had gone to southern France where she had family. She had obtained an identity card under the alias Leclerc thinking that would make life easier for him. He decided to apply for a visa to Spain and leave his family behind and make his way to Free French Forces in Britain. He got his visa but took several tries to get over the border as he was carrying far too much cash. Once in Spain, he presented himself to the British Embassy and they arraigned his travel to Britain. He decided to continue to use the name Leclerc and General de Gaulle promoted him and assigned him to armor.

The Free French forces recruited Askari troops from their African colonies, mainly Senegal and outfitted them with equipment given by America. His tank force, which he called the Leclerc division, guarded the flank of British forces in North Africa and Italy. It deployed to France well after D Day in 1944. His force did win one fight with the Germans when his division came upon an understrength brigade of Panther tanks. He complained that the Panther tank that the Germans had built for themselves was better than the Sherman tanks that had been gifted France by the USA. America’s surprise that Leclerc had not been beaten by force one quarter Leclerc’s size was greater than their disdain for his insolence and American General Patton award the Silver Star medal to now General Leclerc. He marched into Strasbourg unopposed.

Strasbourg was held by Leclerc’s Senegalese troops and an American all black division. Strasbourg was important to Germany as many residents were of German heritage. A counterattack was launched from Colmar that was one of Germanys last. Eisenhower considered abandoning Strasbourg but realized it would be bad PR while the Battle of the Bulge was also raging further north. He instead moved in many more American soldiers but put them under French command to make it appear the French were holding their ground, see https://the-philatelist.com/2019/06/11/wurttemberg-1945-an-ex-vichy-general-goes-from-jail-to-commanding-americans-in-their-zone-of-germany/ . Strasbourg did not refall to the Germans but the battle went on into February 1945, long after most German troops were out of France.

After the European war ended, Leclerc, he had legally changed his name by now, lead a 25,000 troop expedition whose mission was to reclaim French Indochina from the Japanese, see https://the-philatelist.com/2018/01/09/vichy-fights-on-for-empire-in-indochina/  . Before his troops arrived off Vietnam, he struck a deal with Ho Chi Minh that Vietnam would be independant but a part of the French communitity and his troops would be welcome for five years to provide security. This meant his army would not have to fight but France would not be getting back Indo China. French were outraged, Leclerc was fired and the deal was not ratified. It should have been of course.

Leclerc was next assigned to Algeria where he died in the crash of an American B-25 bomber in French service. Posthumously Leclerc was made a Marshal of France. The current French tank, the Leclerc is named for him. The previous French tank, the AMX 30 was an updated copy of the German Panther tank that Leclerc had so many problems with.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Leclerc not so much for his war service but rather for what he nearly pulled off in Vietnam. Imagine all the misery avoided if he had been listened to. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

One of the great things about stamps is that they allow a country to show off interesting things that are going on there. Advanced countries possessed inventors changing the world and imagining the future. Here we have the story of Frenchman Clement Ader and his pre Wright brothers steam powered bat planes. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The printers and engravers did a good job with this issue. The blue color tint gives Ader’s Avion III plane a more serious look. The reality was that the bat shaped wings were mostly beige linen stretched over a thin wood frame. Lite weight being so important to getting off the ground. By 1938 there were many types of airplanes, the stamp does well in showing how advanced the early work was and then still have room for the man behind it.

Todays stamp is issue A88, a 50 Franc stamp issued by France on June the 16th, 1938. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $65 dollars used. There is another version on thicker paper in a darker shade of blue that would up the value to $77.50.

Clement Ader was born in Toulouse France in 1841. Toulouse is the future home of Airbus. He trained in electrical engineering and his early work was in the recently invented by Alexander Graham Bell telephone. He was in charge of installing the first telephone network in Paris in 1880. He went on to design a headset that would allow an audience to listen to an opera being performed with stereo sound. Pretty advanced for the nineteenth century.

In the 1880s Ader turned his attention to trying to achieve  powered flight. For what the machine that gets off the ground might look like he carefully studied the shape of birds, specifically the bat. He designed a lightweight, 112 pound, steam powered 20 horsepower four cylinder engine powering a propeller. His plane the Ader Eole, got one foot off the ground for a distance of 160 feet. It was the first powered takeoff, but the flight itself was not under the control of the pilot Mr. Ader. Ader then attracted funding from the French Defense Ministry for a more developed effort. This plane, still bat shaped but much bigger with a 46 foot wingspan and 2 30 horsepower steam engines wan named the Avion III. This flew in 1897 but was blown off course by the wind. The government declared it a failure and pulled funding.

After a short stint building V8 powered race cars that did not find buyers, Ader continued to have influence on aviation. In 1910 he published a book imagining a future of aerial warfare. Among the imaginations were drawings of what an aircraft carrier might look like, with a large flat deck, ship functions from a small island, and aircraft elevators to take planes to the flight deck from the hanger deck below. The book was spotted by at American Naval Attaché in Paris and sent to America. where they influenced the design of the USS Langley, the first flush deck aircraft carrier.

