African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 African Studies Centre Leiden African Postal Heritage APH Paper Nr 35 Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon, with information used from Olivier Bergossi Mayotte January 2019 Introduction Postage stamps and related objects are miniature communication tools, and they tell a story about cultural and political identities and about artistic forms of identity expressions. They are part of the world’s material heritage, and part of history. Ever more of this postal heritage becomes available online, published by stamp collectors’ organizations, auction houses, commercial stamp shops, online catalogues, and individual collectors. Virtually collecting postage stamps and postal history has recently become a possibility. These working papers about Africa are examples of what can be done. But they are work-in-progress! Everyone who would like to contribute, by sending corrections, additions, and new area studies can do so by sending an email message to the APH editor: Ton Dietz ([email protected]). You are welcome! Disclaimer: illustrations and some texts are copied from internet sources that are publicly available. All sources have been mentioned. If there are claims about the copy rights of these sources, please send an email to [email protected], and, if requested, those illustrations will be removed from the next version of the working paper concerned. 1 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 Ton Dietz is co-editor of the African Postal Heritage Papers, and author of many APH papers so far. Daniel Allançon is the initiator of the website http://marcophiliedaniel.blogspot.com/2013/01/archipel-des-comores-larchipel-des.html Olivier Bergossi is the initiator of the website www.comores-online.com/collections/philatelie, and http://stamps-africa.com. He also wrote “Comores Indépendantes – Mayotte. Histoire Postale et Philatélie 1975-2015 (Paris: ColFra 2016; 388pp). African Studies Centre Leiden P.O. Box 9555 2300 RB Leiden The Netherlands Telephone +31-71-5273372 E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.ascleiden.nl Facebook www.facebook.nl/ascleiden Twitter www.twitter.com/ascleiden Countryportal http://countryportal.ascleiden.nl Illustrations cover page: ASC Leiden postage stamp Nederland (2011): ©African Studies Centre Leiden Cape of Good Hope postage stamp 1853: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Cape_Triangular_Postage_Stamp.jp g/400px-Cape_Triangular_Postage_Stamp.jpg Egypt postage stamp 1914: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Post_Stamp_Egypt.jpg 2 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 Table of Contents 1. Mayotte 1841-1912 4 1.1. Introduction 4 1.2. Postal services 1841-1892 4 1.3. Postage stamps 1892-1912 17 2. Mayotte after 1975 36 2.1. Introduction 36 2.2. Postal services in 1975-1979, the early years 39 2.3. Postal services between 1979 and 1997 49 2.4. 1997-2001: ‘collectivité territoriale’ with own postage stamps 63 2.5. 2002-2011: ‘collectivité départementale with own postage stamps 77 2.6. Postal services after 2011, as part of France 101 3. Postmarks of Mayotte illustrated in APH 35 (and 34) 109 4. A Note on sources 112 Annex 1: Postmarks used in Mayotte after 1975, according to Olivier Bergossi’s ‘Histoire Postale et Philatélie Comores Indépendantes – Mayotte’ 114 For the other Comores see APH34 and for the T.A.A.F. (Territoires Australes et Antarctiques Françaises) see APH36. 3 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 Introduction The Archipel of the Comores consists of four major islands and a few small ones. During the 19th Century Mayotte, Anjouan, Grande Comore and Mohéli became French territories, until 1911 each with their own postage stamps, then administered as part of Madagascar, and from 1946 as a separate colonial entity again, with postage stamps as ‘Archipel des Comores’ between 1950 and 1975. In 1975 three islands declared their Independence from France, but Mayotte decided to remain part of France. For the other Comoran territories (both before 1912 and after 1975) see APH34. 