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.

COVER N. 737 - FRANCE

Postmark: Métiers D'Art - Caligraphe - la Poste, 1er Jour Paris 11.06.2026

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

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It is 10 years since la Poste started a new anual stamp series dedicated to "Les Métiers d'Art" (Arts and crafts).

I think this was an excellent idea, because whenever we see a particular piece from one of the professions highlighted in the series, we always seem to take it for granted, never sparing a thought about the usually long learning curve associated with some very specialised professions that demand absolute control over several rather uncommon skills.

The 2026 issue of this series is dedicated to the Calligrapher and Eric kindly sent me an FDC with the beautiful stamp on it. Un grand merci, Eric.

The market for Calligraphers must really be one very tiny high-end niche, these days. In fact, with the advent of word processors and typography software, hand written messages in a beautiful typeface is something that is reserved for very special occasions like invitations for official ceremonies or banquets, marketing campaigns, certificates or diplomas, etc.

In an era which we can already classify as remote, so fast has been the advancement of technology, Calligraphy was also the work domain of the Copists, an extinct  profession, I presume.

Copists, as the name implies,  used to do what the photocopier first and then the home printer now enables all of us to do. So they had to be good calligraphers... and I can't help but marvel at those huge handwritten books created by calligraphers and illuminators that we see in museums, palaces and libraries, with all those letters that always look as if drawn, not written...

These days though, irrespective of skill and ability, there is a calligrapher inside us all, thanks to technology, but the sheer beauty of human calligraphy will always outclass the too perfect and emotionless letters that computers generate out of electrons...

On 11JUN2026 La Poste issued the 18th stamp of the Métiers d'Art series started in 2016,. Dedicated to the calligrapher, the 2.25€ stamp is illustrated with  concentric messages in four different scripts.

Unfortunately I can only make out the word Calligraphie on the outer circle. The second circle reads "Exchanger; Beauté; Mémoire; Culture; Unité; the third Paix; Lien; Mot; Écrire, while the centre is occupied by the letter Phi, the symbol of the Golden Ratio, as a reminder of the  precision and exactness but also aesthetics that are inherent to calligraphy.

The Phy and the third circle are printed in gold, a metaphor for preciousness, and value, I’d say.

This was also one of the stamps issued in the course of Paris Philex 2026, and the First day Postmark  exhibits examples of the word "Calligraphe" in two different scripts... 

COVER N. 736 - FRANCE

Postmark: George Sand 1804 - 1876 La Poste Paris 13.06.2026

Posted on the 13th June;  Received on the 25th June 2026

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Another of Eric's Paris Philex 2026 posted FDC's, and again one with strong literary connections. Un grand merci, Eric.

Ask anyone about Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil, and I bet that 9 out of 10 (if not 10 out of 10, ) answers (and this would include mine) will be "Don't know..."; "Never heard about her..." "Can't really say I have heard this name ever"...;

Things will take a sharp turn though if you ask the same people (me included) if the name George Sand rings a bell.

Lucille de Francueil (1804-1876), who would reclaim a place in history as George Sand, her literary pseudonym, was a woman far ahead of her time. 

A well established and consecrated writer in her days, she was also an advocate for women's rights,  a socialist and a republican and someone who really did not give much of a damn about what people thought of her life options, be it in the way she dressed, adopting men's clothes, smoking in public or leading a  rather turbulent love life with several well known lovers, like Prosper Merimé, Alfred de Musset or Frederic Chopin, to name the more resonating names.

On the occasion of 150th anniversary of George Sand's passing, la Poste honoured her memory by issuing, on 13JUN2026, a beautiful in-taglio printed 4 €  stamp with her portrait,   in a souvenir sheet with silver printed elements, comprising  3 identical stamps and a quote from her: "Il n'y a qu'un bonheur dans la vie, c'est d'aimer et d'être aimé" (There is but one joy in life: to love and be loved).

The First Day Postmark bears a floral element in the centre, in line with the decorative elements on the souvenir sheet.

Now, I have no recollection of having ever read one of Sand's books..... maybe in my university years, but I really can't recall.... will have to make amends for this....

