The latest Balkanfila Newsletter features an extended report on the BALKANFILA XXI exhibition, held in Pernik, Bulgaria, from 29 April to 2 May. As always, the 60-page publication offers a rich collection of philatelic news and articles from across the Balkans.
The author had already published, in 2010, a work on French postal and telegraphic censorship during the First World War. The issue of the occupation of Germany was only briefly addressed there. Since then, he has conducted further research in the archives of the HCITR and the Service Historique de la Défense (French Defence Historical Service). The author also benefited from the collaboration of Robin Pizer (FRSPL), a specialist in German sources. His collection, assembled over more than fifty years, has significantly enriched the iconographic material. This research has made it possible to identify new handstamps and establish their periods of use.
After the Armistice, the Allies extended to the occupied Rhineland the postal censorship that had previously existed in the army zone. New postal censorship commissions were established there. Postal communications, initially prohibited, were gradually authorised. In France, postal censorship was abolished in August 1919, but it was maintained in occupied Germany in a reduced form. From January 1920 onward, the HCITR supervised this censorship, which became focused on specific individuals. The opening of letters was sometimes carried out discreetly so as not to arouse suspicion. At the same time, the German authorities introduced exchange controls to limit capital outflows. The Allies initially refused to allow German post offices to be established in the occupied zones, as they suspected the existence of a “black cabinet” clandestinely opening Allied mail. This resulted in a confusing situation, with letters being opened without official markings. Tensions emerged between Allied and German authorities over these practices. The occupation of the Ruhr (1923–1925) intensified these conflicts and severely disrupted postal services. After the London and Locarno Agreements, these controls declined and gradually disappeared.
Bilingual English/French, softcover, 21cm x 29.7cm, in colour, 146 pages, 102 illustrations.
Price: €25 per copy + €13 for postage (Benelux, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain); other countries contact academie.philatelie@gmail.com by email to request postage costs.
Orders addressed by email to academie.philatelie@gmail.com including your delivery address.
Payment: Bank transfer to ACADEMIE DE PHILATELIE – IBAN: FR85 2004 1000 0101 4366 3L02 062 — BIC: PSSTFRPPPAR
PayPal to academie.philatelie@gmail.com (please add €2 for charges).
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/bourguignat-800.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2026-05-21 14:09:382026-05-21 14:13:40The French Postal Censorship During the Allied Occupation in Rhineland 1918–1925
This book is dedicated to the description of stamps with no apparent fiduciary value, issued between 1838 and 1887, in some thirty countries across five continents. Furthermore, whenever possible, bibliographic references are included, allowing the reader the opportunity to consult the original sources.
Among the issues presented, some are little known, or even completely unknown, and the number of their postage stamps can be counted on one hand. This is the case, for example, for Cauca in Colombia, Jammu and Kashmir in India, and the Mexican cities of Cuernavaca and Cuautla. Along the same lines, we can also mention New South Wales, with what must be considered the world’s first postal stationery. Alongside these rare and unusual stamps are more familiar ones, such as the Britannia-type issues from the British colonies of Barbados, Mauritius and Trinidad, Austrian newspaper stamps, official Spanish stamps and even some Russian Zemstvos, among many others!
The study of the production of postage stamps with no apparent fiduciary value is divided into five categories, based on the possible answers to the question “Why were they issued without face value?” A geographical index and a chronological index will allow readers to locate the countries on a world map and place the issues in their historical context.
This book is an essential (and unique) tool for anyone who wants to learn about these postage stamps with no apparent value. This technique (of masking the value) is now used in more than one hundred countries worldwide. The postage stamps presented here are, in a way, the forerunners of those used today!
