Letters mailed in the DOM-TOM - [Etude monographique du 0,50F Marianne de Béquet]

Letters mailed in the DOM-TOM

Introduction
Covers mailed in overseas departments
Covers mailed in overseas territories

Introduction

In this article, we will show covers mailed in an overseas department ( D.O.M. in French) or in an overseas territory ( T.O.M. in French) and sent towards metropolitan France, overseas departments or overseas territories. It should be noted that institutional and legislative aspects concerning D.O.M. and T.O.M. evolved over time. We will not get into detail, but we will try to only take into account the institutional reality of the period from 1971 to 1978.

Covers mailed in overseas departments

Rate on 4.1.1971

**letter mailed in Guadeloupe with a postmark franked at 0,50F = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Guadeloupe with a postage meter impression franked at 0,50F = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Martinique with a postmark franked at 0,50F = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Martinique with a meter impression franked at 0,50F = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Guyana to mainland France with a meter impression franked at 0,50F = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Reunion Island with a postmark franked at 0,50F = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Reunion Island with a meter impression franked at 0,25F CFA = rate letter on 4.1.71**

**registered letter mailed in Guyana to Guyana with a postmark franked at 4,50F = 0,500F letter + 3,00F registration tax + 1,00F notice of receipt, rate letter on 4.1.71**

**letter mailed in Reunion Islang with a postmark franked at 1,35F CFA = 0,45F CFA letter with weight between 20 and 50g + 6 air surcharge of 0,15F CFA per 5g, rate on 4.1.71**

Let us remind that mail posted in an overseas territory to France is transported without air surcharge for weight less than 20g. Beyond, a surcharge is applied whose rate depends on the department or on the concerned territory (we can find up to six different areas for some departments or territories).

Rate on 16.9.1974

**letter mailed in Reunion Island with a postmark franked at 0,80F = rate letter on 16.9.74**

**registered letter mailed in Reunion Island with a postmark franked at 2,75F CFA = 0,40F CFA letter + 2,35F CFA registration tax, rate letter on 16.9.74**

**reverse side of the above registered letter**

**registered letter mailed in Reunion Isand with a postmark franked at 5,50F = 0,80F letter + 4,70F registyration tax, rate letter on 16.9.74**

Let us remind that the C.F.A. franc used in La Réunion was suppressed on 1.1.75 and replaced by the French franc.

Rate on 2.8.1976

**registered letter mailed in Guyana with a postmark franked at 6,50F = 1,00F letter + 5,50F registration tax, rate letter on 2.8.76**

**registered letter postmarked the first day of issue of the stamp 0,50F Marianne de Béquet without phosphor bands**

Here are a few elements of history on Comoros and Mayotte: on July 8th, 1975, Comoros have declared unilaterally their independence. The island of Mayotte refuses to join them, preferring to remain French. Hence, Mayotte will no longer be supplied with stamps by Comoros and will have to get by on its own (by cutting into quarters some stamps of Comoros for example).

Thanks to Transall planes of France Air Force making the shuttle between La Réunion and Mayotte and to the ship Marion-Dufresne, two franking machines arrive at the beginning of 1976 on the island and French stamps (in particular 0,50F and 1,00F Marianne de Béquet) will be delivered at the beginning of August, 1976. We can thus find French stamps franked in Dzaoudzi or Mamoutzou since this date.