1938.FRA.01Jean-Baptiste Charcot — Society of Sea Works
France·1938
Semi-postal portrait of explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot; surtax for French seamen; Domfil lists him as founder of French Scouting
Series details
Identity
- CodeSeries code YYYY.ENT.SS — year, 3-letter issuing entity, sequence (e.g. 1900.CGH.01).
1938.FRA.01- EntityPostal authority that issued the stamps (country, territory, or historical entity).
- France (FRA)
- Year
- 1938-03-25
- Event
- Semi-postal portrait of explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot; surtax for French seamen; Domfil lists him as founder of French Scouting
- TypeIssue kind. Charity issue = postage + voluntary surcharge (e.g. 6+4), not an overprint.
- Commemorative · Charity issue
Production
- Designer
- Gorvel
- Process
- Engraving (engraver J. Piel)
- PerforationsHole gauge between stamps (e.g. 12, 13½). Higher ≈ finer.
- 13
Catalog numbers
- DomfilDomfil thematic catalog number (scouting).
- 938.34
- ScottScott catalog number (Americas).
- FR B68
- MichelMichel catalog number (Europe / DE).
- FR 406
- YvertYvert & Tellier catalog number (FR).
- FR 377
- Stanley GibbonsStanley Gibbons catalog number (UK / Commonwealth).
- FR 593
History
On 25 March 1938 France issued a semi-postal portrait of Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867–1936), the polar explorer and naval doctor who commanded the Pourquoi-Pas? and became a national figure of French maritime exploration. Face value is 65 centimes postage plus 35 centimes surtax for the benefit of French seamen (Society of Sea Works / Œuvres de mer). The stamp was designed by Gorvel, engraved by J. Piel, printed by recess (intaglio), comb perforation 13, in sheets of 25, size about 26 × 40 mm. Print run is reported at about two million.
Scout catalogues (Domfil 938.34; Scouts-on-Stamps literature) place Charcot among the founders or early organisers of French Scouting — especially the sea-oriented branch — though specialist notes record that the strength of that claim is debated. What is clear is that the design is a statesman-explorer portrait for a seamen’s charity, not a Scout in uniform; the thematic interest is biographical and organisational rather than pictorial camping or jamboree scenes.
A second Charcot value (90 + 35 c, Scott B69) appears in some catalogues for a related 1938–39 seamen’s issue; only the 65 + 35 c (B68) is the official piece of this series. Multiples such as a block of four are optional display material, not separate catalog numbers.