Handbook cover, A4 format in colour, 230 pages, over 650 images, 100 copies printed, price €25 + postage. Availability: alain@vailly.fr
…
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/alain-vailly-800.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2026-05-17 15:06:362026-05-17 15:09:11Les timbres-poste sans valeur fiduciaire apparente
Balkanfila Newsletter No. 14
The latest Balkanfila Newsletter features an extended report on the BALKANFILA XXI exhibition, held in Pernik, Bulgaria, from 29 April to 2 May. As always, the 60-page publication offers a rich collection of philatelic news and articles from across the Balkans.
Newsletter No. 14: https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/balkanfila_nls_14.pdf
…
The French Postal Censorship During the Allied Occupation in Rhineland 1918–1925
The author had already published, in 2010, a work on French postal and telegraphic censorship during the First World War. The issue of the occupation of Germany was only briefly addressed there. Since then, he has conducted further research in the archives of the HCITR and the Service Historique de la Défense (French Defence Historical Service). The author also benefited from the collaboration of Robin Pizer (FRSPL), a specialist in German sources. His collection, assembled over more than fifty years, has significantly enriched the iconographic material. This research has made it possible to identify new handstamps and establish their periods of use.
After the Armistice, the Allies extended to the occupied Rhineland the postal censorship that had previously existed in the army zone. New postal censorship commissions were established there. Postal communications, initially prohibited, were gradually authorised. In France, postal censorship was abolished in August 1919, but it was maintained in occupied Germany in a reduced form. From January 1920 onward, the HCITR supervised this censorship, which became focused on specific individuals. The opening of letters was sometimes carried out discreetly so as not to arouse suspicion. At the same time, the German authorities introduced exchange controls to limit capital outflows. The Allies initially refused to allow German post offices to be established in the occupied zones, as they suspected the existence of a “black cabinet” clandestinely opening Allied mail. This resulted in a confusing situation, with letters being opened without official markings. Tensions emerged between Allied and German authorities over these practices. The occupation of the Ruhr (1923–1925) intensified these conflicts and severely disrupted postal services. After the London and Locarno Agreements, these controls declined and gradually disappeared.
Bilingual English/French, softcover, 21cm x 29.7cm, in colour, 146 pages, 102 illustrations.
Price: €25 per copy + €13 for postage (Benelux, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain); other countries contact academie.philatelie@gmail.com by email to request postage costs.
Orders addressed by email to academie.philatelie@gmail.com including your delivery address.
Payment: Bank transfer to ACADEMIE DE PHILATELIE – IBAN: FR85 2004 1000 0101 4366 3L02 062 — BIC: PSSTFRPPPAR
PayPal to academie.philatelie@gmail.com (please add €2 for charges).
Les timbres-poste sans valeur fiduciaire apparente
This book is dedicated to the description of stamps with no apparent fiduciary value, issued between 1838 and 1887, in some thirty countries across five continents. Furthermore, whenever possible, bibliographic references are included, allowing the reader the opportunity to consult the original sources.
Among the issues presented, some are little known, or even completely unknown, and the number of their postage stamps can be counted on one hand. This is the case, for example, for Cauca in Colombia, Jammu and Kashmir in India, and the Mexican cities of Cuernavaca and Cuautla. Along the same lines, we can also mention New South Wales, with what must be considered the world’s first postal stationery. Alongside these rare and unusual stamps are more familiar ones, such as the Britannia-type issues from the British colonies of Barbados, Mauritius and Trinidad, Austrian newspaper stamps, official Spanish stamps and even some Russian Zemstvos, among many others!
The study of the production of postage stamps with no apparent fiduciary value is divided into five categories, based on the possible answers to the question “Why were they issued without face value?” A geographical index and a chronological index will allow readers to locate the countries on a world map and place the issues in their historical context.
This book is an essential (and unique) tool for anyone who wants to learn about these postage stamps with no apparent value. This technique (of masking the value) is now used in more than one hundred countries worldwide. The postage stamps presented here are, in a way, the forerunners of those used today!
Handbook cover, A4 format in colour, 230 pages, over 650 images, 100 copies printed, price €25 + postage. Availability: alain@vailly.fr
…