Tag: France stamp

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Saint Pierre and Miquelon, making the most expensive Frenchmen stop fishing

Explorers find an unoccupied group of islands in a rich area for fishing. Sounds promising even potentially lucrative. Or not. 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.

I am a little conflicted aesthetically about this stamp. I like the color palate and engraving that place it unmistakably in the French orbit. On the other hand a fairly ugly fish factory  on a prime piece of coast line seems not one should emphasize. I am going to come down on being in favor since catching fish is or at least was the whole point of the settlement.

Todays stamp is issue A36, a 30 Centimes stamps issued by the French overseas Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon on October 22, 1956. It displays a fish freezing plant and was part of a four stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 95 cents used.

French and British settlement occurred in different periods up to the Napoleonic wars after which the French claim was recognized. The islands sit over 2000 miles from France but only 16 miles from Newfoundland. It was a tiny settlement that eked out a meager existence  from catching fish and occasionally alcohol and tobacco smuggling. During World War II, the islands went with Axis ally Vichy France. It was the closest Axis encroachment of North America. Fearing an Axis forward base, Canada readied a takeover. This was complicated by Quebecois concerns, see https://the-philatelist.com/2017/12/27/canada-supports-the-war-except-quebec-and-churchill-just-ignores/ , and neutral USA’s Monroe Doctrine. While Canada dithered, the Free French under De Gaulle sent a few ships that turned the islands to the Allies, much to the annoyance of Canada and England.

Even with the fishing, the islands require a great deal of subsidies from France to be viable economically. That is how the islands got the reputation of being the worlds most expensive Frenchmen. It also explains why the islands chose to stay with France when independence was offered in the 60s.

The economic situation as worsened with the banning of fishing. Canada from Ottawa and France from Paris agreed to ban deep sea fishing in both Newfoundland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The fish factory is now derelict, see below. A new round of French investment is going on to promote the still allowed tourism.

Well my drink is empty and so I will pour another to toast the hardy if expensive French of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. I have had the good fortune of visiting Newfoundland and I know the weather extremes in that part of the world. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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We have our country back, lets get back to normal

Welcome readers to todays offering from The Philatelist. 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. Today we will explore an attractive, unmistakably French stamp that shows beauty persevering  despite two world wars trying to destroy it.

The stamp today is from France in the early post World War II years. In those years there was a lot of impressionist style views of natural beauty and landmarks. While somewhat held back by the limits of printing, these were great stamps. There was probably some motive to attract tourist. I think a lot of it comes down to an appreciation that the wars are over and so much of an appreciation by the French of how much survives.

Today’s stamp is issue A189, a 40 franc stamp issued by France in 1949. The stamp displays a view of the Meuse River valley in the area of the Ardennes forest. It was part of a three stamp issue in various denominations displaying French landmarks. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 30 cents used. A mint version of the stamp is worth $15.00. Given that, one hopes that the original buyer of my stamp at the post office was also a philatelist and kept a few mint copies back to collect.

It is interesting that even post war, French stamps were so heavily influences by the impressionist movement in art. That movement, which developed new painting techniques to better capture the beauty of the colors and lighting in nature, was founded in France in the 19th century. In the early twentieth century, especially after World War I, a new movement called expressionism was more the fashion. This movement was most prominent in Germany and Scandinavia. It was an attempt to capture humans angst as part of the dehumanizing effects of war industrialization and the decline of religious practice. While some pieces from that movement were interesting, I am glad France continued to offer what they did best.

The Ardennes region of France was near the border with southern Belgium and Luxemburg. The Meuse River flows through the western Ardennes forest. The time between1870 and 1945 saw repeated wars between Germany and France. Napoleon III surrendered to the Prussian at the small area city of Sedan. World War I again saw the Ardennes as the site of the German attack on France. 1940 saw another attack by Germany on France through the Ardennes with a breakthrough of the French line again at Sedan. This was not the end of it for the Ardennes as the last large scale offensive by Germany  in December 1944 sought to divide the British and American armies by attacking through the Ardennes. This time the goal was not France but the Belgian port of Antwerp in the hopes that then a separate peace with the west could be achieved. The effort failed and the “bulge” in the line was thrown back. The 75 year era of repeated wars has been followed by now nearly 75 years of peace and relative prosperity. Thus this hopeful stamp proved out.

