Rare Variety – France 1880 “Peace & Commerce” 1c Black on Prussian Blue (Scott #87, A15)

This Scott #87 ($5,500 used) is not the normal Paris or Type Sage printing
its the RARE 1c black on Prussian blue on very thin bluish paper, printed briefly in early 1880, before the standard grey paper resumed.

This issue (A15, Type Sage I) is one of the scarcest of all 19th-century French definitives, especially used and correctly identified.

Most lookalikes are Scott #94 (black on grey, common, $12).
But this Scott #87 (on Prussian blue) is a completely separate printing.

• Paper tone: clearly bluish-grey

• Perfs: touching design left and bottom

• Used: genuine period cancel

• Centering: fair

• Rough edges (minor) but no major damage

  • Design: Peace and Commerce (Type Sage A15)

  • Value tablet: 1 centime correct

  • Colour of print: black

  • Paper tone: clear blueish base, visible both in highlights and on the bottom margin matches #87

  • Perfs: cut into design on left and right sides exactly as Scott notes for #87

  • Cancel: consistent with early 1880s French usage

  Everything about the example fits the description of Scott #87 (1c black on Prussian blue paper, 1880) not the later grey-paper #94.

  Other Catalogue References:

• Scott: #87

• Yvert & Tellier: #84

• Spink-Maury (ex Dallay/Cérès): #84

• Michel: commonly cited as Mi 68 / 68F (Prussian-blue paper variety)