COVER N. 735 - FRANCE

Postmark: Salon Paris Philex 2026 - la nature à Paris - La Poste Paris 11.06.2026

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

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NFT stamps... an absolute mystery to me. 

I bought the first Portuguese  NFT stamp and readily made a mess of all the registering process right away, so when I noticed that Eric had kindly sent me  a cover with one of the La Poste NFT stamps issued in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the publication in France of  Le Petit Prince, (pour laquelle que je te remercie enomerment, Eric) I began to get a bit shaky...

Contrary to the Portuguese stamp, though, the 8€ NFT stamp illustrated with an image of the Little Prince flying his own aircraft, has a QR code inscribed on it. Reading the QR code, returns a 3D-ish animation of the image on the stamp, so at least I was able to get to this part, which is a lot more than I was able to do with the Portuguese stamp.

As far as I think I understand, NFT stamps should be "stored" online but this is where I have no idea how to progress in order to create one's own "album". Maybe one day, i'll understand it, even though I think I cannot recuperate my original Portuguese NFT stamp which is living somewhere in a digital limbo....

Anyway, the Petit Prince NFT on the cover is part of a set of four single stamp souvenir sheets (4 x 8€ - NFTimbre 8.1-8.4)) issued on 19MAY2026, celebrating, as above mentioned, the 80th anniversary of the French publication of Le Petit Prince, by Galimard, in 1946. The stamps are illustrated with an image that is essentially a frame from the video accessible through the QR code inscribed on their surface.

The physical stamp was cancelled in the course of the Paris Philex 2026 philatelic show with the First Day Postmark of a Lettre Verte stamp that was issued during the event, on 11JUN2026, as the 2026 Philex CNEP (Chambre syndicale française des Négociants et Experts en Philatélie) issue, dedicated to the theme of the event: La nature à Paris (Nature in Paris).

As I was able to read on the internet, CNEP has been  issuing souvenir sheets with a lettre verte stamp  for each of philatelic shows it organises or participates in, since 1980.

COVER N. 734 - FRANCE

Postmark: Les 80 ans du petit Prince - le Petit Prince - 80 - 1er Jour La Poste Paris 11.06.2026

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

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The second "Le Petit Prince" themed cover that Eric sent me was also an FDC, featuring the 2.25€ stamp illustrated with a recreation of Saint-Exupéry's magnificent character.

Un grand Merci, Eric.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is mainly remembered as a writer  and as one of the pioneers of French Intercontinental airmail services, (Africa and later South America) through his collaboration with Aéropostale, the  company founded, with that aim in mind, in  the wake of the first world war, by aircraft  manufacturer (mainly flying-boats and seaplanes) Pierre-Georges Latécoère, as “Société des Lignes Latécoère”, which would  be rebranded in 1927,as “Compagnie Générale Aéropostale”.

The story of Aéropostale is an epic odyssey in itself  and several of its pilots would be forever remembered as examples of tenacity, endurance and  courage, so many were the hurdles, challenges and life threatening situations they had to overcome while carrying mail in their planes over the Andes or the African deserts.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Jean Mermoz, Henri Guillaumet, probably the most famous of all the Aéropostale pilots. They all lived a life devoted to aviation.... so much so that they all died while flying... Saint-Ex over the Mediterranean Sea while on a photo reconnaissance flight in 1943; Mermoz in 1936 over the South Atlantic, while crossing it from Senegal to Brazil and Guillaumet also shot down over the Mediterranean, in 1940.

Saint-Ex's own experience with accidents was instrumental in his writing of the Little Prince, for the plot draws on the situation he went through when crashing in the Sahara desert during what was supposed to be a record flight between Paris and Saigon, in 1935. Hhe and his co-pilot spent 5 days in the desert, with almost nothing to drink, being finally rescued by a Bedouin who happened to be passing close by.

80 years past the publication in France of his most beloved book, on 11JUL2026, La Poste once again decided to honour this man of many talents, with a 2,25 € stamp with a digital recreation of  the little boy who tamed a fox, originally drawn in ink and painted in watercolour, which sits on many a bookshelf across the whole world.