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 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...

Currency Today : Switzerland 03

 In this third post on Swiss currency, I present the 20 rappen coin.

20 rappen

The coin that is currently in circulation, was the renewed design of a coin that was introduced in 1850.
In 1879 the more modern design was adopted, and the previous coins, that contained 15% of silver, were replaced by nickel coins in 1881 and copper-nickel coins in 1939.
Pre-1938 coins were taken out of circulation, so the oldest coin you normally can encounter is from 1939.

20 rappen Switzerland

This 20 rappen coin also has a wreath, but now a national flower 'the alpine rose' (Rhododendron Ferrugineum) is depicted.

20 rappen Alpine Rose -design

Alpine rose or Rhododendron ferrugineum

There are no extreme errors like the 10 rappen coin, but there is one coin that has a beautiful error.

The 1947 coin exists in two variations, one with a dot, and one without a dot. 

20 rappen variations without and with dot

The coins with a dot, are more rare, but not extremely rare.
Rare coins are those from 1887, 1898 and 1927

to be continued ...

Don't cry for Argentina - 03 i National Heroes - Series III : all variations - remarks

Some remarks :

On the 1.04 variation:
The main characteristics of this variation, is the hook at the top of the right end of the U-shape, and the " ~ " in the N of Argentinos.
There are some other particular 'errors' that might be accidental errors or variations, or might occur on more stamps of the same variety...

On the 1.06 variation:

The two oval marks, made me conclude that the next stamp is a 1.06 variation.
Many variations have interrupted lines on these two specific places, but only 1.06 has both.

There were other imperfections, which drew my attention, but that are not specified in the catalogue.

Probably some minor or accidental irregularities, but worth enough to compare to other stamps with the same variation.

The inner oval is clearly interrupted on several places in front and below the main image.
I noticed also two white spots in the middle and inner oval, at the hight of the TIN of Argentionos.

On the 1.07 variation:
On this variation, there is the interrupted inner oval that looks like "---___---" left of the image, and the dot in the 1 of the right 1/2.

More oddities can be found on this particular stamp, and it is worth looking for the same anomalities on similar stamps.

The decoration on the top has an interrupted bottom line, which looks like a white dot.
More striking is the thickened collar in the neck, a smal line in the U-shape and the missing frame line under the image.

On the 2.08 variation:
Next to the obvious irregular line at the bottom corner (right), I also found several  irregularities on the same stamp.

Some of the irregularities can be accidental, or do not occur on all stamps from this variation.
However, I find it interesting to mention also these extra 'marks', and will follow up in case I have more copies of the same variation.

Probably more to follow...

Don't cry for Argentina - 03 h National Heroes - Series III : all variations

In my previous posts, I have uplisted all variations know from plates I, II A/B and III A/B/C of the 1/2 centavo stamp.

Now facing some of those stamps, it looks like impossible to find out which variation(s) you might have. If you happen to have variation 3.10, and you are looking to each charateristic, starting from 1.01 on... you'll be busy for quite a long time.

so let's try a different approach

All variations concentrate around 7 areas + 1 rest group.
These areas are :
1. the n-arch, 3 parallel lines, forming an arch on the upper part of the image
2. the u-arch, 2 parallel lines, forming an U under the image
3. the text : CORREOS
4. the text : ARGENTINOS
5. the text : MEDIO
6. the text : CENTAVO
7. the 1/2 left or right at the top
8. the rest group

in detail :(error types refer to previous posts: 1.00 is first printing, 2.00 second and 3.00 third)
1. the n-arch :

2. the U-arch :

3. the text : CORREOS

4. the text ARGENTINOS

5- 6. the text MEDIO and CENTAVO

7. the 1/2 left and right

8. the rest group

So far for the 1/2 centavo stamp...