France Twenty-fifth Balloon of the Siege: 1870 printed Ballon Monte lettersheet sent to Calvados and re-addressed to St. Saviour Jersey, franked by Napoleon III 20c (underpaying the 30c overseas rate) lightly tied by Star mark with Paris Rue Bonaparte circular date stamp for ‘4 NOV’.
It was carried by the Balloon 'La Ville de Châteaudun' which departed Paris 6 November 1870, with ‘More to Pay’ mark being applied in Jersey and taxed 4d on arrival. Backstamped with transit marks and Jersey arrival for ‘NOV 12’.
The letter was sent by G Joufeit as part of the newspaper Dépêche-Ballon. The 3rd issue was published on Friday 4th November 1870. It was written to his father Monsieur Touss at the Chalet Beaujour, Lion sur Mer, Calvados and redirected to St. Saviour in Jersey, Channel Islands. The letter contains interesting historical content referring to a failed attempt to overthrow the government in Paris and the expected impact of the Franco-Prussian War.
A fine quality lettersheet with a particularly interesting and unusual postal history.
During the Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, the post from the capital survived thanks to a fleet of balloons and a host of carrier pigeons. At the time, Paris had been shelled by the Germans and Napoleon’s empire had fallen.
Catalogue Value: €1,200.
