Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia

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	Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia
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	Topics Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia Topic Home Tahiti The use of TahitiTahiti Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocea... postage stampPostage stamp postage stamp is evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services.... s on mailMail The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing... first became valid on 25 October 1862, using the general stamps of the French ColoniesFrench Colonies "French Colonies" is the name used by philatelists to refer to the postage stamps issued by France for use in the parts of t... . In 1882 a shortage of 25c stamps necessitated a surchargeSurcharge A surcharge may mean:an extra fee* added onto another fee or charge... on less-used values. Some of the surcharges also included the name "TAHITI". This happened again in 1884 with 5c and 10c values. These stamps were not very expensive at all. In 1892, the Navigation and Commerce issueNavigation and Commerce issue The Navigation and Commerce issue is a definitive series of French postage stamps issued for the colonial territories of Fra... for French Oceania became available, and in 1893, two kinds of overprintOverprint Overview An overprint is the addition of text to the face of a postage stamp after it has been printed.... were applied to the remaining stocks of regular and postage duePostage due Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage.... French Colonies stamps; one type was a slanted overprint reading "TAHITI" and the other was a horizontal "1893 / TAHITI". For some values of stamps, very few were left to be overprinted, and genuine overprints are quite rare, the rarest being the horizontal overprint on the 25c yellow at around US$20,000. (Most values will cost the collector around US$20 each.) Thereafter only the stamps of French Polynesia were in regular use. In 1903, there was a shortage of 10 c stamps, and three values were surcharged with "TAHITI / 10 / CENTIMES" or "... centimes". Semi-postal stamps of French Polynesia also received a red cross and "TAHITI" overprint in 1915. External links Sources Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues Stuart Rossiter & John Flower: The Stamp Atlas