Is the marcophilie what it?

What the marcophilie?

The marcophilie indicates the study of the marks and postal obliterations. As for the marcophiles, it is impassioned which is interested in the postal marks of collection and collect them. These last are to some extent prints which are used to treat and to convey the mail. One as well finds them on the postcards as on the letters and the parcels. 

At the origins of the marcophilie

It is at the end of the Middle Ages that appeared the handwritten postal marks. Those filled one of these two functions:
- To indicate that the transport of the mail had indeed been paid with its departure.
- To indicate the price to be paid on arrival of the mail. It is then necessary to go back to the year 1661 to see appearing the postal mark on date in England. Called “Bishop Mark”, it was created by Henry Bishop, the general Master of the stations of the country. Shown of delay in the treatment of the mail, this last reacts while making register a circular mark on each letter: it was a question of noting the day and the month of arrival of the mail. The purpose of this same mark on date was also to check the time of transmission of the mail. During the 19th century, various postal marks were affixed on the mails. Information mentioned was: the hour, the date and localization of the post offices by which forwarded the letter. Two other dates are to be retained in the history of the postal marks in France. The year 1826 symbolizes the generalization of the dating plugs on arrival. As for the year 1930, it marks the generalization of the dating plugs at the beginning like on arrival.

Which are the various postal marks?

One counts:

- Marks on date as imagined by Bishop. - Linear marks mentioning the name of the post office of entry or starting of the letter.
- Marks of taxation or postage-due stamp: they indicate the port having to be paid on arrival of the letter (port due). Initially handwritten, this kind of mark was then achieved by means of a plug.
- Mixed marks, including at the same time a localization and a date.   

One also finds:

- Obliteration: affixed on the postage stamp, the purpose of it is to cancel the validity of this last. Once the used stamp, it cannot be used again. With its appearance towards the end of 1840, obliteration takes the shape of a rhombus in black dotted lines. It does not cease evolving: the obliterating seals with small figures give up their seat to the obliterating seals with large figures in 1862, the figures indicating the post offices.
- The seal on date: it replaces obliteration since 1876 and is also used to cancel the validity of the postage stamp. This seal indicates the city from where share mail, the number and the name of the department, the year, the sequence number of the post office and the hour if the liftings are fixed.

What collects the marcophiles?

The marcophiles are free to collect what they prefer, namely the postal marks affixed at the time one period or one year precise, the postal marks foreign or coming from a country in particular, etc They can also seek the postal marks belonging to a certain set of themes such as the maritime post office, the railway post office or the military post office. Events are regularly organized by the Union Marcophile, an association devoted under investigation of the postal marks and obliterations. These meetings marcophiles are the occasion for impassioned to exchange parts of their collection and to listen to conferences.