Guadeloupe Postal HistoryGozier/Gosier – triple rate November 11, 1857 Discovery copy – two...
Transcript of Guadeloupe Postal HistoryGozier/Gosier – triple rate November 11, 1857 Discovery copy – two...
Guadeloupe Postal History
Part I
Grand Prix d’Honneur
Washington 2006
Edward Grabowski
Guadeloupe Details
• Two principal islands – Grand-Terre (north
island) & Basse-Terre (south island)
• Dependency islands: St. Barthélémy, Saint
Martin, Désirade, Marie Galant & Les
Saints
• Capitol at Basse-Terre; Principal
commercial center at Pointe-a-Pitre
• Numerous small village post offices
Part I
• Use of Stamps of France 1851 – 1853 (1f50c)
• Unpaid mail 1851 – 1853 (1f50c)
• Mail via commercial ships (35c)
• Mail via British Packets September 1853 –
December 1856 (1f20c)
• Rates of 50c paid or 60c unpaid 1857 – 1859
• French or British Packets 1860 -1863 (50c paid)
• French Packets 1864 – 1876 (50c paid)
Use of Stamps of France
• 1851 – 1853
• Trial basis in Guadeloupe, Martinique,
French Guiana and Reunion
• Rate of 1f50c per 7.5 g
• Via England
• Entry at Calais
Earliest recorded use of French stamps from any of the
Colonies – equivalent to a First Day Cover
November 2, 1851
Single weight (<7.5g) from Pointe-a-Pitre
January 15, 1852
Double weight (7.5g – 15g) from Pointe-a-Pitre
September 10, 1852
Triple weight (15g – 22.5g) from Pointe-a-Pitre
November 10, 1852
Double weight from Pointe-a-Pitre September 27, 1852
Prepaid at 1f50c and charged 15 decimes due on arrival
Pointe-a-Pitre June 27, 1853
Prepaid at 1f50c with 6 c 25c Ceres issues
Three known
Pointe-a-Pitre July 27, 1852
Double rate prepaid with 11 x 25c Ceres issues
Possibly unique but one stamp missing
Pointe-a-Pitre April 16, 1852
5 x 10c + 1F – Exceptional Franking
Grand Bourg, Guadeloupe December 27, 1853
Small village posting – only recorded copy
Moule, Guadeloupe August 26, 1852
Only recorded letter at double rate
Pointe-a-Pitre to Turin, Italy May 8, 1853
Double weight – 2 x 1f70c = 3f40c
Only recorded letter to foreign destination
from any of the four colonies
Unpaid Mail 1851 - 1853
• Possible to send mail unpaid during this
period
• Same rates as mail prepaid with stamps
• 1f50c per 7.5 g
• Carried under Article 13
• Via England
• Entry at Calais
Pointe-a-Pitre, June 13, 1852
Double rate – 30 decimes due
Petit Bourg, March 28, 1851
Port Louis, June 27, 1853
Double weight - 30 decimes due
Discovery copy
Grand Bourg, July 23, 1853
Mail via Commercial Ships
• Alternate method of transport
• Rate of 35 centimes: 25c postage and 10c
‘decime de mer’
• Less certain method
• Rarely seen
• No franked letters known from
Guadeloupe
Dated: Pointe-a-Pitre, July 27, 1853
Moule, June 30, 1851
Capesterre, June 23, 1852
September 1853 – December 1856
• Rate of 1f20c per 7.5 g via British Packet
• Typically unpaid
• Entry via Calais
• No stamps available
Single and double weight
Letters from Pointe-a-Pitre
Morne-a-l’Eau, May 24, 1856
Grand Bourg, March 9, 1854
Les Saintes, November 25, 1856
Only recorded copy
Saint Francois, September 25, 1854
Small Office Postings
1857 - 1859
• Pre-Eagles letters
• Postage
– Prepaid in cash – 50c per 7.5 g
– Unpaid – 60c per 7.5 g
• Via British Packets
• Entry at Calais
Anse Bertrand –
One of two known letters
From the 1850’s
Gozier/Gosier – triple rate
November 11, 1857
Discovery copy – two recorded
Saint Rose
June 22, 1857
Discovery copy
Petit Canal
Paid 50c in cash
November 10, 1859
Discovery Copy
Two examples recorded
Saint Martin
February 10, 1859
Unpaid – 6 decimes due
Front
Morne-a-l’Eau
Paid 50c in cash
July 27, 1859
Morne-a-l’Eau
July 27, 1859
Unpaid – 60c due
French or British Packets
1860 - 1863
• First mail with Eagles
• 50c per 7.5 g prepaid
• 60c per 7.5 g unpaid
• Brief period with equal rates
• Replaced January 1, 1864 with
– 50c French Packet rate
– 70c British Packet rate
Pointe-a-Pitre, June 28, 1863
Via French Packet
Martinique of Vera-Cruz line
Military datestamp applied in error
Pointe-a-Pitre, March 11, 1860
Double weight
Very early use of Eagles
Via British Packet
Pointe-a-Pitre, August 10, 1862
via British Packet
Pointe-a-Pitre, May 25, 1861
via British Packet
Basse-Terre, May 27, 1860
Unpaid – 60c due
Pointe-a-Pitre, October 26, 1860 – 6th weight level (3.00f)
Franked at 10 F (20th weight level) with 25 x 40c Eagles.
One lost enroute
Manuscript endorsement added noting such
Largest recorded multiple of 40c known
French Packet
1864 - 1876
• Reduced rate of 50c
• Applicable to French Packets
• Effective January 1, 1864
• Ended July 1, 1876 with beginning of UPU
• Initially prepaid with Eagles
• Subsequent use of later General Issues
Pointe-a-Pitre, February 24, 1865
Cachet of local packet line:
Martinique - Louisanne on reverse
Pointe-a-Pitre, May 26, 1863
COLONIES FRA TAMPICO
(Rare French Packet transit)
Pointe-a-Pitre, June 24, 1864
Double rate – 2 x 50c
Pointe-a-Pitre, March 8,1865
Double rate
Pointe-a-Pitre, June 24, 1865
Triple rate – 3 x 50c – rare combination
Triple weight letter posted Pointe-a-Pitre in 1869
Paris REBUTS….. Handstamp, etc
One of two letters known so processed
12th weight level letter from Pointe-a-Pitre
Pointe-a-Pitre, July 7, 1873
40c Ceres + 10c in cash
Blue cancels
Pointe-a-Pitre, May 23, 1872
GPE lozenge cancel
Double rate franked with only 20c stamps
Special PAQ FR datestamp
Use began in 1870
Basse-Terre, January 24, 1873
PAQ FR datestamp
Rare combination of 10c and 2 x 20c Ceres issues
Basse-Terre, 24 April 1875
PAQ FR datestamp
PAQ FR
PAQ FR