Introduction
French Post Office offers a large number of services to his or her customers about the routing of mail. In what follows, we will consider services likely to use the stamp 0,50 F Marianne de Béquet (and of course for which I have covers). We will present the evolution of postal rates in the form of tables at the beginning of each paragraph, then we will illustrate these rates with covers explaining the applied rate.
Letters, non-urgent mail, postcards and postal parcels
| date | 20 g | 50 g | 100 g | 250 g | 500 g | 1 kg | 2 kg | 3 kg | 4 kg | 5 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.71 | 0,50 F | 0,90 F | 1,20 F | 2,50 F | 3,30 F | 4,20 F | 5,70 F | 7,30 F | - | - |
| 16.9.74 | 0,80 F | 1,40 F | 1,90 F | 4,00 F | 5,00 F | 6,50 F | 8,50 F | 11,00 F | 13,50 F | 16,00 F |
| 2.8.76 | 1,00 F | 1,70 F | 2,40 F | 4,80 F | 6,00 F | 8,00 F | 10,50 F | 13,20 F | 15,70 F | 18,00 F |
| 15.5.78 | 1,20 F | 2,10 F | 2,90 F | 5,80 F | 7,20 F | 9,60 F | 12,80 F | 15,80 F | 18,60 F | 21,20 F |
~
| date | 20 g | 50 g | 100 g | 250 g | 500 g | 1 kg | 2 kg | 3 kg | 4 kg | 5 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.71 | 0,30 F | 0,45 F | 0,60 F | 1,25 F | 1,65 F | 2,65 F | 4,15 F | 5,65 F | - | - |
| 16.9.74 | 0,60 F | 0,85 F | 1,15 F | 2,20 F | 3,00 F | 4,60 F | 6,80 F | 9,30 F | 11,70 F | 14,00 F |
| 2.8.76 | 0,80 F | 1,10 F | 1,45 F | 2,75 F | 3,90 F | 5,80 F | 8,20 F | 10,80 F | 13,20 F | 15,40 F |
| 15.5.78 | 1,00 F | 1,40 F | 1,80 F | 3,50 F | 5,00 F | 7,20 F | 10,40 F | 13,40 F | 16,20 F | 18,80 F |
Note: the word LETTRE is compulsory for mailing weighing more than 20 g.
| date | urgent | non urgent |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1.71 | 0,50 F | 0,30 F |
| 16.9.74 | 0,80 F | 0,60 F |
| 2.8.76 | 1,00 F | 0,80 F |
| 15.5.78 | 1,20 F | 1,00 F |
Postal rates of 4.1.71
Postal rates of 1.2.72
On the postal rates of 1.2.1972, the maximal weight of parcels rose up to 5 kg in the internal regime (France and D.O.M.) to T.O.M. For soldiers, the sending of packages is free of charge, up to 3 kg, thanks to the parcel vouchers granted by the Army Service. At the end of May, 1972, a circular specifies that from June 1st packages for serviceman are admitted until a 5 kg weight, provided adding 1,50 F for 4 kg or 3 F for 5 kg to the label of franking. This kind of cover will only be possible until September 30th, 1972.
Postal rates of 16.9.74
Postal rates of 2.8.1976
Registered mails
A registered letter is a particular form of mail sending to which are associated additional services: a proof of deposit giving evidence of the filing date, a delivery against signature bringing a proof of presentation and/or distribution, a fixed amount of compensation in case of loss or damage arisen during the service. A registered letter can be sent with an optional acknowledgement of receipt which guarantees that the mail was received by the addressee.
Postal rates of 4.1.71
Postal rates of 16.9.74
Postal rates of 2.8.1976
Postal rates with registration levels
On the date of 16.5.1977, a change intervenes in the pricing of registered mails: 4 levels of registration called R1, R2, R3 and R4 were created, with increasing amounts of compensation (50F, 200F, 400F and 600F) according to the level of registration.
Postal rates of 16.5.1977
Postal rates of 15.5.1978
Mailing with declared value
A declared value allows a secure routing of sending, a signature on receipt by the addressee or his or her representative, an acknowledgement of receipt, a legal proof of deposit and distribution, a compensation of the content value declared during the deposit in case of loss or damage as well as a follow-up service. Closed with wax seals, the envelope given to the post office will transport money, stamps... The value of the sending is mentioned on the envelope.
