Francophonies in December 2015 British philatelic press

Some very specialisaties from the French speaking world are available in this month British philatelic monthly magazines. Let's explore.

In The London Philatelist, James R. Taylor studies the diagonal overprint "ST - PIERRE  M - on" printed on the French colonies general issue in 1891. In Saint Pierre and Miquelon two series were overprinted: the then current Commerce by Alphée Dubois and the leftover stocks of imperforated Peace and Commerce series by Jules Auguste Sage.

This action was initiated in the whole of the French colonial empire to fight monetary speculation between colonies. Taylor went from how catalogues have reflected them to false overprints and varieties.



Change of scenery to contemporary countries not visited by the French philatelic press, but that Gibbons Stamp Monthly's authors visit regularly: the Western African countries and their really issued stamps, the overprints and, this December 2015, the cancellations they receive.

Nicholas Pertwee describes and lists the single circle postmarks used this two and half decades in Benin. That should convince some philatelists there are things to find in these countries collectors neglect, either because of their excessive issues by private philatelic agencies, or because of their modest stamp policy, too discreet to be caught by Western radars.

The article ends a first part in November about double circle cancels from 1970s to the late 1990s.


Finally, still in  Gibbons, David Horry is beginning a new monthly column of humoristic diversion of real stamps. After King George VI (never) unissued stamps parodies (full book sold at Murray Payne, the KG6 specialist), he is struggling with the secret archives of the Political Warfare Executive.

This section of the British Foreign Office was created August 1941 to create propaganda operations to discourage the populations and forces of the enemies.

The first of Horry's creation is a French protectorate Morocco stamp overprinted "Deutsche Reichspost in Marokko" which, the legendary tale told, was created by the PWE in May 1942, sneaked out by the United States Embassy in France and presented to French collaboration minister Pierre Laval to make him believe the German Reich was going to take over Morocco.. in the hope it would sever both countries' relations.

David Horry having a large sense of humour, he warns you of the false PWE falsification created to steal the good money of collectors by showing another stamp of Morocco overprinted by a modern printer :)