COVER N. 744 - FRANCE

Postmark: Nikos Aliagas Danse Millénaire 1er Jour  La Poste  Paris 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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And yet another FDC from Eric, with another of the issues that came out during the Paris Philex 2026 stamp show. Encore Merci, Eric. 

From what I read, Nikos Aliagas is quite popular a TV presenter in France, having been the host of such globally known shows as Star Academy and The Voice, which in France goes by the title of la Plus Belle Voix.

Further to that, Nikos is also a well established Black and White photographer, with several published works and international exhibitions to his credit.

His photographic work started in the early 2000 and bio notes say he specialises in Humanist and Portrait Photography, having shot not only celebrities but also the everyday citizen in candid portraits that emphasise the character, the essence, of the subject.

Nikos has also photographed extensively  Greek landscapes, often focusing his lens on a subject which I also find rather photogenic: old olive trees.

On 11JUN2026 La Poste issued a 3,10 € stamp illustrated with one of Nikos' high contrast black and white olive trees photographs, entitled Danse Millénaire (Millennial Dance), portraying two centuries old trees that seem to be dancing in the wind.

The stamp includes a QR code which, when scanned with the Philinfo app, brings the olive trees to life, seen from above, while the photographer comments the photographed scene.

As a personal note I have to say that I am not particularly fond of this augmented reality in photography thing. At the risk of sounding petulant and crude, I'd say that  most of the times (if not all of the times) it adds little (if anything) to the photo, distracts the viewer and diminishes the main artistic subject (the photo, itself). I can see it being used as a vector for guidance, explanation, enlightenment, but photography is a two dimensional thing even if out of it tridimensional constructions might be obtained... but then again, that is already an extension of the medium...

The very nice First day Postmark features an owl, the bird of wisdom, a common occurrence in Greece, which Nikos has also photographed and which he chose as his own symbol.

COVER N. 743 - FRANCE

Postmark: 99e Congrès de la FFAP Hôtel de Soubise 1er Jour  La Poste  Paris 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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Fitting that, thanks to Eric,  I post another French FDC on the blog, on Bastille Day. Un grand Merci, Eric. Joyeux quatorze juillet!

The Fédération Française des Associations Philatéliques (French Federation of the Philatelic Associations) was established on the 5th of June 1922, in Paris, then adopting the name of Fédération des Sociétés Philatéliques Françaises (Federation of the French Philatelic Societies).

As stated on its official website, "The FFAP aims at federating the associations of philatelists and collectors, ensuring their connection with their partners, and managing associative philately"

"The FFAP federates almost 600 philatelic associations organised into 20 regional groupings and a specialised philatelic associations grouping (the GAPS), for a total of approximately 25.000 members".

The 99th Congress of the Fédération Française des Associations Philatéliques took place between 10 -  14 June 2026, in paralell with the Paris Philex 2026 expo, and the celebration of the Centenary of the FIP - Fédération Internationale de Philatelie, established in 1926, in Paris.

The sessions were held at the Hôtel de Soubise, a monumental baroque palace also located in Paris, dating from the 18th century, which today houses the Musée des Archives Nationales (French National Archives Museum).

On the occasion, La Poste issued, on 11.06.2026, a 1,52 stamp with a se-tenant vignette, celebrating the Congress and the centenary of the FFAF.

The stamp is illustrated with a beautiful in-taglio multicolour rendition of the Palace, while the vignette carries the legend " 99e Congrès de la Fédération Française des Associations Philatéliques" and the logos of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie and of the centenary celebrations.

The First day Postmark, issued at Paris, features a rendition of what I would think could be a detail of one of the stucco ornamentations of the palace's lavish  rococo rooms.

COVER N. 742 - FRANCE

Postmark: Ron Agama J'aime la France du plus profond de mon coeur La Poste Paris 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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Still going through the large pack of FDCs Eric sent me from Paris Philex.  Ron Agam. I confess my ignorance, but that's what stamps are good for: learning, discovering, enjoying. Un grand merci, Eric.

Ron Agam is a French-Israeli artist, born in Paris in 1958, who after working as an acknowledged photographer for quite a number of years, directed his creative vision to the world of Kinetic and Op Art, following on the footsteps of his father, Yaacov Agam (1928-2026), who was a well established name in this particular domain, which he helped to pioneer.