EXPRÈS delivery service
The circular of 24.9.71 renamed mailing «EXPRÈS» in mailing «DISTRIBUTION PAR PORTEUR SPÉCIAL». In this distribution method, the letter will be issued promptly to his or her addressee upon receipt by the arrival post office. We can find covers with a stamp 0,50F Marianne de Béquet either with label EXPRÈS or with label DISTRIBUTION PAR PORTEUR SPÉCIAL.
Postal rates of 4.1.1971
Postal rates of 16.9.74
Postal rates of 2.8.1976
Registered mails with EXPRÈS delivery service
It is quite possible to combine a registered mail with the related advantages with an EXPRÈS delivery service, thus very fast. In this case, the rates for both types of delivery are added together. Here are some examples of such mailings:
Postal rates of 4.1.1971
Postal rates of 16.9.74
Pneumatics service
At the date of issuance of the stamp 0,50F Marianne de Béquet, only the city of Paris is still equipped with a service of mail transport by pneumatic (in fact, at that time, the pneumatic network concerns all the localities of the Seine department and some cities of Seine-et-Oise). Mail transported this way circulates from office to office through tubes. Every office stamps the cover with a postmark of A5 type from the book by A. LAUTIER. To be admitted, covers must have a weight less than 30g.
Postal rates of 1.8.1966
We must note that this kind of cover can only be found during a period of approximately 40 days (from 4.1.71 to 7.2.71), because the price list of pneumatics mail was not modified at the rate change on 4.1.71, but on 8.2.71.
Postal rates of 8.2.1971
Postal rates of 7.7.1973
Postal rates of 16.9.1974
A pneumatic card is considered as a postal stationary. Pneumatic cards were used from 1902 until 30 March 1984 at 5 o’clock in the afternoon (date of the suspension of the pneumatics service in Paris) with the same Chaplain type, which represents a sitting goddess. The pneumatic card succeeded to the telegram card (from 1879 to 1896) and to the closed pneumatic card (from 1897 to 1901). There were some interruptions from 1907 to 1919 with Semeuse types and from 1942 to 1944 with the Pétain type. There will be a total of 119 types of such cards issued between 1879 and 1984.
«Hors sac» mailing
Correspondences, dispatches or pictures related to press offices get a specific routing regime: they are presented to the departure assembly center (warehouse, railway station or sorting office) by the local correspondent in a special envelope hors sac, then forwarded and sorted out other than normal mail circuit to be consigned to the authorized department of the place of destination. This local correspondent receives these correspondences, dispatches or pictures and forwards them immediately to the newspaper.
Mail redirection forms
Until the rate change of 4.1.1971, the taxation of the mail redirection forms was a function of the duration of the service. From 4.1.1971, this tax will be a function of the number of inhabitants of the concerned city.
| date | towns with < 20 000 inhabitants | towns with > 20 000 inhabitants | annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.1971 | 10,00 F | 20,00 F | 40,00 F |
| 16.9.1974 | 16,00 F | 32,00 F | 70,00 F |
| 2.8.1976 | 20,00 F | 35,00 F | 90,00 F |
| 15.5.1978 | 25,00 F | 40,00 F | 110,00 F |
Postal rates of 4.1.1971
Postal rates of 16.9.1974
Postal rates of 2.8.1976
Postal rates of 15.5.1978
Letters with delivery certificate
This type of mail routing allows the sender to compel the recipient to receive the shipment; it is used by bailiffs, notaries and court registries. It is only available in the three departments of Alsace-Moselle (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle).
This service was created in Prussia in July 1793 under the name "Postzustellungsurkunde". It was established in Alsace-Lorraine during the annexation of these territories from 1870 to 1918 and was maintained in the three departments liberated in 1919, until October 15, 1979.
[1]
Pouch services
According to the Vienna Conventions of 18 April 1961 and 24 April 1963, the diplomatic pouch is a privilege recognized in international law allowing governments to correspond with their diplomatic and consular missions and to these missions to correspond with each other by means of sealed mail which cannot be detained or opened by the authorities of the countries crossed or of the countries of destination.
Mail delivered to the consulate is sent to the country of origin through diplomatic (embassy personnel) or commercial (direct air transport in sealed bags). The country of origin receives the bags and puts most of the covers back into the normal service. Of course, reverse correspondence also exists.
