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Europe/Other : French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

 

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JohnnyRockets
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28 Apr 2019
06:07:22pm
Hi all,

I was recently playing with my stamp microscope that hooks up to my computer and I snapped this close up of a (I think!) french stamp.

Image Not Found

I found it odd that this stamp does not call out what denomination of money that it is in, only that it is "20", and shows no country of origin.

Are there any "rules" on having the country of origin on a given stamp?

Also is that figure referred to as Mercury?


Thank you!


JR

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Dambrovski
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In Arduis Fidelis

28 Apr 2019
06:29:17pm
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Hi JR,

It's not French. It's an Austrian newspaper stamp, 1908 Sc# P18. The denomination is in Heller. My ancient catalogue (2008) lists it at $2.75 mint and 25c used.

I'm assuming that the newspaper stamps were for inland use only and as they weren't used for international postage didn't need any country identifier.

The Scott listing does call him Mercury but I believe I have seen him in other catalogues called Hermes.

I have one of those microscopes, only mine was intended for children but works very well and only cost me a fiver on Ebay. That's GB£s, so about 8 or 9 US$ at the time. I even had my wife make a little cover for it so it doesn't get dusty. Happy days.

Kim

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JohnnyRockets
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28 Apr 2019
06:36:14pm
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Hi Kim,

Very interesting! Thank you for your help!

So that Danish currency was in Heller. Heller appears to mean "money" and is half of a "pfennig".

Are they called "newspaper" because of the paper they were made of?

Here is a picture of my little microscope that connects to my computer.


Image Not Found


It is very handy and was very inexpensive.


Thanks again!


JR

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jbaxter5256
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28 Apr 2019
09:29:28pm
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

They are called newspaper stamps because they were only used for payment for delivery of newspapers by the postal authorities. Newspapers have had special treatment in terms of delivery cost in many countries as a public service.

I like your computer connectable microscope device!

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michael78651

28 Apr 2019
09:48:50pm
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

"So that Danish currency was in Heller."



It's not Danish, it's Austrian.
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Strider
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29 Apr 2019
02:55:34am
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

This stamp is indeed Austrian.

For what it's worth, Denmark also issued newspaper stamps from 1907 until 1916, when they decided not to continue with them. In 1918 they overprinted the remaining stock of newspaper stamps to create 27 ore postage stamps. Some of these overprints are quite expensive now, probably resulting in some forgeries.

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JohnnyRockets
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29 Apr 2019
07:26:56pm
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Hi all,

-----------------------------------

@JBaxter,

Very interesting and thank you for following up with a comment. Seems like a good public service to help out the newspapers. Also, I just upgraded today to the following USB Digital Microscope: https://www.celestron.com/products/handheld-digital-microscope-pro

Happy to review it if anyone is interested.

-----------------------------------

@Michael,

Dang! Don't know where I got Danish! Crazy me! Thanks!

-----------------------------------

@Strider,

Interesting comment about the "ore" stamps. Like rocks/gems/precious metals, type of "ore"?

-----------------------------------

Thanks to all!


JR

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Guthrum
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29 Apr 2019
07:39:15pm
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Mercury and Hermes are the same chap, different languages. Winged hat, winged heels, not usually wearing a lot else. He was the Messenger of the Gods.

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Strider
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30 Apr 2019
04:06:14am
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Ore! I've seen stamps made from fish skin, but none from lumps of rock or precious metals!

It's a lot easier than that, Johnny - it's the currency unit. An ore is a Danish penny or cent. They used Rigsbank skillings (96 to the Rigsdaler) until 1875, when they reformed the currency and created the ore and the krone - 100 ore to the krone. Sweden did the same in 1875. Norway waited till 1877 to make the change. And Iceland changed in 1876 - their penny is called an eyrir, plural is aurar.

I got all this from my SG Scandinavia 2008 edition. But I don't know why they had 96 skillings to the rigsdaler. And as UK had 240 pennies to the pound until decimal currency came in in the 60s, I can't make remarks.

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Guthrum
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30 Apr 2019
04:13:07am
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Well, Strider, 96 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24 and 48, a far more logical number for currency than, for example, the 100 the UK currently uses (2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and that's it).

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JohnnyRockets
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30 Apr 2019
06:27:23am
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

@Strider,

I was thinking that the stamps were somehow to fund like mining or something! LOL!

Okay, got it, wow that is some complex currency, but then again some of the US currency back in history was a bit sketchy as well.

Thank you!


JR

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vinman
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30 Apr 2019
07:40:57am
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

JR,
Here is an exhibit that explains early US currency and how it was used when paying for postage.

http://www.rfrajola.com/wash2006/wash2006frame1.htm

Vince

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jmh67

01 May 2019
04:48:06am
re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

To be picky, the small Danish (and Norwegian) currency unit is written Øre, in Swedish it's Öre (same sound). The first sound is an "umlaut" somewhere between O and E that's common in the Scandinavian languages and in German. Funnily enough, even though it is not worth much, the name of the unit is derived from the Latin aureus, which was a pretty valuable Roman gold coin ...

And yes, Hermes and Mercury are for practical purposes the same - the former is the Greek messenger god, the latter his Roman equivalent. Also the god of the thieves ... ;-)

Martin

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Author/Postings
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JohnnyRockets

28 Apr 2019
06:07:22pm

Hi all,

I was recently playing with my stamp microscope that hooks up to my computer and I snapped this close up of a (I think!) french stamp.

