Numeral cancels
The numeral cancels were used in France from 1852 to 1876. They consisted of a rhombus of dots with a number in the center. The number was used to identify the post office responsible for canceling the postage stamp.
Small and large numerals
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![](https://assets.zyrosite.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,w=290,h=283,fit=crop/YZ9nn6E5wyS46y5d/pcgc-YNqXp8J7ejfkMlqa.jpg)
Between 1852 and 1876, the size of the numerals on the cancellation increased from 4 to 7 millimeters.
Date stamps in use with numeral cancels
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![](https://assets.zyrosite.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,w=290,h=190,fit=crop/YZ9nn6E5wyS46y5d/tad-AoPE6kgW3gHMNVE0.jpg)
The numeral cancels were used with several types of date stamps between 1852 and 1876.
Large numerals in December 1862
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![](https://assets.zyrosite.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,w=290,h=310,fit=crop/YZ9nn6E5wyS46y5d/gc1862-AoPE6109nvHM2eNQ.jpg)
Several post offices began using their large numerals cancels from December 1862.
List of French numeral cancels
In this section, you can find a list of the small and large numerals for each French post office operating between 1852 and 1876.