A big advantage for regular embassy or employee mail is that the rate to be paid is that of the country of origin.
The means of recognizing such letters for France are as follows: an envelope with an embassy header, a cancellation from Paris ( Paris 07 rue Cler, most often), and sometimes a mention "valise" on departure and/or a Department of Foreign Affairs label (usually used to mark the franchise) on arrival.
Mailing of printed matters, newspapers and periodicals
Shipments made by companies
Businesses benefit from special rates for so-called "bulk mailings". In this paragraph, we will describe the possibilities offered to companies, including the conditions of use, and then we will provide the rates for the period of use of the stamp 0.50 F Marianne de Béquet. [2]
But first, we will recall the definition of two terms used by postal administration:
- Mail items are said to be routed if they are sorted by city and by distribution office. Otherwise, they are said to be non-routed.
- Mail items are said to be semi-routed if they are too small to meet all the routing requirements of the administration. They are routed more summarily than routed items.
Bulk Letters
The general conditions of use for bulk mailings are as follows:
- there must be an identical message in all envelopes;
- this message must be of general communication not having the character of personal correspondence or commercial prospecting;
- the name of the sender must be mentioned on the front of the envelope.
Special rate n°1
The conditions of use of the special rate No. 1 are:
- 1000 objects minimum per deposit;
- for a national distribution: letters must be routed by department or by district for Paris, Marseille and Lyon ;
- for local distribution: 50 % for direct bundles per distribution office and 50 % for bundles that have yet to be sorted by distribution office;
- franking mode: pre-stamped stamps or P.P. stamps for envelopes up to 250g, franking machine and no stamping above 250g;
- obligatory mention: "Bulk mailings" or "Reduced rate n°1" or "star" of 5 mm height.
From 01.04.1977, non-urgent folds weighing more than 35g may contain samples. The conditions of use are modified on one point: the minimum number of objects per deposit increases to 10,000.
Special rate n°1 bis (called Special Tariff n°2 from 01.04.1977)
The conditions of use of the special rate n° 1 bis are:
- 20 000 objects minimum per deposit and 1 000 000 objects per year;
- for national distribution: letters must be routed by department or by district for Paris, Marseille and Lyon or by cities with more than 25,000 inhabitants;
- for local distribution: 50 % for direct bundles per distribution office and 50 % for bundles that have yet to be sorted by distribution office;
- condition of bagging: grouping of shipments in "direct bundles" by distribution office and "other bundles";
- franking mode: franking machine and dispensation of stamping;
- compulsory mention: "Reduced rate n°1 bis" or "triangle" of 5 mm height.
From 01.04.1977, the special rate n°1 bis becomes the special tariff n°2. The conditions of use evolve:
- 15 000 objects minimum per deposit and 1 000 000 objects per year;
- for national distribution: letters must be routed by district for Paris, Marseille and Lyon, for cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants or by department not falling into the above categories;
- for local distribution: 50% for direct bundles per distribution office and 50% for bundles that have yet to be sorted by distribution office;
- bagging condition: grouping of shipments into "direct bundles" by distribution office and "other bundles";
- franking mode: franking machine and dispensation of stamping;
- compulsory mention: "Reduced rate n° 2" or "triangle" of 5 mm height.
Non-urgent folds weighing more than 35g may contain samples.
Special rate n°2 (becomes Special rate n°3 from 01.04.1977)
The conditions of use of the special rate No. 2 are:
- per deposit, 50,000 objects minimum if the weight is less than 100g or 20,000 if the weight is more than 100g. A minimum of 3 000 000 objects deposited per year is required;
- for national distribution: letters must be routed by department or by district for Paris, Marseille and Lyon or by cities with more than 15,000 inhabitants;
- for local distribution: 2/3 for direct bundles by distribution office and 1/3 for bundles that have yet to be sorted by distribution office;
- bagging condition: grouping of shipments into "direct bundles" by distribution office and "other bundles";
- franking mode: franking machine and no stamping;
- obligatory mention: "Reduced rate n° 2" or "2 stars" of 5 mm height.
