1939.FRA.01Jean-Baptiste Charcot — Society of Sea Works
France·1939
Second Charcot semi-postal for French seamen; same portrait type as 1938 B68; Domfil «founder of French Scouting»
Series details
Identity
- CodeSeries code YYYY.ENT.SS — year, 3-letter issuing entity, sequence (e.g. 1900.CGH.01).
1939.FRA.01- EntityPostal authority that issued the stamps (country, territory, or historical entity).
- France (FRA)
- Year
- 1939-06-26
- Event
- Second Charcot semi-postal for French seamen; same portrait type as 1938 B68; Domfil «founder of French Scouting»
- TypeIssue kind. Charity issue = postage + voluntary surcharge (e.g. 6+4), not an overprint.
- 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).
- 939.24
- ScottScott catalog number (Americas).
- FR B69
- MichelMichel catalog number (Europe / DE).
- FR 460
- YvertYvert & Tellier catalog number (FR).
- FR 377A
- Stanley GibbonsStanley Gibbons catalog number (UK / Commonwealth).
- FR 593a
History
On 26 June 1939 France issued a second semi-postal portrait of Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867–1936) for the Society of Sea Works (Œuvres de mer): 90 centimes postage plus 35 centimes surtax for French seamen. It continues the 1938 design type (Scott B68, 65 + 35 c, Domfil 938.34) in a new colour and face value — purple, Scott B69 / Michel 460 / Domfil 939.24 / Yvert 377A.
SOSOW lists both Charcot values on the same page (Jean Charcot, founder of French Scouting), noting that some sources give 26 March 1938 for B68 and that B69 may be dated 26 June 1939, and that opinion differs on how strongly Charcot belongs in a pure Scout catalogue. Domfil still indexes both under «Charcot, founder of French Scouting». Production matches the first stamp: design Gorvel, engraving J. Piel, recess printing, comb perforation 13, sheets of 25, size about 26 × 40 mm. Print run is reported at about 1.2 million.
This is the second of the two Charcot seamen’s stamps: the same explorer portrait and Scout-biographical claim as the 1938 value, in a different face and colour a year later.