Lot 310 366 auction march 2018 - 310

L'UNION: Envelope franked with Lauré 20 c. (slightly rounded corner) tied by star cancel "3" with adjacent "PARIS PL. DE LA MADELEINE 21 SEPT. 70" to Poitiers with arrival mark of October 20. The 'L'union' was an old exhibition balloon owned by Gabriel Mangin, loaded on September 21, 1870 with 275 kg of mail with pilot Albert Bertaux at Vaugirard Gas Works, where it burst on inflation. The mail was recovered and put on the following official flights; a rare and interesting entire, certificate RPS (2006)