France Cérès 20 Centimes, 1849

France's first postage stamp appeared in 1849, a year after the revolution that created the Second Republic. The design, by Jacques-Jean Barre, shows Ceres, goddess of agriculture, surrounded by a geometric frame — a classical image of abundance for a new republican state.

This 20-centime black is a finely margined example with a light cancellation. The engraving is crisp, and the paper retains its original freshness apart from the usual faint handling.

The Cérès issue was quickly replaced by the Présidence and Napoléon types, making used examples considerably scarcer than their print runs suggest. The stamp marks the moment France adopted the prepaid adhesive system pioneered in Britain, and with it a new visual language of statehood.