In the effigy of Marianne and intended for priority letters, the famous red stamp will no longer be printed. With the creation of the “red e-letter” by post, this 173-year-old stamp sees its story come to an end.
Red and bearing the image of Marianne, it is well known to the French. The stamp intended for priority letters will disappear in 2023, or ratherdigitize“, as explained by the group La Poste. A decision in connection with the creation of the “red e-letter“. This will be sent from the laposte.fr website until 8 p.m. the day before, then it will be printed by La Poste with the said stamp directly inlaid on the envelope. Although they will no longer be printed, the red stamps will have nevertheless accompanied the handwritten letters for more than 170 years.
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The story that begins in 1849: “ In France, the first stamp of red color appears in April of that year, it is called the 1 franc vermilion. It is part of the first issue of French everyday use stamps, issued on January 1, 1849“says Marthe Bobik, in charge of philatelic collections at the Postal Museum. At the time, there was the stamp “black ceresto send simple letters, the 40-cent orange stamp and the famous red stamp for heavier mail. “ It is very often confused with the orange stamp in the first poorly lit post offices. So much so that it was quickly withdrawn from the market and today it is the most sought-after stamp for philatelists because it is very rare.“, notes Marthe Bobik. In all, 509,700 vermilion stamps will be printed and the remaining stock of 112,400 copies will be destroyed on July 21, 1851.
1969 and the launch of the priority letter
The red on the stamps is very quickly used for other occasions. For example, it is again this color that will be the stamps launched to support the Red Cross during the first world war, then during the second. This product is sold at special rates and part of the price is donated to the association. “Red is a color that affects the iris. It gives an important and urgent aspect immediately“, analyzes Sébastien Richez, historian for the La Poste group, about these specific brochures.
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However, the use of the red stamp as we know it today is more recent: “ It was in 1969, with the creation of the two postal rates that the red stamp became that of the priority letter while the green stamp was used for less urgent shipments.“, details Marthe Bobik, adding that at the time, La Poste based its communication on the notions of “regular mail” and of “less rushed mail“. “Today, the red stamp does not exist without its corollary the green», adds Sébastien Richez. The historian confirms that this more than 50-year-old reform has upset the functioning of La Poste and should enable it to better process mail.
Towards the “red e-stamp» in 2023
Since 2011, the post office has been undertaking another reform, that of digital: “ That year, Swiss Post launched its online mail servicerecalls Sébastien Richez, before adding: At the same time, the green stamp becomes that of the group’s more ecological commitments since La Poste has chosen to send its mail other than by plane or high-speed train.“.
The red stamp is therefore not immune to digital developments. Printed in 320 million copies in 2021, reports the Post Office, in January 2023 it will only exist in digital. “It’s quite a logical development. Society is changing and so is the mailconcludes Sébastien Richez.