Ader’s plane name Avion became the French word for air travel. Ader was also honored in his hometown where one of Airbus’s assembly lines was named for him.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Clement Ader. With the value of this stamp, I can readily afford another round. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

Ancient stones lined up like an army turned to stone. Well you probably have heard of Stonehenge and Easter Island. Well France would like to remind you that the town of Carnac has it’s own stone mystery and invites you to come check it out. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

These tourism promoting issues are some of my favorite French stamps. It reminds the tourist that there is more to see than Paris. That in itself would make the stamps worth doing. What makes them even more special is that instead of photos, little paintings are done very much in the style of the impressionist, which remember itself had French origins. The reason the issues have been so long lived is in my opinion how effective they are to the French themselves reminding them of their patriotic feelings in a non political way.

Todays stamp is issue A440, a one Franc stamp issued by France on July 10th, 1965. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used. There is an overprinted version for use on the island of Reunion.

It is believed that the stones date back to 3300 BC. There are about 1000 stones still around, though some have toppled. An early theory of why they exist was put forth by Christians was that the stones were pagan soldiers in pursuit of Pope Cornelius around 250 AD when God saved him by turning the army to stone. Another legend that is more popular locally is that the stones are the remains of a Roman Legion that was turned to stone by Merlin. This legend shows how close Britany was tied in to Welsh and King Arthur style mysticism of the British isles.

Around 1800, French soldier and celtomaniac antiquarian de la Tour d ‘Auvergne put forth the theory that the stones were placed by ancient Druids. This theory is more in keeping with the age of the stones. The work was built upon to claim that stone placement was aligned with the astrology of the stars. This fits in with the revival among modern hippies of what they perceive of as druid roots to there own movement. Recently a group calling itself everyone-together collective stormed the visitor center of Kermerio Alignment of stones to demand more open axess to the stones so they be communed with and not just visited in organized tours. Haha.

Well my drink is empty and I expect the bartender will soon cut off the everyone-together collective so I think I will call it a day. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

This is a stamp, printed in Paris, that displays their view of the regions. Interesting that for the Languedoc region of southwest France, they picked a peasant dish to goes so far into tradition, that it contains a little of the dish that came before. This as Languedoc was taking in ordinary workers who could no longer exist in Paris do to the stratification. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp issue is meant to celebrate the regions of France. That it was put together by Paris sophisticates is obvious by the subjects chosen. Thus the region of Languedoc is not represented by the Airbus factory, but rather an old style peasant dish containing lots of beans. Says something I think of those moving from Paris to there. Good bye and good eats, and don’t forget your yellow vest.

Todays stamp is issue A1642, a 50 Euro Cents stamp issued by France on May 24th, 2003. It was a 10 stamp issue showing aspects of the various regions of France and was available as well as a souvenir sheet. According to the Scott catalog, any individual stamp from the sheet is worth $1.30 used. The souvenir sheet as a whole is worth $16.

The Languedoc region of France is one of the fastest growing regions as real estate is more affordable and all of the industry as yet to depart. The region came into France later than areas further north so shows some vestiges of Spanish and Italian influences. By French standards, the area still has a low population density.

The Cassoulet dish originated among peasants and was a casserole containing white beans, sausage and pork skins and often duck or goose. Interestingly when the dish is eaten the brown stains at the bottom of the pot are deglazed and stored as a base for the next time. In this way there is an unbroken continuity from a dish from many years before. Sounds a lot like whiskey makers transferring the sour mash dregs of the last batch into the next one for continuity and tradition. This talk has now made me both hungry and thirsty though I am no fan of beans, sausage or eating foul. Well part of the tradition of peasant cooking in the big pot is throwing in whatever is on hand.

Of course tradition can always be dumbed down and homogenized. French big box supermarkets sell premade cassoulets in cans and jars. No doubt whatever finds its way into those giant casserole dishes/industrial vats is just as good. At least it gives something to throw at the next yellow vest rally.

Well my drink is empty, and my wife has in mind Thai food for lunch. No French peasant food around here and I can’t convince my wife to crack open her Jacque Pepin cookbook. You can trust that I will be thinking of Cassoulet while I eat my drunken noodles. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

The World Chess Federation brought the 1974 Chess Olympiad to the south of France in 1974. Except the South Africans and the Rhodesians were kicked out, the Tunisians refused to play the Israelis and the big Soviet chess master stayed home because he might defect  and the American chess master wanted more money. Well who doesn’t. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

An interesting thing happened in 1976 at the next Olympiad in Haifa, Israel. Arab teams refused to attend and set up a rival “Against Chess Olympiad” in Tripoli, Libya. Of course Libya put out a whole issue of stamps. They look a lot like todays 1974 stamp. That must mean that the French stamp design itself wasn’t controversial, and I can see why. It is a well drawn and well printed stamp. French stamp design excelled in the 1970s.

