I Received...Another Engraved Cover

I mentioned in a previous blog that I have started buying up French year sets where possible to flesh out my French engravers collection. Well, another set arrived in the mail the other day, locked inside a rather cool cover with two engraved stamps affixed. Just ignore the hideous third stamp (hideous to me, anyway).

Here is a closer look at the stamps.

The stamp on the left was issued by France on 8 December 1980. It is a semi-postal with a Red Cross surcharge. It was designed and engraved by Michel Monvoison. The stamp depicts filling the granaries of the Cathedral of Amiens. 

The stamp on the right was issued by France on 14 December 1970. It is also a semi-postal with a Red Cross surcharge. This stamp was designed and engraved by the prolific Pierre Gandon. It depicts a fresco at Chateau of Dissay (I think) in Dissay, a town in the department of Vienna, France. I haven't fully researched this stamp yet, so the details may be wrong.

Until next time...

I Received...A Nice Engraved Combo

I have to confess that when it comes to covers I receive in the mail, I'm a bit of a hoarder. I tend to keep everything, whether I'm interested in the stamps or not. Consequently, I end up with large stacks of covers that, from time to time, need to be sorted into keepers and discards. Last night I decided to go through one of my stacks and I was pleasantly surprised to find a few covers from France with engraved stamps affixed. So I thought I'd share some of the stamps I've found in a few blogs. 

The stamps below have been cut away from the rather large and ugly cover so I can store them more easily.

The stamp on the left is from a set of four Red Cross stamps celebrating the four seasons issued in France on 30 November 1974. It was engraved by Cecilie Guillame, a female engraver who engraved 37 stamps for France. The stamp on the right is from the 2009 Marianne definitive series issued in France on 28 February. It was designed and engraved by Yves Beaujard.

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Let's take a closer look at the Red Cross stamp without the postmark. The subject of this delightful stamp is Ete, which is French for Summer. It features children playing on a beach, while in the distance a sail boat rides the waves. I love the colour choices in this stamp.

Until next time...