A complete set and a New Caledonia 15c on an unaddressed cover. (Millet coll.)

Postcard addressed to St. Ouen l'Aumône, France, franked with two 5c. SFNH locals tied by the PCH type 4 with interverted date block. (See [4.3.3.8] for a card at same date with inverted block).("SeSi" coll.)

16 April 1905

NC stamps (Yvert n°85 and 72A) tied by PCH 4 and a complete set of the French locals cancelled with PCH 4 with interverted date block . Manuscript date 10-6-5 : postcard written on board the Pacifique mentioning the ports of stopover: Port-Vila, Api, Port Sandwich, canal du Segond, Port Havannah and Mélé. Maybe the SFNH stamps had been cancelled separately and the affixed to the card, they seem not to be tied to the card. But without doubt all has been done on the ship - the canceller once more proving how unstable it was with the date block. ("SeSi" coll.)

11 June 1905

A complete set on a part cover or just a piece of paper. (seen at Delcampe aucrtion site)

Postcard addressed to Noumea. It is rather interesting that this card is cancelled PM2. All other items here are cancelled PM3. Image thanks to Status International.

8 July 1905

Letter with a set of 4 SFNH local stamps, cancelled 29 October 1905 with the Port Sandwich cancel. The words "From Second Steward J Caraway SS Pacifique" are written vertically on the left hand side. (old auction picture 1990s)

Letter with a set of 4 SFNH local stamps, cancelled 29 October 1905 with the Port Sandwich cancel. The words "From Second Steward J Caraway SS Pacifique" are written vertically on the left hand side.
This cover was auctioned in England in 1998. When last seen in 2005, this cover was addressed to Mme Menard, No. 4 Avenue De Ponsvile 4, Paris, France, (see picture below) but all circumstantial evidence gives reason to believe that as recently as 1997 this cover bore no address at all! (picture above)
Jacques Merot adds this information: A street of this or similar name never existed in Paris and the French way of writing a Paris address is "Paris 4", i.e. first Paris and then the number of the arrondissement. Image thanks to David Feldman SA, Switzerland

And here it is again in 2012. It can be seen that the address is added with a pencil so it could be removed again I think. Image thanks to Sandafayre, England

Letter with a set of 4 SFNH local stamps, cancelled 29 October 1905 with the Port Sandwich cancel.

New Year postcard to Szabadka (this is the hungarian name, it was hungarian until 1918, now Subotica, Serbia). A type 4 cds Port Sandwich with inverted date block cancels the 15c and 1F SFdNH stamps. (Klinger coll.)

27 November 1905

Postcard addressed to St Ouen l'Aumône France franked with the 5c. SFNH local tied by the PCH 4 with interverted date block. Addresse is the same as on the 16 April 1905 item. Correct postcard without words rate, but see the edges of the photography: the text is written with shorthand characters...French "système D". ("SeSi" collection). Interesting: the date is the same as on the 27 November 1905 postcard in "New Caledonia Agency - 1903 -1905" which was most likely written and cancelled on the "Pacifique". So we suppose that SFNH stamps were available on the Pacifique too.

27 November 1905

Postcard addressed to St Ouen l'Aumône France franked with the 5c. SFNH local tied by the PCH 4 with interverted date block. Addresse is the same as on the 16 April 1905 item. Correct postcard without words rate, but see the edges of the photography: the text is written with shorthand characters...French "système D". ("SeSi" collection). Interesting: the date is the same as on the 27 November 1905 postcard in "New Caledonia Agency - 1903 -1905" which was most likely written and cancelled on the "Pacifique". So we suppose that SFNH stamps were available on the Pacifique too.

27 November 1905

I suppose that this card belongs to the same series because of the shorthand writing and the same addressee. The cancel is described on the card as Pt. Sandwich. Image thanks to Lugdunum Philatélie

27 November 1905

Postcard "Nouvelles Hébrides: Danse guerrière" from Port-Sandwich to Besançon France. The two 5c. SFNH stamps tied by PCH type 4 with the date block inverted. The sender wrote : 12/5/06 "J'espère Monsieur que vous pourrez garder celles-ci. Votre envoi m'a tellement charmée que je vous adresse mes deux dernières cartes."
"I hope, Sir, that you can keep these. What you sent me pleased me so much that I send you my last two cards."
Addressee : Monsieur J. Prudent / Chef de Brigade des Postes / et des Télégraphes / 34 quai Veil-Picard / Besançon.
Maybe this card which was sent about half a year after the cancellation of the card was actually transported to France because the addressee was a postman too.

27 November 1905

Postcard to France with two SFdNH 5c stamps cancelled PM3 on 27 November 1905. The card seems to have been correctly sent. (ex Millet coll.)

27 November 1905

Cover front, letter from Nouméa to Paris with additionally affixed set of SFdNH locals which had earlier been cancelled to order. Seen at Lugdunum Auction 45. Image thanks to Lugdunum Philatélie, France

This ppc to Oxford, England appears to have been postally. Itbears only a 25c syndicat francais stamp. These stamps were not allowed for postal use. So it either slipped through postal service in Vila (maybe by means of a bottle of red wine or so) - which is not very likely as it has no transit cancels - or it could have been brought as a 'loose letter' directly to England and no one realised it was not an authorised postage stamp. As the stamp had already been cancelled, the arrival port maybe did not think it necessary to postmark it again. So it only has the Oxford arrival mark of MY 14, 06.
Noble Burrows was a stamp collector supposedly and produced First Day Covers in the 1930s. (unknown coll.)

17 March 1906

Postcard "Nouvelles Hébrides - Marchands de Porcs, Pig Dealers" The 5c local is tied with PCH type 4. (Merot coll.)

