Postmarks and postal rates
Postmarks
The letter-stamp has been used in letterboxes since 1830. These stamps were assigned to communes based on the postman’s delivery route, as determined by the Administration. The first commune on the route was labelled "A," the second "B," and so on. Some post offices managed multiple rounds due to the high number of communes to serve, meaning not all routes started with "A." Instead, indexing continued from where the previous round ended. For instance, if route no. 1 concluded with "M," the first town on route no. 2 would be marked "N."
When the rural postal system was first introduced—until 1836—postmen were required to imprint the letter-stamp on a round survey.
This survey served as a record, collecting all letter-stamp imprints in the sequence dictated by the Administration. Upon returning to the office, the rural postman had to submit this document as proof of completing his assigned route through all designated communes.
Letter-stamps are often mistakenly called "postman’s stamps," but they are actually mailbox stamps. The true "postman’s mark" is the "OR" stamp.
Additional rural letterboxes were sometimes installed, especially in communes with large areas or high postal traffic. In such cases, a number was added to the letter-stamp to differentiate the boxes. When the alphabet alone was insufficient to cover all communes in a district, certain letter-stamps were duplicated.
The Regulation on Letter Tax Reports, issued on November 19, 1835, required rural postmen to affix the letter-stamp in the top right corner of every letter collected from a letterbox.
Letter-stamp
Additional rural mailbox letter-stamp
The "OR" stamp, which stands for "Origine Rurale" (Rural Origin), was kept in the postman’s bag and used to mark letters delivered by hand during his rounds. Introduced by Circular no. 64 on June 9, 1836, this stamp distinguished letters originating from rural deliveries.
From February 1, 1851, a new regulation changed its usage. If a postman found a letter in the letterbox that was already franked with postage stamps and could be delivered during his round, he was required to cancel the franking with his OR stamp instead of using the rural letterbox stamp. This directive was established by Circular no. 56 on February 27, 1851.
The additional rural decime stamp was required on all letters sent from or to a rural commune without a post office. This stamp was in use from April 1, 1830, until December 31, 1846. However, it was not to be applied to letters circulating within the rural district of a post office—meaning the town where the post office was located and all its dependent localities.
The decime stamp was color-coded based on the letter’s origin and destination:
Red if the letter originated from a rural locality.
Black if it was destined for a locality without a post office.
Regardless of the journey, the stamp was only applied once, even if the letter was both sent from and addressed to a commune without an office.
Article 21 of the Special Instruction on Post Office Station Service (April 1834) specified that each post office was provided with two decime stamps—one for black ink and the other for red—to ensure proper application of this regulation.
The CL stamp, standing for "Correspondance" Locale (Local Correspondence), was applied to all postage-due letters circulating within the same rural district. From 1830 to 1832, it was also used in post office stations. However, after 1832, these offices switched to using the CD stamp instead.
The CL stamp served as an accounting mark and remained in use until December 1858.
The CD stamp, standing for "Correspondance de Distribution" (Post Office Station Correspondence), was introduced in 1832. It was applied to all postage-due letters circulating within the rural district of a post office station. Like the CL stamp, it was discontinued in December 1858.
Unlike the CL stamp, the CD stamp was rare, as mail circulation within post office station districts was generally low.
The exact regulations that established this stamp remain unknown. However, the General Instructions for Postal Service (June 1832) mention it in Chapter II and list it as required equipment for post office stations in Article 81.
In the suburbs of towns, one or more additional urban mailboxes were often installed at a distance from the post office.
These mailboxes were easily recognizable by their squared letter-stamp. When collecting mail from them, the postman was required to imprint the letter-stamp on each letter.
Additional urban mailbox stamps were introduced in 1852.
Additional urban mailbox letter-stamp
The OL stamp, standing for "Origine Locale" (Local Origin), was carried in the postman’s bag and affixed to all letters handed directly to him during his round.
Although often believed to have been introduced alongside the OR stamp in 1836, this is incorrect. The OL stamp first appeared in July 1868, as documented in the General Instructions for Postal Service of that year.
There were two variants of the OL stamp:
Continuous circle: Used by a town postman.
Dotted circle: Used by the local postman.
Town postman
Local postman
Local postage rates
Inside a town:
From 22 March 22 1800.
No difference between postage paid and postage due.
From 1 January 1863.
Chargé letter: + 20 c.
Declared value: Postage + 20 c for registration + 10 c per fraction of 100 fr.
From 1 September 1871.
Chargé letter: + 50 c.
Registered letter: + 50 c
Value declared: Postage + 50 c registration + 20 c per fraction of 100 fr.
From 1 January 1876.
Inside a Postal District:
From 1 April 1830.
From 1 January 1863.
No difference in rate between postage due and postage paid.
Additional rul decime (10 c) for letters circulating between 2 rural districts.
From 1 September 1871.
Special rates:
From March 1, 1829: Opened printed matters to 11 dm²(inclusive): 5 c. Double postage if more than 11 dm².
From January 1, 1847: Suppression of the addition rural Decime.
From January 1, 1849: Chargée and registered letter : double postage and postage paid.
From July 1, 1850: Chargé letter : double postage and postage paid. Registered letter: + 25 c (and postage paid)
From Décember 31, 1852: Printed matters in opened envelope ( calling card, etc ): 5 c
From July 1, 1854: Chargée letter: + 25 c. Registered letter: suppressed
From August 1, 1856: Printed matters in opened envelope (visiting cards, etc): 5 c untill 10 g inclusive. (+ 5 c per additional 10 g section).
Chargé letter: + 20 c.
Declared value: Postage + 20 c for registration + 10 c per fraction of 100 fr.
Chargé letter: + 50 c.
Registered letter: + 50 c
Value declared: Postage + 50 c registration + 20 c per fraction of 100 fr.
From 1 January 1876.
