France has issued postage stamps since January 1, 1849, and since then they are regarded by collectors as some of the most interesting and collectible items in the world. With its rich and varied history, France presents the most varied and interesting philatelic material, which includes some truly rare and valuable things. The stamps issued by France in the 20th century are considered the most beautiful and charming in the world today. Many interesting French philatelic items have been engraved, so these stamps are truly miniature works of art. The wide variety of French brands available to buyers makes this area of collecting one of the most active hobbies of today. We invite you to take a look at the list of the rarest French stamps, which will also give you an idea of the development of the rich and varied French philatelic history.
The most valuable French brands
1. "One-franc" Light carmine with yellowish "tete-besh", 1849
$190,000
The one-franc 1849 "Light Carmine with Yellowish" is a very rare pair, horizontally inverted by a jack, which has survived in fairly good condition. The pair is considered one of the most significant surviving so-called tete-besch rarities of the first French series of Ceres postage stamps from 1849-1850, with only four unused copies registered. This philatelic item can decorate the best collections of classic French stamps. The inverted stamp comes from the 35th position from the first plate used to print the value of 1 franc. This exciting pair was sold on June 19, 2011 for $ 190,000 by Robert A. Siegel. The lot was once part of the famous Ferrari collection.
2. "10-centimeters block" Bistre with yellowish "tete-besch", 1849
$90,000
The "10 centimeters" Bistre on a yellowish "tete-besch" 1849 is a block of nine unused 10 centimeters editions of Ceres in France, with a central stamp located "jack" in relation to the others. A unique feature of this magnificent exhibit is the number of stamps that it contains. Most of the multiple tete-besh stamps are pairs or stripes of three, but this block, with an inverted central stamp, is a unique philatelic item that is worth a fortune. The 1849 10-centimeters Bistre on yellow tete-besch stamp was sold by Robert Siegel for $ 90,000 on June 19, 2010.
3. "One-franc stamp from the French series of Ceres", 1849
$75,000
"Single-franc" is the rarest stamp from the French edition of Ceres and one of the most coveted philatelic accessories for every collector. The Ceres edition was the first French stamp edition to appear in 1849 under the rule of the French Republic. The stamps were designed by Jean-Jacques Barr. Although they come in only two primary colors (scarlet and carmine), they still have something in common - the stamps depict the head of Ceres, the Roman goddess of harvest and fertility, which symbolizes the rise of the newly formed republic. The scarlet specimen is considered the rarest of the two. The orange-red "One-Franck" stamp from the scarlet group of the Ceres series, which is the key of rarity for any collector in France in its original state of chewing gum, was sold on November 13, 2013 for $ 75,000 at Siegel's New York auction.
4. "25 centimeters inverted pair", 1850
$72,500
The 25 centimeters blue stamp was issued on July 1, 1850 and remained in use until September 1852. One inverted stamp occupied 131st position on the second printing plate. The second plate was not set for use until 4.3 million stamps were printed on the first, so only about 136,000 inverted pairs were printed. Many used "jacks" pairs have survived, but only two unused copies are known to have survived. One of these pairs belonged to the Ferrari collection. Considered the greatest of all French inverted mint rarities, it was sold by Robert Siegel on June 19, 2010 for $ 72,500.
5. "10 centimeters French Napoleon III", 1852
$40,000
"10 centimeters" Dark bistre with yellowish "- a rare brand, which is also rarely put up for sale. This classic rarity once disappeared from the most advanced collection in all of France. After President Louis Napoleon consolidated power, his portraits replaced Ceres on French stamps starting in 1852. The basic design remains the same, including the "REPUB FRANC" lettering and the depicted profile of Louis Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew. A unique piece of "10 centimeters French Napoleon III", which is slightly hinged and has a completely original adhesive, was sold under the hammer on November 13, 2013 for $ 40,000 at auction at the Robert A. Siegel Auction Gallery in New York, the stamp is almost never offered in a meaningful state, so far the instance has been a "special choice".
6. "French steamer" Pasteur ", 1941
$30,000
The 1941 French Steamship Pasteur stamp is a great French rarity of the twentieth century. This special stamp was issued to serve as a reminder of the Steamship Pasteur, an ocean liner built for the South Atlantic Navigation Company. The most beautiful passenger liners of its time The semi-postage stamp depicting Pasteur and printed in dark blue-green colors was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris and issued by France on July 17, 1941.
One of the samples with the missing red overprint was sold on October 13, 2017 for $ 30,000 at the Daniel F. Kelleher Auction. This is a misspelled stamp as the horizontal stamps were issued only as pre-printed semi-postage stamps with red lettering in two short horizontal lines. To date, there are only eight known "French steamers" Pasteur "1941" without such an overprint.
7. 10-centimeters "Obligatory Postage Stamp", 1859
$23,100
The 10 centimeters "Obligatory Postage Stamp" from 1859 is one of the most interesting French stamps. Postal binding stamps were the first stamps issued that did not require prepayment for delivery from the mail. During the use of these stamps by the Postal Service, the amount of delivery had to be paid not to the sender, but rather to the recipient of the mail, so there was a stamp for identification. The French "10 Centimeters Postage Stamp", issued in 1859, is considered the world's first mandatory postage stamp. This one-of-a-kind piece was auctioned at Cherristone in May 2006 for $ 23,100.
8. "Fezzan's postage", 1943
$21,150
Fezzan is the southwestern region of Libya, which is mostly covered with desert. Fezzan was captured by the Free French Forces of Chad in 1943. Initially, twelve regular, three air mail, five pairs of parcels and five mandatory postage stamps of Libya and Italy overprinted Fezzan and French currency in various denominations ranging from 50 centimes to 50 francs. These stamps are included in the catalog of the Ceres of the French colonies in both new and used condition. A 1943 Fezzan Postage stamp with 5 francs inscribed on an orange 1 lira was sold for $ 21,150 at Cherristone in January 2010.
9. "French Congo, 5 centimes 20, red on green", 1900
$18,000
The stamp "French Congo, 5 centimes 20, red on green" 1900 is a classic French rarity. Only three copies of this special stamp are known to exist.They were used in Brazzaville for only four days due to a shortage of 5C stamps, but another shipment arrived soon after. Three hundred 20-centimes stamps were overprinted with "5 centimes" and were handed over to the postmaster. After July 12, the remaining temporary 5-centimeters were burned. Only three stamps were preserved by the postmaster, and only these unused samples survived. The stamp is considered one of the most famous items for the philatelist enthusiasts involved in complementing the collection of the French colonies. "French Congo, 5 centimes 20, red on green" 1900 was sold on January 22, 2015 by Robert A. Siegel for $ 18,000.
10. 5-franc "Gray-lilac on lavender paper", 1869
$7,500
The 5-franc "Gray Lilac on Lavender Paper" from 1869 is the most exquisite and rare French stamp, which is printed in light fresh colors. It is considered the most popular and classic in France. Due to its large size, equally unused and used copies usually have some defects and damage, while unused samples often lack all or most of the original adhesive. It is very difficult to find a brand in a new, never attached state. However, they do exist. One such item, with full intact holes all around and a small natural paper attachment in the upper right corner in extremely good condition, was sold on October 13, 2013 by Robert A. Siegel for $ 7,500.
We advise you to see:
Very often the high price of stamps is due to the fact that the stamp was issued with a mistake or a typo. See in this video the rating of the most expensive postage stamps in the world!