5c. SFNH on postcard "Natives Vila" tied with PCH4 (month in italic). Not addressed. ("SeSi" coll.)

Postcard "Shopping Mall in Vila 1903". The 5c local is tied with PCH type 4. (Goron coll.)

Postcard "Nouvelles Hébrides. - Veroomdoom et Chef de famille de la tribu de Beltrahaf, Canal de Segou - Veroomdoom et family chief of Beltrahaftribé Segou Channal". The 5c local is tied with PCH type 4. The card is not addressed and did not enter the mail system. (DEG coll.)

"A big cabbage" : 5c. SFNH tied with PCH 4 .Not addressed. ("SeSi" collection)

Postcard "Nouvelles Hébrides - Jeunes Garçons des Iles Salomon - Salomon Boys". 5c local tied with PCH type 4. ("Mele" coll.)

Sealed letter with the four SFdNH stamps and a vertical pair of a New Caledonian 5c stamp, all cancelled by PCH type 4 (month italic). (Klinger coll.)

12 May 1907

Postcard "Un indigène de l'Ile Tanna, Nlle. Hebrides.

Postcard xx Mai 1907 - according to the address sent to Italy? From my 2004 archive.

xx May 1907

A complete set of the French locals together with two 4c and a 2c New Caledonian Kagu stamps from the New Hebrides to Nouméa, New Caledonia. The addressee (Pierre) Russier (1854-1941) was a teacher in Nouméa and held some other professions too. The cancel is a PCH type 4 with the month italic and inverted. (Merot coll.)

A complete set of the French locals together with a 10c New Caledonian Kagu stamps from the New Hebrides to Nouméa, New Caledonia. The address looks very much like later written, the handwriting is most unlikely from 1910 - it is untypical. Image from an old Lugdunum auction.

Postcard with NC 5c stamp and SFdNH 5c stamp both tied with PCH type 5 cancel to Nouméa. Both cancels have the same date of July 23 which speaks for correct postal usage I think.(Yeomans coll.)

Postcard with NC 5c stamp and SFdNH 25c stamp both tied with PCH type 5 cancel - address unknown to me. Another 3 June 08 postmark on the address side. There could be a part of the right cancel's "08" on the SFdNH stamp.
Image thanks to Victoria Stamp Comapany Ridgewood, NJ, U.S.A.

Postcard with NC 5c stamp and SFdNH 5c stamp both tied with PCH type 5 cancel to Nouméa. Both cancels have the same date of July 23 which speaks for correct posta usage I think. (Yeomans coll.)

23 July 1908

Postcard with SFdNH 5c stamp tied with PCH type 5 cancel to Brest in France. Private postcard from a father Pierre Le Roux to his son Robert in France. On the picture side the stamp is cancelled on 23 July 1908 and has a manuscript entry "Port Vila 25 Juillet 1908" and the text side reads "Nouméa 19 Août 1908". The stamp has moved to the right for about ½ mm by influence of humidity. I have an other postcard from Mr. Le Roux to his son written in Nouméa on "Nouméa 17 Avril 1907" cancelled Nouméa 16 April 1907. A third card exists from Nouméa to his wife in Brest written on "Nouméa 19 Août 1908" cancelled Nouméa 10 Août 1908. each with a New Caledonian 2c stamp. (Klinger coll.)

23 July 1908

A possible explanation for this date muddle could be that Mr. Le Roux had all of the cards cancelled by favour, wrote the text later and then sent them by letter. I don't know, please suggest your opinion.

23 July 1908

A possible explanation for this date muddle could be that Mr. Le Roux had all of the cards cancelled by favour, wrote the text later and then sent them by letter. I don't know, please suggest your opinion.

23 July 1908

A possible explanation for this date muddle could be that Mr. Le Roux had all of the cards cancelled by favour, wrote the text later and then sent them by letter. I don't know, please suggest your opinion.

Postcard to Nouméa with a SFNH 5c. The card has a short message so the New Caledonian 5c stamp pays the fees. (unknown collection)

Postcard with a SFNH 5c. stamp tied with PCH type 4 to Nouméa. It may have been carried regularly but with underpaid rate. ("SeSi" collection)

Postcard to Nouméa with a SFNH 5c. The card has a short message so the New Caledonian 5c stamp pays the fees. ("RW" collection)

Commemoration postcard not addressed but dated 23 July 1908. to Nouméa with a SFNH 5c. I have the impression that all these cards were CTOs.
Gaertner Auctions

Commemoration postcard not used. The stamps are cncelled with GK PM2

Commemoration postcard not used. The stamps are cncelled with GK PM2
(klinger coll.)

Picture postcard with the SFdNH 5c and 15c stamps cancelled with the GK Type PM3 Pt. Sandwich cancel held on board the steamer PACCIFIQUE. In spite of the addresse written on the back the card may not have seen any postal use. (At least I couldn't find the street in Cannes today). It may have been cancelled to order on the ship as this was very often the c ase. (Image thanks to Gaertner Auctions )

1 August 1908

12 JUIN 1908 Port-Vila / 14 AOUT 1908 Nouméa. Postcard "Indigènes de Vila" written on front "Port Vila le 12 juin 1908 : mon meilleur souvenir". Posted in NC on 14 aout 1908 to Marseille France. The 5c SFNH stamp tied by NOUMEA 14 AOUT 08 cds. Apparently no problem with the post office. ("SeSi" coll.)

Reverse, Noumea cancel and acancel in wrong colours

1c and 4c New Caledonia 1908 and a 15c SFdNH local cancelled with a New Hebrides postmark : "IDES" is readable right of the SFdNH stamp.
Image thanks to Lugdunum Philatelie

12 October 1908