In recognition of his work, mainly photography at the time, being especially noteworthy a series of  photos  he took at ground zero on September 11, 2001, which are now part of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum permanent collection, Ron Agam was awarded by the French President the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in 2008.

On 11JUN2026 La Poste issued a 2,25 €stamp designed by Ron Agam which replicates one of his lenticular works, in the form of a heart shape in the colours of the French Flag, with the bilingual legend  "J'aime la France du plus profond de mon coeur - I love France from the depth of my heart". The signature of the artist tops the heart shape.

The stamp is coated in a special varnish to create the illusion of movement characteristic of lenticular works, but although, upon examining the stamp with a magnifier, I can notice some illusion of depth, the lenticular effect is not that apparent.

The First Day Postmark issued at Paris is illustrated with what I suppose is a trademark of the artist: a woolly hat.  His signature and the legend that is on the stamp (in French only) are also present.

COVER N. 741 - ANDORRA - FRENCH POST

Postmark: 50 Anys de Colonies a AINA - Principat d'Andorra Primer Dia Postes Premier Jour 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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A change of country, not of date nor of place of expedition: une fois encore, un énorme Merci, Eric, pour  un autre joli pli Premier Jour.

As far as I can make it through the information I consulted over the Internet, AINA is an Andorran Catholic  charity established in 1976 with the aim of providing access to leisure occupations for Andorran children, as the third vertice of an education triangle comprising family education; schooling and leisure.

Its activity is centred around  the following 6 main objectives:

- Making a country; 

- Creating friendship bonds;

- Cultivating creativity;

- Promoting the most complete and accessible sports for all: mountain hiking in summer and cross-country skiing in winter.

- Sowing human and evangelical values: spirituality, peace, joy, forgiveness;

- Respecting the faith that each child brings from home.

To which, another objective - Inclusion - was added over time, due to the ever increasing number of immigrant children living in the Principality.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the AINA vacation colonies, the Postal Administration of the Principality issued on 11JUN2026 the 2,35€ stamp on the cover illustrated with the image of a little girl wearing a scarf with the national colours while holding an image of the Virgin of Meritxell, the Patroness of Andorra.

In the background, three hills also painted in the National Colours of Blue, Yellow and Red are topped by children, evoking the emphasis that AINA puts in the mountain sports.

 The First day Postmark is designed around the legend "50 years of AINA colonies", which is also included in the stamp.

COVER N. 740 - FRANCE

Postmark: Palais du tau Reims 1er Jour L51 reims la Poste 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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A very relevant item in the vast list of French Historical Monuments: La Palais de Tau, another of Eric's great first day covers sent from Philex France 2026. Merci Encore, Eric.

The Archdiocese of Reims was first established as a diocese by Saint Sixus of Reims around 250 AD and elevated to its present status  by 750.

The palace which served as the residence of the Archbishop of Reims and which would become known as the Palais du Tau given its shape in plan form being that of a letter T (Tau, in Greek), was built upon the ruins of an ancient roman villa dating from the early 5th century, right on the side of  la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims (Reims Cathedral) where, from the 11th century on, with but a very few exceptions, all  French kings were crowned. 

Over the years the Palace has gone through several enlargements and architectural style changes, from its original fortress like appearance, to its final baroque/classical look, with a flamboyant gothic renovation in between.

Further to its use as residence of the Reims Archbishop, the Palace was also used as a tribunal and commodity exchange, between 1790 and 1823, the year when it again reverted to its original use.

With the official separation of the Church from the State in 1905, the Palace was classified as national monument and in 1907 it was again refurbished to house no less than 3 museums: the ethnographic museum of Champagne, a coronation museum and also an archaeology museum.

Heavily impacted by WWI, which left it mostly in ruins, the palace would once more be rebuilt in 1972, to open again as a museum. Currently the palace is yet again undergoing refurbishment works to install a new museum dedicated to the coronation of French Kings.

It should also be mentioned that the palace was the place where for the first time a certain bubbly wine called Champagne was served to the guests attending the coronation of Louis XV.

The Palace of Tau as well as the Cathedral of Reims were awarded World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 1991.

