Personalities

Indochina, Personalities, Michel Nr. IND 336-338; Three stamps in nominals of 5C, 15C and 1P were issued in perforation 11.5-12 as follows:

5C = January 10th, 1945

15C = December 10th, 1944

1P = January 10th, 1945

Here is the mint set in blocks of four.

and here the cancelled to order set in blocks of four.

Postally used set.

Cancelled set featuring First Day Cancels

Mixed franking of the Rhodes stamps (2) together with the Grander stamps (2) paying the international letter rate of 40C (Tariff as of April 1, 1942) on a letter sent on July 9th, 1945 from Saigon to Shanghai in China. Parts of China were still occupied by the Japanese at this time but the letter was nevertheless censored in Saigon (C8). The letter also received a red Viet Minh propaganda cachet in Chinese and French that states “Down with the oppressors”. To the editors knowledge this is the earliest date this propaganda cachet was recorded. Most of the cachets were applied in the Saigon post office in the months of  August and September of 1945.  This documents that the Viet Minh took over the postal administration already prior to the Japanese surrender in World War II.

Rare multiple franking of the 5C De la Grander stamp (3) paying an overall postage of 15C (Tariff from October 3rd, 1944) on a letter sent on August 17th, 1945 from Hanoi to Saigon. Saigon machine arrival cancel on the reverse.

Very rare domestic registered letter that was sent on September 8th, 1945, just six days after the formal Japanese surrender to the United States. The letter is correctly franked with 45C and cancelled with the octagonal Hanoi A canceler. Immediately after the Japanese surrendered, the Viet Minh, who had been fighting them from the underground, took over administrative control including that of the postal service. The letter hence carries a Viet Minh propaganda cachet that states “Vietnamese must use Vietnamese”. Hanoi R.P. transfer cancel on the reverse. It is interesting that the letter was sent by a Japanese company in Hanoi to their subsidiary in Saigon so Japanese business men were still active right after the surrender.

Mixed franking of the 20C Seafarer stamp together with stamps from the Air Mail and Personalties sets paying an overall postage of 85C on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to Algeria in January of 1946. The letter was censored as indicated by the French banderole and censor hand stamps.

Mixed franking of the 40C Seafare stamp together with stamps from the Personalities set paying an overall postage of 1.45P on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to France in January of 1946.

Mixed franking of the 40C Petain stamp (blue-green) together with the 5C Grandiere stamp in brown color paying an overall postage of 45C on a domestic letter sent from Cholon to Saigon in January of 1945. The letter was addressed to “Chef de la Inspection General de Mines” in Hanoi in August of 1943. This post was held by the well known philatelist Jacques Dessrousseaux. Saigon arrival cancel on the reverse. Ex Dessrousseaux.

Mixed franking of the 2C Governors stamp together with stamps from the Personalities and Domestic SCences II sets paying an overall postage of 15C on a domestic letter front sent from Bien Hoa to Saigon on March 6th of 1945. Three days later the Japanese occupying force took over the administration of Indochina and arrested all French troops.

Mixed franking of the 50C Sports, 30C Rhodes and 5C Personalities stamps paying an overall postage of 85C on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to France in July of 1945. International letters ent abroad during the Japanese Occupation of Indochina are very rare.

Single franking of the 15C value on a domestic letter sent from Hai Phong to Hanoi on August 8th of 1945. This was exactly a week prior to the Japanese surrender in World War II. Mail during the Japanese occupation is pretty scarce.

Air Mail letter sent by Wendt from Saigon to Milan, Michigan on August 20th, 1946 franked with 15C and 1P Yersin stamps paying an overall postage of 1.15P on an international air mail letter. He was using a repurposed Red Cross envelope.

Mixed franking of the 40C+1.10 and 15C+60 Reconstruction set plus the 15C Personalities and 1P Seafarer stamps paying an overall postage of 1.70P on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to Switzerland in February of 1946.

Single franking of the 1P value on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to India in December of 1945. Fragment of Indian arrival cancel on the reverse.

Single franking of the 1P value on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to India in January of 1946. Indian arrival cancel on the reverse.

Single franking of the 1P value on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to India in May of 1946.

Mixed franking of the 1P Personalities stamp together with the 20C Domestic Scences II stamp paying an overall postage of 1.20P on an international air mail letter sent from Saigon to France in August of 1947.

Mixed franking of the 10C Governors stamp (5) together with the 1P Personalities stamp paying an overall postage of 1.50P on an international letter front sent rom Saigon to France in October of 1946.

Registration Nr. 090490