France 50c Jeanne d’Arc by Mick Bister FRPSL

Introduction:

The 50c Jeanne d’Arc stamp was issued on 2 March 1929 to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Relief of Orléans and the turning point of the Hundred Years’ War. Proposals had been made previously to issue a stamp illustrating Joan of Arc, firstly to mark her beatification in 1909 and later her canonisation in 1920, but the anti-clerical and anti-monarchist lobbies had blocked them. However, the Relief of Orléans in 1429 by the French army led by Joan of Arc was interpreted as being of such military and historical significance that an issue portraying her was approved.

On 8 May 1429, Joan led a spontaneous procession through the city to thank God for the defeat of the English. Since then, Orléans has been celebrating her victory with an annual festival known as the Fêtes de Jeanne d’Arc during which her procession around the city is re-enacted. The presentation will begin with a look at promotional material and souvenirs, including postal stationery, vignettes and porte-timbres, associated with these annual celebrations.

Artists were invited to submit designs for the 1929 issue and the second part of the presentation comprises examples of the artwork and photographic essays submitted by the shortlisted candidates. Further artwork and proofs record the modifications to the adopted design.

A section is devoted to the printing and distribution of the booklet issues with a special emphasis on the so-called private printings which had a limited production of between 1000 and 5000 copies. Philatelic and public opinion was divided over two of the booklets with one being applauded as a triumph of Art Deco design and the other condemned for its blasphemous derision.

The presentation closes with examples of postal usage with single and multiple frankings, the largest being a unique cover bearing 41 copies portraying the saint.

Example of the offending ‘La Vache qui rit’ booklet issue and two examples from the private ‘Le Havre’ printing, paying the 1F50 overseas letter rate, on a cover collected from the SS ‘Leviathan’ on the first successful Adams Air Mail Pick-Up service.

Biography:

Like most boys in the 1940s, Mick enjoyed train spotting, stamp collecting and Meccano building until he was lured away in his teenage years by rugby, cycling and the opposite sex. In June 1962, however, all would change. During his studies in France, he ventured into the main post office at Tours to avail himself of stamps to frank his letters home. To his wonderment, a large glass cabinet adjacent to the counter displayed the stamps that were available – all exquisitely line-engraved and proudly depicting France’s culture, heritage and achievements and not one with a face value of more than 50c (about 1/-). He was hooked again and returned home having purchased the entire issues of 1962.

After completing his studies, Mick joined his first philatelic society, the Leamington and Warwick PS where he met David Lamb who was also a member of the France & Colonies Philatelic Society and the Andorra Philatelic Study Circle. He became Mick’s mentor and advised him on how to specialise. Thus began Mick’s engagement with the Marianne stamps of France and, in particular, the Marianne de Muller issues. Mick joined the F&CPS in 1969 which led to the development of other collecting areas including the 5c Type Blanc, the 50c Lined Sower, the 1F50 Pétain, the 50c Jeanne d’Arc, the1f75 State Visit and Postal Mechanisation, all of which have been exhibited at National Level and some at International Level.

Mick is one of the longest standing members of the F&CPS. He has served two terms as President, has run the society auction and is still heavily involved in the ‘Journal’ editorial team. His main contribution to the Society has been his regular authorship of in-depth articles on a broad range of topics. After receiving two gold medals at national level for his entry on ‘The Postcode Programmes of France (The Experimental Years)’, Mick was invited in 2014 to become a member of the RPSL. He was subsequently asked to give a display on his exhibited topic which was presented in 2015 and for which he was awarded a fellowship.

Host or Publisher Royal Philatelic Society London