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

see also: https://rainbowstampsandcoins.blogspot.com/2023/02/french-cancels-01-c-paris-numbered.html

Variations on the star itself:

mute star (no number)

mute star

mute star cropped

cropped mute star

mute start blank center 

blank center

If you like to collect the numbered stars, there are various ways to do so.
You can search for all numbers, regardless on which stamp they occur, or you can look for each stamp (between nr. 1 to 60) to find 40 different cancels each time.
I'm sure, the last option will get you a lifetime achievement award, as you'll be looking for 2400 stamps.

The page I made (see link) has 6 pages:

page 1 is a list of each of the 40 offices
page 2 is an album page that can be used for each of the 40 star cancels
(this page can be copied many times, if you like to collect the cancels on different stamps)
page 3/4/5/6 are pages where you can put all variations of the star cancels.

I also added a mute start cancel, a cropped mute cancel, and an empty center star cancel.

link to the pdf-file

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

Some variations on the étoile 3:

see also https://rainbowstampsandcoins.blogspot.com/2023/02/french-cancels-01-c-paris-numbered.html

For the star nr. 3, there are also few variations.

étoile 3 - normal version

In the first variation, the dot on top of the 3 is missing.

étoile 3 - plein

The second variation is similar to the first one, but the horizontal line in the middle of the 3 is extended and connected with the dot in front of it. As if an extra dot is placed in front of the 3.
This variation is called the 'parasite 3'.

étoile 3 'parasite'

Two more variations on the 3-star exist.
For those 2, an improvised 3 cancel was used. The font is different than the one used before.
The handstamp was however not very strong made, or used the wrong way, as not only this improvised cancel, but also a worn out - version of this cancel can be found.

étoile 3 - improvisé (1st state)

étoile 3 - improvisé (2nd state)

Below, the 'original' étoile 3 cancel.

to be continued...

French cancels - 01 l Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées) - variations 5

For this post, I present the last (so far) known variations on the star cancels.
 

Variations on the 23:

For this specific cancel all 6 points of the cancel are gone, as if the cancel started to melt.
Incomplete cancels (on the stamp alone) can create the illusion of an incomplete cancel.
Therefore only clear cancels or cancels on letters can tell if the 23 is a normal cancel or a truncated one.

étoile 23 tronquée (truncated)

Variations on the 28:

This variation is clearly due to the use of a worn out  hand cancel.
The degeneration of the cancels made the 28 look like a 20 in the end...

normal 28 - cancel

28 second state

28 third (laste) stage

For cancels in this last stage, some expertise is needed.
Lack of ink, or soft cancels can create a 28 in this third state. Not even mentioning the removal of the centre by fraud.

to be continued ...

French cancels - 01 k Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées) - variations 4

More variations on the French star cancels :

Variations on the 15:

étoile 15 - grand logement

Variations on the 16:

étoile 16 accidentée

Variations on the 18:

étoile 18 cassée

étoile 18 - grand logement

to be continued...

French cancels - 01 j Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées) - variations 3

More variations on the french star cancels:

étoile chiffrée 7 in pair

For this cancel type, we do not find damaged or deformed numbers, but the variations are within the 7 itself.
There are 3 known versions of the 7.

The 7 can be 6.5 mm high, 5.5 mm or even 5 mm.

normal 7 - 6.5 mm

Smaller version of 5.5 mm:

average 7 - 7 moyenne - 5.5 mm

And the smallest version is only 5 mm high:

small 7 - 7 petite - 5 mm

For the 6 and the 9 star cancels, the variations are there to make the difference between both numbers.
see : https://rainbowstampsandcoins.blogspot.com/2023/03/french-cancels-01-g-paris-numbered.html

to be continued...

French cancels - 01 i Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées) - variations 2

The variations continue...

Variations on the 4:

Also on the 4 cancel, some variations are known :

étoile 4 - normal

Since the cancels were often used, some damage to them is inevitable.
A worn out cancel is know as 4-brisé (broken 4) :

(broken4) 4 brisé

Similar to the 1 'grand logement'  (large housing), the 4 has a also such a version:

étoile 4 - grand logement

Probably, an empty star cancel was prepared to serve as a 4 cancel.
The empty space in the middle was large enough to add two digit numbers if necessary.
For the 1 and 4 therefore there was too much space then needed, resulting in a large central space.

Another option to make a 'new' 4-cancel, was to alter an existing cancel.
A 24-star cancel was used, of which the 2 was removed and the dots were more or less restored.
It is called ex-24.

étoile 4 - ex-24

How about the vartiations on the 5:

The 'normal' 5 has a curly upper line, and a dot in the centre above it.

étoile 5 - normal

Some 5's are slightly deformed.
Those are called the broken 5's (5-cassé)

In some cancels, the upper line is flattened, and the dot in the centre above it, is missing.
This cancel is called a ' 5 crochu' (hooked 5) - a flattened 5 would be more accurate in my opion.

Finally, similar to the 1 and 4 'grand logement' also a 5 grand logement exists.

5 grand logement

Note the two dots (and not 3) left and right of the number, on the central horizontal line. 

to be continued...

French cancels - 01 h Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées) - variations 1

The variations:

Variations on the 1

In the image below, we see a 'normal' version of the 'étoile chiffrée 1'.
The 1 starts with a short line, not touching the dot in front of it.

étoile chiffrée 1 - normal

Two étoiles 1 : with normal '1'

There is a variation where the beginning of the 1, touches the dot in front.

Only 2 remaining 'free dots' in front of the 1, in stead of the 3 in the normal version.

Another variation is called the 'large housing' or "grand logement"
In this cancel we only find 2 dots left and right of the centre of the '1'.

étoile 1 'grand logement

Other 'variations' are more likely due to the wear of the stamp.
The incomplete "1" comes in different stages :

stage 1

stage 2

The examples above are not realy variations, but more like accidentially impartial cancels.
They are also called '1 accidenté'.
However, they were used in this condition before being replaced by a new 'complete' cancel.
Some expertise is needed, as not all imperfect 1's are real "1 accidentés"

Variations on the 2

For the étoile chiffrée 2, there is one variation described.
Also here, the variation is more likely to be caused by the use of a worn out cancel.

As the cancel was used, and copies of this type of cancel can be found, I added it to the list of variations.

étoile chiffrée 2 cassé

The 2 cassé (broken), shows a slightly deformed star and a broken nr 2.

to be continued...

French cancels - 01 g Paris numbered stars (étoiles chiffrées) - 6 or 9

In order to make the difference visible between the 6 and 9 star cancels,
some additional markings were added.
In general, a line underneath the number made it pretty clear, but some other marks exist too:

see also:
https://rainbowstampsandcoins.blogspot.com/2023/02/french-cancels-01-c-paris-numbered.html

Variations of the 6:

For the 6, the marks are mainly dots

Variations of the 9:

 

For the 9, the marks are X's, +'s, snowflakes, triangles, dots, or just empty space.

For all star cancels, the markings are UNDER the number.
Only clear cancels will give a correct outcome.

to be continued...