Half full, half empty stamp show

Half full, half empty, or in French, "mi-figue, mi-raisin", like the two fruits.

And fruits were there among vegetables at one of the many animations of the Salon du timbre in Paris. The one, obviously, dedicated to the cooking: exhibited stamps for all to participate a quiz, fruits and vegetables to teach school children and two Nintendo Wii to cook like mummy... even if I don't want anyone throwing eggs like a righ hand puch anywhere near my kitchen :p

Compared to the 2006 Salon, I got the impression there were a great many more school children. From 10am to noon, the noise of activities, laughters and researchs could be hear anywhere in the hall.

Another success: the queue in front the new issue post office did not get shorter for all the morning, even for lunch time, Marianne oblige. Need to know: the other La Poste shop, a little farther, sold postage stamps, even the Salon issued one, the day after the first day of issue (that's how I quickly get my "Stamp substainable ideas!" booklets). Since I do not plan by all means to become a Nicolas' Marianne fan, I quickly went to the stamp and cover dealers...

Hopefully for those standing in line and wishing just to have one stamp per face value, Phil@poste personnel proposed them a table without queuing and offer them a complete pre-personalised minisheet of all the new Marianne values. For 15 euros. 11.12 euros worth stamps sold 15 euros just to have Phil@poste logotype se-tenant... I precise this form of personalised sheet is theorically obsolete with the Montimbràmoi service. I will wait July and my new home to buy the 1.25 euro in a shade of blue I love. My personal stock of Marianne des Français will help me wait a more optimistic allegory.

Photograph under Creative Commons by-nc-sa licence¹.

However, the star was this stamp today, and its designer-engraver. 12pm, when youthful crowds were exiting for lunch, I discovered the great silence of this stamp show... Then, I realized how empty were the lobbies between dealers. The profession will certainly not be happy again: too high the numer of stamps issued, too little the money left for another sales, etc.

It is when a new noise came for less than ten minutes: the interview of Yves Beaujard (left, Nicolas' Marianne designer) and Françoise Eslinger (right, Director of Phil@poste). Nothing new was said that was not said and published since January 2008 and the presentation of the stamp. A stamp that even the Salon's animator proclamed "Sarkozy's Marianne"...

Two artistic notes in this interview: on the right of the picture, the wall contained the Marianne stamps design and were progressively painted from the inside by a woman-artist... left alone with ten more to go when interviewers went eating or signing autographs. The deformated blue and red Nicolas' Marianne you see behind them made Eslinger very happy... even if I think that the money bling-bling in the cash machine at the first day post office must have play in this joyful appearance.

Note :
1. licence explained (in French), contact me if needed.