1. Mayotte, 1841-1912 1.1 Introduction “Mayotte, consisting of the islands Grande-Terre (24 miles by 14 miles) and Petite-Terre ( 4 square miles), is located between Madagascar and Mozambique in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean”. http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.com/2013/12/ClassicalStampsofMayotte.html http://3.bp.blogspot.com/- 5K66lyjKEX0/Ue1yLhkJ5II/AAAAAAAAQTk/UYjrSV6mnQk/s320/map_of_comoros-and-mayotte.jpg French colony since 1892. “Mayotte was the first Comorian island to fall under French influence at the beginning of the 1840s. It was the French administrative and postal center in the archipelago. Between 1911 and 1975, Mayotte's postal history is the same as the other Comoros: part of the Madagascar colony, then part of the Comoros Archipelago overseas territory”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_and_postal_history_of_Mayotte 1.2 Postal services 1841-1892 Prior to 1892: “Mayotte became a French colony when commandant Passot bought the island from sultan Andriantsouli, at the beginning of the 1840s. Few letters posted before 1900 in Mayotte or the 4 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 Comoros are known: the oldest came from Mayotte in December 1850 and do not bear a postage stamp. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamps_and_postal_history_of_Mayotte http://p1.philaworld.de/FILE/GPKATAUK/1D/D6/1DD61E/s587663.jpg : “1864, French Colonies Eagle 40 c. orange and vertical strip of three tied by diamont of dott to folded letter (dated Longoni 14.11.) with adjacent cds. "MAYOTTE 17.NOV.64" and red boxed "PD" to Nantes with arrival mark, stamps mostly with good margins, 40 c. slight oxidized, otherwise fine, rare”. http://img.collectorcircuit.com/files/drouot-18-paris/stampauction/26th-mail-auction- closing/3229.jpg “The first stamps from the Imperial Eagle series, common to all French colonies, were sent late 1861-start 1862. They were dispatched between Mayotte and Nos[s]y Be, a northern Madagascan island. The oldest known stamped letter from Mayotte is dated December 1863. The next shipments of stamps were dispatched from Mayotte to the three other Comorian islands when they fell under French influence. At this time, "Mayotte et dépendances" (Mayotte and dependencies) was written on the date stamp where the letters originated; only the sender's address or the correspondence point to the real origin. Moreover, until the 1870s, the cancellation is a rhombus of points with a hole 5 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 in the middle; it is impossible to determine where a stamp was used but removed”. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Aigle_imperial.jpg http://www.davidfeldman.com/wp- content/uploads/items_treated/2015/05/136485_270934_1432678867.jpg: “1868 Env. pour la France avec 20c Aigle en paire obl. losange évidé, càd Mayotte 29 nov 68, CORR D.ARMEES 29 nov 68 Mayotte, arr. au dos, TB, très rare”. http://img.collectorcircuit.com/files/david-feldman-s.a./stampauction/all- world/1292842529631398338638.jpg: “Correspondance d'Armées : Paire 20c Aigle, touchée, obl. 6 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 losange évidé, càd Mayotte 13 nov 68 sur enveloppe pour Chalons sur Saone, rare càd CORR D ARMEES MAYOTTE, et càd ESCADRE DE LA MEDIT Marseille, arr., TB, rare double port militaire”. http://www.comores-online.com/collections/philatelie/imagespages/fig1_1.jpg : “Mayotte étant possession française depuis 1841, un service postal y fût créé à partir des années 1861-1862, le bureau de poste étant basé à Dzaoudzi. A l'époque, l'ensemble des colonies françaises étaient dotées de timbres identiques, au type "Aigle impérial", non dentelés .. Ces timbres ont été mis en vente jusque vers 1879 à Mayotte”, http://www.davidfeldman.com/wp- content/uploads/items_treated/2015/05/134480_271988_1432679042.jpg: “1870 Lettre de Mayotte pour Chalon sur Saone avec Aigle 10c en paire bien margée, càd CORR D.ARMEES 1 sept 70 Mayotte, arr. 22.10.70, TB, très rare, ex Vogel”. 7 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 http://img.collectorcircuit.com/files/drouot-18-paris/stampauction/24th-mail-auction- closing/3129.jpg: “Letter headed Civil Tribunal of Mayotte dated 8 December 1873 franked with 10c. Eagle and 40c. Cérès bearing the manuscript postmark "Registered Letter" signed by the clerk of the court and with c.d.s. of MAYOTTE 1st January 1870 addressed to NANTES. Registered letters are extremely rare. Extremely Fine.”. http://img.collectorcircuit.com/files/drouot-18-paris/stampauction/24th-mail-auction- closing/3128.jpg: “# 20 and 21 of French Colonies General Issue. Pair of the 30c. and pair of the 80c. 8 African Postal Heritage; African Studies Centre Leiden; APH Paper 35; Ton Dietz, and Daniel Allançon with information used from Olivier Bergossi, Mayotte; Version January 2019 CERES cancelled NSB on a letter with blue c.d.s. of MAYOTTE ET DEP.NOSSI BE addressed to CORSICA. Only one known to date.” [1874]. http://www.davidfeldman.com/wp- content/uploads/items_treated/2015/05/136478_270927_1432678866.jpg : “1876 Lettre pour la France avec 25c 15c Cérès Mayotte et Dép 12 sept 76, arrivée au dos”.