On 11JUN2026 La Poste issued an in-taglio printed 1,52 € stamp illustrated with a view of the Palace of Tau, with the Legend “Palais du Tau” in gold ink.

The First Day Postmark contains the same graphic items as the stamp, although the palace is shown in a different view.

COVER N. 739 - FRANCE

Postmark: JR - La Caverne du Pont-Neuf JR Paris - Premier Jour La Poste 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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Another super nice cover, sent by Eric from Paris Philex 2026. Merci encore, Eric!

 

Le Pont-Neuf (the New Bridge) is the oldest of all the 37 crossings over the Seine in Paris in existence today.

The construction of the bridge, which has a length of 232 metres was initiated in 1578, with the last stone being laid in 1607.

 In 1985, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the artist couple who astonished the world by elevating wrapping to a new form of art, devoted their attention and creativity to this icon of the city of lights, having fully draped the bridge and its lamps in fabric. The response from the public was nothing short of sensational with an estimated 3 million people having visited the installation (I wonder how many more it would attract today, now that journeying across the world has become a much more feasible proposition….)

 40 five years past this event, French street artist JR, famous for his use of large black and white photographs that  he merges with the physical reality to create outstanding art pieces (just check his “Ballerina in Containers, Holding Tight” at Le Havre port in 2021), paid homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s legacy by “wrapping” again the Pont-Neuf.

 This time, the old bridge was enveloped in fabric printed photographs so as to evoke the stone quarries from where the actual stones used for the construction of the bridge came from, thus constructing a virtual “Cavern” which the visitors can walk trough immersed in a special soundscape created by Thomas Bangalter, an also specific scent, devised by Sarah Bouasse intended to heighten the disorienting, raw sensory experience of being in a cave and augmented reality propositions.

Recognising the relevance of the intervention, La Poste asked JR to create a stamp highlighting it.

The result is, as expected, a stamp featuring a black and white photograph of a segment of the bridge, that really highlights the transformational virtue of the intervention over the old stone infrastructure.

Further to the photograph, the 3,10 € stamp, dated of 11JUN2026, carries the artist’s JR logo, and the legend “La Caverne du Pont-Neuf”, elements that are also present in the First Day Postmark, applied at Paris.

 

COVER N. 738 - FRANCE

Postmark: 190 Ans des Courses de Trot 1er Jour La Poste 50 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin 11.06.2026

Posted on the 11th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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Trot (or harness) races... here is another subject which I know absolutely nought about... But like it or not, I guess there is no escaping in admitting that the monochromatic painting on the stamp issued by La Poste to celebrate the 190 years of the sport in France is absolutely gorgeous (and yet... )

Un grand Merci, Eric, pour encore une très chouette enveloppe Premier Jour.

According to the release notes, Trot races began to take place in France, in 1836, at Cherbourg.

Over time the sport would captivate a dedicated fan base amongst horse breeders and riders, so much so that a special breed of horse was selective bred in Normandy, specifically with the sport in mind: the French Trotter, a compact and medium sized animal, usually chestnut or bay, with an height of 1,54 to 1,67 metres, featuring a sloped shoulder and a prominent sternum. 

Today, France is home to one of the most famous and more prize endowed races in  the world of Trot races: Le prix d'Ámérique, which takes place annually, since 1920, on the last Sunday of January, at the Vincennes Hippodrome, in Paris.

Celebrating the 190th anniversary of the Trot races in France, La Poste issued on 11JUN202, a souvenir sheet with a single 2,25  € stamp with a painting by Architect Wandrille Thieulin, whom I presume was also responsible for the equally monochromatic background illustration of an hippodrome.

I have to say I like both illustrations a lot, but I am no particular fan of the end result, the souvenir sheet, that is, both in composition terms (maybe if the stamp was placed a bit lower and closer to the lower left corner....)  which I find a bit confuse, and choice of colours for the legend,  which I find too contrasty... Still, I am no art critic,  and as I said the paintings do please me a lot.

The First Day Postmark hails from the city of Cherbourg, as previously mentioned, the original place of the first trot races in France (although Wikipedia claims the first races took place at the Champ de Mars, Paris, in 1806...) and is illustrated with  a plan view of a hippodrome track and the same legend "190 Ans des Courses de Trot" which is included in the block and stamp.