"Type Sage" (also referred to as "Peace and Commerce") is a reference to the definitive series of postage stamps issued by the post office of France between 1876 and 1900. Printed in a variety of colors and shades, the two central figures are allegories of Peace (left) and Commerce (right), giving rise to the name of the series. The name "Type Sage" comes from the tendency of French stamp collectors to refer to the series by the name of the designer of the artwork, in this case Jules Auguste Sage, whose name appears as "J. A. SAGE INV" along the lower left edge of the stamp beneath the word "REPUBLIQUE" of "REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE." The Type Sage / Peace and Commerce series is one of the more extensive definitive series from the late 19th century. The

Scott Catalogue The Scott catalogue of postage stamps, published by Scott Publishing Company, now a subsidiary of Amos Media, is updated annually and lists all the stamps of the world that its editors recognize as issued for postal purposes. It is published in f ...

notes forty-four (44) different stamps in this series, ranging in face value from 1 centime to 5 francs, not counting

overprints An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purpos ...

and minor varieties. Stamps of this design issued with perforations were used in France proper and were also used at French

post offices abroad In the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, a number of countries maintained post offices in foreign countries, arranged by treaty. Most such offices were operated by European powers in the Middle and Far East. They were part ...

. No stamps specifically prepared for use overseas were created until the mid- to late-1890s, when stamps of this series were overprinted in a variety of styles prior to sale. Stamps of this design issued as imperforates were prepared for use in French colonies which did not issue their own distinctive stamps at the time. File:Madagascar 5Fr 1896.jpg, Madagascar File:Peace and Commerce overprinted for use in China.jpg,

French post offices in China The French post offices in China were among the post offices maintained by foreign powers in China from the mid-19th century until 1922. The first French Post Office in China opened in 1862. Initially, the French government used ordinary French ...

File:FRENCHMOROCCO0001.jpg, French post offices in Morocco File:Stamp French PO Turkish 1885 1pi.jpg, French post offices in the Ottoman Empire File:Stamp French PO Port Lagos 1893 5c.jpg, French post offices in Port Lagos File:Stamp French PO Port Said 1899 4c.jpg, French post offices in Port Said File:Stamp French PO Vathy 1894 15c.jpg, French post offices in Vathy

Sources

: various catalogues * Yvert et Tellier: various catalogues Postage stamps of France