The First Condominium Series of 1908
The Second French Provisional Issue - New Caledonia Stamps Overprinted

1908


2013 September:
Initials in the lower right corner.
Vanuatu 2013

In the lower right corner one can find the initials of the engraver Jules-Jacques Puyplat (1843-1915). Information thanks to Sheryll Ruecker.


You can find a complete sheet of the 25c stamp with CONDOMINIUM and 10c overprint "1920-24" - 1920 Millésimes.


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Since November 21, 1908, confirmed by order of October 29, 1908 five New Caledonian stamps carried the overprint "Nouvelles Hébrides" in two lines and served as postage together with the British overprinted Fiji stamps.
A new Condominial Post Office was founded by Monsieur Roy, an Nouméa official delegated by the "Poste Française". It should centralize all postal activities in the Condominium and take over the private services of the French S.F.N.H. and the British (Australian) Burns Philp & Co. The Condominial Postmaster should be of British or French nationality alternating and his deputy should have the opposite nationality. This was the regulation for all Condominial services.

1908 decree
(Mele coll.)

5c

20c

25c

50c

1F

5c
10c
25c
50c
1F


These stamps arrived in Vila on 18 November 1908, almost a month after the issue of the British series. Source: "Le Timbre Poste" 10 January 1909, page 11.
New Caledonia stamps overprinted in the Atelier du Timbre, Paris.
Overprint: NOUVELLES HÉBRIDES


Michel: 10 - 14 *****: ** - ** Yvert: 1 - 5 S.-G.: F1 - F5

Printed Quantities: printed total
5c 10c 25c 50c 1F
 82 500 133 500 133 500  61 500  20 250
sold in Paris at the Colonial Stamps Agency:
25 500 13 500  7 500  7 200  3 000
sold in Vila
15 000 36 000 30 000 12 000  7 000
Overprinted in 1910 and 1920
42 000 84 000 96 000 42 300 10 250
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cancal tohuwabohu
cancal tohuwabohu
This cancel on these stamps has has almost all possible errors. The date seems to be 12 April 1910 with PCH Type 6 which is known for these confusions. (Treadwell coll. [A.1.3.1])
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This is an unauthorized use of PCH type 4AU as there is a "1" showing as the first number of the year. Normally, the vertical date symmetry line crosses Sandwich between the D and W, the 1 of the year ten showing into the midst of the D. Here the date symmetry line goes through the midst of the N and the 1 shows into the gap between A nd N. The metal of the outer ring of the cancel was very weak so it happened that the date block could rotate a bit in the cancel in spite of the little slot to hold it in place, sometimes it is completely turned by 180 degrees. (Oswald coll.)

5c double ovpt 10c double ovpt 5c double ovpt 5c double ovpt
left: double ovpt black/red out of alignment (Merot coll.)
second: double ovpt black/red overlaying (Merot coll.) third & right: a partly double overprint (Ruecker coll.)

Perforation was 14 x 13½ on unwatermarked paper. The sheets were in the usual French method of 150 stamps in 6 panes of 25 (5x5) for the four small format stamps, and 75 stamps in three panes of 25 for the large-format stamp. Panes were divided horizontally by a gutter the size of the stamp, and in the case of the small-format stamps, vertically as well by a gutter half the size of the stamp. Between the panes of the second row of these was a numeral, the "millésime", which represented the final numeral of the year in which printing took place. There were only three millésimes per sheet, and "8" (for 1908) is the special millésime for these and all later New Hebrides overprints.
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