Lot 40171 – 1875 (May 10) envelope to Le Havre with Sage 1F tied by red “JACMEL / PAQ. FR. F” double circle ds

1875 (May 10) envelope to Le Havre with Sage 1F tied by red “JACMEL / PAQ. FR. F” double circle ds, with further strike adjacent, endorsed “p Desirade”, reverse with arrival cds, envelope slightly reduced at left and portion of reverse missing along top, a very rare and attractive cover. Salle (“La poste maritime francaise”, tome IV, p.185) defines this datestamp as RR, “pièce d’amateur à partir de 2000”, the maximum rarity, and the handstamp illustrated is from this cover, which if perhaps not unique, is nevertheless extremely rare.

Note: A new annexed line designated “F” was inaugurated on 6 February 1879, calling at St. Thomas, San Juan de Porto Rico, Mayaguez, Jacmel, Port-au-Prince, Santiago de Cuba and Kingston. However by September the steamer changed from calling at Jacmel to Cap Haitien instead, so this cancel was only in use for around 6 months.