Bermuda

The first Bermuda stamp issue was in 1861, although there were local handstamps produced by the postmaster William Perot from 1848, as shown on this centenary commemorative.

France

Proposals were first made for postal reform in France in 1832 but were not pursued until the success of British postal innovations had been seen.

There are numerous approaches to collecting first issues but the most fundamental question is whether to collect the SG1 (or Scott #1 for most collectors) or the first issue by date. France provides a good example of this problem. Scott 1 and 2 (10c and 15c) were issued on 12^th September and 29^th July 1850 but the first issue, the 20 centimes value Sc3 above was on 1^st January 1849. In Gibbons this is SG6 because all the 1849-52 definitive are numbered in value order.

The first French commemorative (SG125, Sc197) was a 1923 overprint for a Bordeaux stamp show. This catalogues at £325, and so I am on the lookout for one of the many forgeries. Shown above is the first real commemorative, for the 1924 Paris Olympics.

The first French airmail is one of the cartoon overprints and was only sold at a 1927 Marseilles air show. Given the catalogue price and what I paid for it, the above is probably one of the 'many excellent forgeries' referred to in the catalogues. The first real French airmail came three years later.

France has not issued an official stamp.

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