Well my drink is empty and so it is time to open the conversation in the below comment section. What is your favorite example of the impressionist art movement on a stamp. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Building a University to try to turn Germans French

Welcome readers to todays offering from The Philatelist. 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. We have an interesting story to tell about how France tried gently to build a barrier with Germany.

The stamp today looks like what it is. A German stamp that is under a large amount of French influence. So you see German language on a stamp with paper and currency resembling the French. The library building, in the modern mid century Euro style even gives a sense of the coming Euro integration.

This is issue A72, a 30 Saar Franc stamp issued by the Saar, now the German state of Saarland, in 1953. It is part of a 14 stamp issue depicting local architecture. This stamp features the University Library of Saarland University. According to the Scott catalog it is worth 95 cents used. The 500 franc stamp from this issue is worth $65 used, so that is one to look out for.

The Saar is most famous for being taken from Germany after World War I. France was desirous of a barrier with Germany and the area contained rich deposits of coal from which to pay reparations. A plebiscite in the Saar was won by the side favoring reunification with Germany and this was achieved in 1935.

After World War II, again France desired the Saar. The USA stated that after being invaded by Germany three times in 70 years they could not deny France it’s ambitions in the Saar. The area was considered separate from the French occupied zone of post war West Germany.

France set out to turn Saar French despite the people being ethnic German. French was taught in the schools and a Saar version of the French Franc replaced the German Mark. Relating directly to this stamp, a new university was founded under French leadership that would teach in both French and German. This sounds like mild stuff and West Germany agreed in 1952 that Saar could remain outside of West Germany easing toward independence and part of Franco-German industrial cooperation that was the beginning of the long project of European integration. Indeed a early version of the twelve star Euro flag had 15 stars with one representing an independent Saar.

The will of the people was again allowed to hold sway. Another election favored integration with Germany and this was accomplished in 1959. With that came the end of the Saar version of the French Franc and the end of stamps from the Saar. Saarland today is one of the smaller German states but also one of the most conservative and religious.

The Saarland University still exists and the international character of the institution has served it very well in attracting a large international student community. The library building on the stamp is still in use.

Well my drink is empty and so it is time to open up the conversation in the below comment section. Compared to some of the ethnic cleansing that seems so common in the Balkans and elsewhere, the failed French effort in the Saar seem mild and almost friendly. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Thiers, tourist please look up the hill, not down

Welcome readers to todays offering from The Philatelist. 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. We are going to talk today about a stamp encouraging tourism to a place most of us have not been.

A few words about the attractiveness of the stamp. The use of the bright colors is very evocative to me of the south of France. If it were possible, the texture of the paint would show on the stamp to add to the feel of the impressionist movement in painting. All in all, visually a very good job on the part of the French postal authority.

The stamp today is issue A705, a 1.70 franc  stamp issued on October 9th, 1976. It displays the high-town part of Thiers and was part of 6 stamp issue showing tourist sites around France. It is worth 25 cents cancelled according to the Scott catalog.

Thiers is located in the department of Puy-de-Dome in the central southeastern part of France. The town was begun around 1000 AD. The current population is around 11,000 and has been in gradual decline for a long time.

The town relies mainly on tourism of the older high-town.  There is a tradition of fine knife making in the town which continues to a small degree and is remembered by a museum in the town. The mountains and nearby rivers also place the town in a pleasant area.

In the research on this stamp, I came upon something I found disturbing so I hope you will excuse I little rant. I mentioned earlier that this ancient town had suffered a population decline over many years. That should have prevented what happened in the 1950s but did not.

The old town is on a hillside and adjacent to it is an area of small factories where the knives the town is known for came from. This part is picturesque and no doubt is a powerful draw for tourists. In the 1950s, a lower city was developed. This part is especially known for it’s big box supermarkets. It is literally, and no doubt figuratively, looked down on from the older high-town.

Why such development is allowed in a town with a declining population is beyond me. Some may say it would not have happened if it did not fill a need. I am indeed not calling for a war on supermarkets. I do wonder if more talented architects and more carefully considered city planners could have seen to it that the development of the low-town could have blended in and complimented the architectural achievements that exist in Thiers up the hill.

Alas, as in so many places all over the world, this was not to be. I think it is safe to see that it will be a long time before the low-town is honored with a postage stamp or is sought out by a tourist. We can rejoice that the high-town is still here to enjoy.

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