Todays stamp is issue A655, a one Franc stamp issued by France on June 8th, 1974. It was a single stamp issue celebrating the 21st official Chess Olympiad held that year in Nice, France. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 35 cents used.

FIDE a French acronym for the World Chess Federation, was founded in 1925 in Paris. Countries send 4 player teams that play a tournament of round robin play for points with the high three teams getting gold, silver, and bronze medals and the top individual player named world champion. There was a gap during World War II but since 1950 there has been a Chess Olympiad every two years. The Chess Olympiad is not associated with the Olympics.

The 21st Olympiad was held in Nice in 1974 and the Soviet Union took the Gold medal, Yugoslavia the Silver and the USA the Bronze. The Soviets had lost several of their top players to defections  but still managed the Gold. The American Bobby Fischer, the first non Soviet champion in 20 years was still reigning champion but refused to attend. He wanted an event with more prize money and wanted to change the rules on matches that end in a draw. He thought the Soviet strategy of getting an early point lead and then playing for draws disadvantaged him. His lack of presence definitely disadvantaged the Nice games and put a shadow over future Soviet champions as he remained out there, not playing, but claiming to be champion.

There were many other controversies with smaller teams. Arab nations refused to play South Africa and Rhodesia over racial politics. At first FIDE tried to get around it by using a statistical model to game how games might have gone. This was also controversial and first South Africa and then Rhodesia were forced to leave the tournament. Rhodesia had already played all of its matches. The Nicaraguan team showed up late and with only 2 players and was forced to withdraw. The Tunisia team refused to play the Israeli team and the statistical model was used to predict an Israeli victory.

FIDE is now based in Athens, Greece and the Chess Olympiad still happens every two years. The event occurred this year in Batumi in the Republic of Georgia. China took the Gold Medal, Russia is not as dominant as the Soviets used to be. Norwegian Mangus Carlson is the current world champion individual.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the players that plow through all the politics to play the game. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

Political heirs can sometimes capture the imagination. Imagining a return to the grandiosity of the past but hopefully without the missteps. Followers and the heirs themselves hold out the hope but it rarely works out. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp is a very early issue of France. It does a good job displaying the transformation of France back to Empire and Napoleon. The first French stamp issue featured Ceres the Roman Goddess of Agriculture. The Napoleon stamp very much resembled the Ceres stamp, with the details of the long stamp issue changing to reflect the details in the transformation of France’s longest serving head of state.

Todays stamp is issue A5 a 30 Centimes stamp issued by the French Empire in 1867. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $12.50. There is an imperforate version of this stamp that was solely for the use of the Rothschild banking empire that is worth $190.

Louis Napoleon was born to Napoleon’s younger brother and a daughter from Empress Josephine’s first marriage. The marriage was not happy and was only to produce heirs as by now Josephine was barren. After Napoleon’s defeat and death, Louis went with his mother into exile in Switzerland. He studied as a soldier and with German tutors. He tried as a young man to march back into France and claim the throne, but was stopped in Strasburg and forced into exile this time in London. He later tried again landing in Boulogne and immediately arrested by customs officers. He spent several years in French  jail writing widely read political manifestos. He was able to escape back to England. In the uprisings of 1848 King Louis-Philippe abdicated. Louis Napoleon was able to return from exile to Paris and win election to the Presidency of the new French 2nd Republic.

There were many achievements in France under Louis Napoleon. The education system was modernized and made to also educate women. The banking, agriculture and trade systems were modernized with much benefit to the economy. There was major public works including in Paris where the city center was first given its modern look and sewers, gas street lamps, boulevards and many parks were laid out. .

Louis Napoleon also ended the republic and became Emperor. The constitution did not allow him to run for another term and when he failed to get that changed there was a coup. A self coup that took much power from the Assembly and gave it to Emperor Napoleon III as he was now styled. Napoleon II had theoretically ruled for a few weeks in 1815. With Empire came a lot of attention to Empire and Napoleon III added colonies in Africa and Indo-China and sent troops to help keep the Vatican from being absorbed in a new Italy. He also sent many troops to Algeria and Mexico where he supported a pro French Emperor Maximillian. All these foreign adventures stretched the French Army thin. It was the period when conscription was being used to build large armies. France was late to this and as a result the small number of French troops in France were easy to defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Napoleon III was defeated, and again went into exile where he soon died.

Napoleon III did have time to find an Empress and produce an heir. After being rebuffed by two potential candidates, he married Eugenie of Montijo in 1849 when she was 23 and he 42. She became Empress Consort and produced an heir in 1856 Napoleon. Prince Imperial. He grew up in exile in London and died while serving in the British Army in South Africa during the war with the Zulus in 1878. After the death of her husband and son. Eugenie retired to the south of France to Villa Cyrnos that was built for her. She died in 1920 at age 94.

Well my drink is empty and so I will open up the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.