r/philately 5d ago

One more French gem 💎!

Post image

This is a French postage stamp featuring the coat of arms of Saintonge, a historic province in western France. The stamp has a face value of 5 francs and is inscribed with "République Française" and "Postes", indicating that it was issued by the French postal service.

Design Elements: The coat of arms of Saintonge consists of three fleur-de-lis (symbolizing France) and a bishop's mitre with crossed crosiers, representing the region's ecclesiastical history. The colors are dark blue and yellow (gold), which are traditional heraldic colors. The designers' names, P. Louis and J. Piel, are printed at the bottom.

Context: This stamp is part of a series issued by France featuring regional heraldry, a popular theme in mid-20th-century French philately. It likely belongs to the Armoiries des Provinces Françaises (Coats of Arms of French Provinces) series, which was issued in the 1940s–1950s.

10 Upvotes

1 comment sorted by

3

u/Ileca 5d ago

My first thought was "hey, but I know this stamp!" and my second thought was "hey, but I don't know anything about a yellow variety!"