From 01.04.75, the quantities required per shipment are based on the weight of the copies deposited:
- non-urgent envelopes weighing less than or equal to 100g: 50,000 copies minimum per shipment;
- non-urgent mail weighing more than 100g and up to 250g: 20,000 copies minimum per shipment.
- The minimum number of items deposited per year remains fixed at 3,000,000.
In the case of deposits mixing folds of 100g or less and folds of more than 100g, the following rules apply:
- number of folds of 100g or less + (number of folds of more than 100g x 5/2) = quantity equal to or greater than 50,000;
- number of plies of more than 100g + (number of plies of 100g or less x 2/5) = quantity equal or superior to 20,000.
- From 01.04.77, the special tariff n°2 becomes the special tariff n°3. Non-urgent folds weighing more than 35g may contain samples.
Mail Packets
Reduced rate n°1
The conditions of use of the reduced fare No. 1 are:
- 1000 objects minimum per deposit;
- sorted and bagged items;
- franking mode: pre-stamped stamps for 100g and 250g items, franking machine and no stamping;
- obligatory mention: "Bulk mailings" or "Reduced rate n° 1" or "star" of 5 mm height.
From 01.04.75, the quantities required per shipment are based on the weight of the copies deposited:
- non-urgent envelopes weighing less than or equal to 250g: 1000 copies minimum per shipment;
- non-urgent mail weighing more than 250g: 500 copies minimum per shipment.
In the case of deposits mixing folds of 250g or less and folds of more than 250g, the following rules apply:
- number of folds of 250g or less + (number of folds of more than 250g x 2) = quantity equal to or greater than 1000;
- number of folds of more than 250g + (number of folds of 250g or less x 1/2) = quantity equal to or greater than 500.
Remarks:
At the same time, a special price list for catalogs was created. The conditions required are :
- weight equal or superior to 250g and less than 3kg;
- minimum deposit of 10,000 copies per shipment;
- copy including a set of stapled or bound sheets.
Reduced rate n° 2
The conditions of use of the reduced fare No. 2 are:
- 1000 objects minimum per deposit and 500 000 objects per year;
- consignments sorted and bagged by department, by district for Paris or cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants;
- mode of franking: franking machine and exemption from stamping;
- obligatory mention: "Tariff 500" or "Reduced Tariff No. 2" or "2 stars" of 5 mm height.
Routing of mail during strikes
The English strikes in 1971
In Great Britain, a mail strike took place from 20.1.1971 to 8.3.1971 on the occasion of the passage to the decimal system. As soon as the strike began, the government announced the removal of the mail monopoly and encouraged British citizens to transport mail and to issue stamps. So about 2500 issues are born during the strike which lasted 47 days. Here are some examples of covers concerning this strike:
One of these issues was made in French francs: that of Lainé carrier, to forward private mail between Jersey and Paris and, from there, to the final destination. 3 stamps are known with gum and on-line perforation. Two, with a 2,40F value, to frank ordinary letters, besides the postage with French or Jersey stamps, and one with 9,60F value for parcels. The first 2,40F stamp, red on a yellow background and produced in 1640 copies, is hard to read. Hence the second version, green on a blue background, produced in 1600 copies. The principle of this transport was as follows: the addressee had to pay the strike postage. For that purpose, the back of the envelope is stamped so that to indicate to the addressee the procedure to settle the amount of the postage. All these covers also possess a linear mark: PRIVATELY FORWARDED FROM JERSEY. There were 5 package tours by Lainé between Jersey and Paris (23 and 27.1.1971, 1, 2 and 4.2.1971), covers being franked in Paris 03, Paris 103 or Paris 118.
The strike of the liner France in 1974
During the announcement of the disarmament of the liner France on the 11.9.1974, sailors decide to occupy their boat. This occupation will last until 19.12.1974. There was a philatelic club on the liner France that has realized covers linked to this strike.
The strikes in France in 1974
On 17.10.1974, a strike is activated by CGT and CFDT trade unions in the mail sorting center of Paris PLM. On 23.10.1974, FO trade union joins the strike which becomes national. This strike will be very long, because the work will start again only on 16.11.1974, some strikers continuing their strike activity until 5.12.1974. C.C.I., helped by public authorities, will be transformed into sorting offices for commercial and industrial companies. We find so for this period covers with the stamp of a C.C.I. or with a postmark having a star instead of the time.
