France year 1960 Porto set of stamps MNH

France year 1960 Porto set of stamps MNH

In 1960, France issued a set of four postage due (Porto) stamps. Here are the key details:

The set consists of the following denominations and designs:

1. 15 centimes – Blue color, shows a numeral “15”
2. 25 centimes – Red color, shows a numeral “25”
3. 40 centimes – Brown color, shows a numeral “40”
4. 50 centimes – Green color, shows a numeral “50”

Some additional information:

• The stamps were issued on October 3, 1960.
• They were printed using engraved flat plate printing.
• The stamps have the inscriptions “REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE” at the top and “FRANCO A PERCEVOIR” meaning Postage Due along the bottom.
• The simple but clear numeral designs made it easy to quickly identify the denominations.
• These bright, modern definitive postage dues replaced earlier issues still in use from 1946-1959.
• They remained in use for over 25 years until being deprecated in the mid-1980s.

Postage due stamps like this 1960 set were applied to mail arriving in France without sufficient prepaid postage. The recipient then paid the amount indicated to receive the letter or parcel.

While fairly straightforward in design, this attractive four-value set modernized France’s postage dues and is a significant modern issue for French postal history and postage due collectors.