Image Not Found

I found it odd that this stamp does not call out what denomination of money that it is in, only that it is "20", and shows no country of origin.

Are there any "rules" on having the country of origin on a given stamp?

Also is that figure referred to as Mercury?


Thank you!


JR

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this post
Members Picture
Dambrovski

In Arduis Fidelis
28 Apr 2019
06:29:17pm

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Hi JR,

It's not French. It's an Austrian newspaper stamp, 1908 Sc# P18. The denomination is in Heller. My ancient catalogue (2008) lists it at $2.75 mint and 25c used.

I'm assuming that the newspaper stamps were for inland use only and as they weren't used for international postage didn't need any country identifier.

The Scott listing does call him Mercury but I believe I have seen him in other catalogues called Hermes.

I have one of those microscopes, only mine was intended for children but works very well and only cost me a fiver on Ebay. That's GB£s, so about 8 or 9 US$ at the time. I even had my wife make a little cover for it so it doesn't get dusty. Happy days.

Kim

Like
Login to Like
this post

wirralps.com
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JohnnyRockets

28 Apr 2019
06:36:14pm

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Hi Kim,

Very interesting! Thank you for your help!

So that Danish currency was in Heller. Heller appears to mean "money" and is half of a "pfennig".

Are they called "newspaper" because of the paper they were made of?

Here is a picture of my little microscope that connects to my computer.


Image Not Found


It is very handy and was very inexpensive.


Thanks again!


JR

Like 
1 Member
likes this post.
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Members Picture
jbaxter5256

28 Apr 2019
09:29:28pm

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

They are called newspaper stamps because they were only used for payment for delivery of newspapers by the postal authorities. Newspapers have had special treatment in terms of delivery cost in many countries as a public service.

I like your computer connectable microscope device!

Like 
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
michael78651

28 Apr 2019
09:48:50pm

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

"So that Danish currency was in Heller."



It's not Danish, it's Austrian.
Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Strider

29 Apr 2019
02:55:34am

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

This stamp is indeed Austrian.

For what it's worth, Denmark also issued newspaper stamps from 1907 until 1916, when they decided not to continue with them. In 1918 they overprinted the remaining stock of newspaper stamps to create 27 ore postage stamps. Some of these overprints are quite expensive now, probably resulting in some forgeries.

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
JohnnyRockets

29 Apr 2019
07:26:56pm

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Hi all,

-----------------------------------

@JBaxter,

Very interesting and thank you for following up with a comment. Seems like a good public service to help out the newspapers. Also, I just upgraded today to the following USB Digital Microscope: https://www.celestron.com/products/handheld-digital-microscope-pro

Happy to review it if anyone is interested.

-----------------------------------

@Michael,

Dang! Don't know where I got Danish! Crazy me! Thanks!

-----------------------------------

@Strider,

Interesting comment about the "ore" stamps. Like rocks/gems/precious metals, type of "ore"?

-----------------------------------

Thanks to all!


JR

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Guthrum

29 Apr 2019
07:39:15pm

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Mercury and Hermes are the same chap, different languages. Winged hat, winged heels, not usually wearing a lot else. He was the Messenger of the Gods.

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Strider

30 Apr 2019
04:06:14am

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Ore! I've seen stamps made from fish skin, but none from lumps of rock or precious metals!

It's a lot easier than that, Johnny - it's the currency unit. An ore is a Danish penny or cent. They used Rigsbank skillings (96 to the Rigsdaler) until 1875, when they reformed the currency and created the ore and the krone - 100 ore to the krone. Sweden did the same in 1875. Norway waited till 1877 to make the change. And Iceland changed in 1876 - their penny is called an eyrir, plural is aurar.

I got all this from my SG Scandinavia 2008 edition. But I don't know why they had 96 skillings to the rigsdaler. And as UK had 240 pennies to the pound until decimal currency came in in the 60s, I can't make remarks.

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
Guthrum

30 Apr 2019
04:13:07am

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

Well, Strider, 96 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24 and 48, a far more logical number for currency than, for example, the 100 the UK currently uses (2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and that's it).

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
JohnnyRockets

30 Apr 2019
06:27:23am

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

@Strider,

I was thinking that the stamps were somehow to fund like mining or something! LOL!

Okay, got it, wow that is some complex currency, but then again some of the US currency back in history was a bit sketchy as well.

Thank you!


JR

Like
Login to Like
this post
Members Picture
vinman

30 Apr 2019
07:40:57am

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

JR,
Here is an exhibit that explains early US currency and how it was used when paying for postage.

http://www.rfrajola.com/wash2006/wash2006frame1.htm

Vince

Like
Login to Like
this post

"The best in Big Band and Swing Music WRDV.org"

wrdv.org/
jmh67

01 May 2019
04:48:06am

re: French Stamp - Please educate me a bit!

To be picky, the small Danish (and Norwegian) currency unit is written Øre, in Swedish it's Öre (same sound). The first sound is an "umlaut" somewhere between O and E that's common in the Scandinavian languages and in German. Funnily enough, even though it is not worth much, the name of the unit is derived from the Latin aureus, which was a pretty valuable Roman gold coin ...

And yes, Hermes and Mercury are for practical purposes the same - the former is the Greek messenger god, the latter his Roman equivalent. Also the god of the thieves ... ;-)

Martin

Like 
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
        

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