French cancels - 01 b Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées)

Although the song 'Stary stary night' by Don McLean, about 'The Stary Night', a Van Gogh's painting, was painted in France, it has nothing to do with today's topic on the French postal 'star' cancels.

The numbered stars with numbers, used in the Paris capital region between 1863 and 1876 are a beloved collectors' item by both French and foreign collectors.

Let us take a closer look at the place the cancels were used.

Map of France and location of Paris capital region

Detailed map of the Paris capital region
 - centre is Paris city

The stars are numbered from 1 to 40.
For that last number, until the 80's of the 20th century, there was no information if the 40-cancel was real or not. Since then, only few copies have been found. The location of the 40 is the same as office 35.

On this map of 1863, by the French geographer Henriot, you see the aproximate location of all 40 district offices.

List of District offices

Etoile N°1	Place de la Bourse
Etoile N°2	Rue Saint Lazare
Etoile N°3	Place de la Madeleine
Etoile N°4	Rue d’Enghien
Etoile N°5	Boulevart Saint Martin
Etoile N°6	Sénat
Etoile N°7	Rue des Vieilles Haudriettes
Etoile N°8	Rue d’Antin
Etoile N°9	Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré
Etoile N°10	Petite rue du Bac
Etoile N°11	Rue de l’Echelle
Etoile N°12	Boulevart Beaumarchais *
Etoile N°13	Hôtel de ville
Etoile N°14	Rue du Faubourg Saint Martin
Etoile N°15	Rue Bonaparte
Etoile N°16	Rue Neuve Bourg l’Abbé
Etoile N°17	Rue Tirechappe
Etoile N°18	Rue de Londres
Etoile N°19	Rue d’Angoulême du Temple
Etoile N°20	Rue Saint Dominique-Saint Germain
Etoile N°21	Rue Saint Antoine
Etoile N°22	Rue du Helder
Etoile N°23	Rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine
Etoile N°24	Rue de Cléry
Etoile N°25	Rue de la Harpe
Etoile N°26	Gare du Nord
Etoile N°27	Rue Saint Dominique-Gros Caillou
Etoile N°28	Rue Cardinal Lemoine
Etoile N°29	Rue Mouffetard
Etoile N°30	Boulevart Mazas
Etoile N°31	Corps Legislatif
Etoile N°32	Rue de la Sainte Chapelle
Etoile N°33	Gare d’Orléans
Etoile N°34	Rue de Chaillot
Etoile N°35 (40)	Salpétrière **
Etoile N°36	Boulevart du Prince Eugène
Etoile N°37	Boulevart Malesherbes
Etoile N°38	Rue des Feuillantines
Etoile N°39	Rue des Ecluses Saint Martin

* at that time, Boulevart was written with a T at the end. Now it is 'Boulevard', with a D.
** the number 40 was used only between Nov 1866 and Dec 1866

to be continued ...