French Post Offices in Morocco: The Merson Type - 50 cents

French Post Offices in Morocco: The Merson Type - 50 cents

Year
1902
Face Value
50
Mint Value
35.17 €
Used Value
7.03 €
Print Run
-
Themes
Mythology

Catalogs References

Michel
FR-MA 15
Yvert & Tellier
MA 15
Stanley Gibbons
FR-MA 23

Technical Details

Colors
Light brown
Size
21 x 25 mm
Perforation
13½ x 12
Printing
Typography
Designer
Nicolas Luc-Olivier Merson
Printers
Auguste Thévenin
This larger-format issue represents the high-value administrative and commercial tier of the French postal service in Morocco, utilizing the prestigious "Merson" design common to French territories. The illustration features a seated allegorical figure of France alongside symbols of agriculture and industry, projecting a vision of economic prosperity and technological progress through colonial partnership. The balanced composition, framed by the word "Maroc" and "Poste Française," highlights the institutionalization of a centralized postal authority that was essential for managing the country’s growing international trade and diplomatic relations. In the Moroccan context, such stamps illustrate the formalization of colonial infrastructure and the aesthetic integration of Morocco into the broader visual and economic system of the French colonial empire during a period of deep structural transformation.