Jean-François Brun (born 14 May 1943 in Paris)^[1] is a French philatelic expert and dealer, who also is an author and a publisher.

Grand-son of philatelic expert Aimé Brun (1887-1969) who signed the prestigious Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1948,^{[2] [3]} Jean-François Brun continued the family trade at the Palais-Royal, Paris under the name Brun & Fils (Brun and Son) until 2015. He then moved with new associate Benoît Chandanson to a store in the 9th arrondissement under the name "JF. B Philatélie".

Over his expertise business Brun educated collectors against fraudulent stamps and philatelic falsification with articles in the philatelic press since the 1970s and a book entitled Faux et Truqués. In 2016, with his associate Benoît Chandanson, he started philatelie.expert, a website compiling case studies published as illustrated pdf files.^[4]

He was a precursor of the use of information and communications technology in French philately. From 1983 to 1993 he recorded Les Informations philatéliques (The Philatelic News) weekly that customers could listen to with a phone call.^[5] It had an audience of around 200 calls per week.^{[citation needed]} From 10 April 2000 to March 2002 he sent Phil'Flash, a free philatelic newsletter by e-mail reaching 61 issues.^[5]

From the Musée de La Poste's archives he directed a book on the history of French postage stamps from 1849 to 1998: Le Patrimoine du timbre-poste français. A philatelic editor, he permitted the publications of extensive books on the classical postal history and postal organisation of France and its colonies by Michèle Chauvet in the 2000s, and on the two first stamps of La Réunion co-written with Benoît Chandanson in 2008.

Since 2011 with philatelists Michèle Chauvet, Guy Dutau, Jean-François Gibot and Jean-Pierre Magne he organised philatelic meetings opened to a large publi in small French towns, under the name Cercle international de rencontres philatéliques.^{[citation needed]}

Jean-François Brun was elected titular member of seat 35 at the Académie de philatélie on 12 January 1975, an institution he was president from 1996 to 2002. He wrote articles for its journal, Documents philatéliques.^[1]

He signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1998, a British honour among the most important in the philatelic world.^[6]

• Faux et truqués, Brun & Fils, 1re édition, 1980 ; 2e édition, 1989. A book on fraudulent transformation of stamps, cancels and covers.
• Directed Le Patrimoine du timbre-poste français, Flohic éditions, 1998. from the French postal archive a comprehensive books on the French postage stamps from 1849 to 1998.
• With Pascal Behr et Michèle Chauvet, Le Spécialisé. Timbres de France, a specialised catalogue by editor Yvert et Tellier, volume 1, reviewed and corrected version, 2000. Specialised catalogue of the stamps of France from 1849 to Type Sage, including the Balloon mail of the Siege of Paris (1870–1871).
• With Michèle Chauvet, Introduction à l'histoire postale [de France] de 1848 à 1878 (Introduction to the postal history of France) from 1848 to 1878), éditions Brun & Fils, 2007, ca. 800 pages.
• With Benoît Chandanson, Les Deux Premiers Timbres-poste de l'île de la Réunion, 2008. A specialised study of the two first postage stamps of Réunion island.

• Dossier « L'expertise en question », « Les méthodes de deux experts passées à la loupe : Jean-François Brun et Roger Calves. Tous deux formés à l'école d'Aimé Brun », article paru dans L'Écho de la timbrologie, juin 2002.
• « La philatélie de Jean-François Brun », entretien paru dans l'Écho de la timbrologie n°1789, octobre 2005, pages 36-37. L'expert évoque l'importance à accorder aux cotations des catalogues de timbres.
• Interview by Monika Nowacka, 2012.
• Conference for a Musée de La Poste exhibition, 2021 - webpage.
• "L'Art d'être philatéliste", France Culture, 2006.

• Participation au rencontres du Cercle international de philatélie à Souillac, sur la 4e à Salon-en-Provence -> à creuser dont possibles articles Jean-Pierre Magne, Michèle Chauvet, Guy Dutau. Site du CIRP.

Publications La valeur de l'erreur en philatélie exposition du 14 septembre au 9 octobre 1993 De Jean-François Brun, Luc Guillard, Pascal Rabier, L'|Adresse Musée de la poste, EAN13 9782905412188.

Article Découverte d'un carnet non-émis.

^{[1] [5]}

• [1] « L'Académie "en famille" », présentation sommaire des membres [archive] sur le site de l'Académie de philatélie, mise à jour du 24 octobre 2007, page consultée le 30 octobre 2007.

• Phil'Flash, former archival website by Jean-François Brun ; archived by Wayback Machine.
• Expertise website by Jean-François Brun and Benoît Chandanson.

This article is an introduction to the [postage stamp]]s and postal history of France.

Like most of European countries the modern postal service of France is inherited from a relay rider network established by King Louis XI mid-15th century. Progressively this official mail network was opened to the public. During the 18th century this postal network was adjudicated to farmers. A few private entrepreneurs experimented short lived citywide post services during the modern era.

The National Assemblies of the French Revolution voted that postal services was a state monopoly, which revenue control and practices were more and more organised. Early 19th century mail received a postmark at the post office of sending including name of town and number of its département, and postal clerk wrote the postage depending on distance and customary due by the addressee.

Postal reform in France was directed by Étienne Arago, Director of Posts after the February 1848 Revolution. On the model of [[Rowland Hill] 1840 reform in the United Kingdom, postage was drastically decreased and a nationwide rate established. Postage was encouraged to be prepaid with postage stamps issued 1 January 1849.

The use of mail increased from then until the advent of electronic communications (e-mail and sms) after the 1990s. Postage stamps issues diversified progressively: from one definitive series at a time of allegories during the Second and Third Republics or Emperor Napoléon III (1851-1870) to commemorative stamps during the interwar period and a philatelic program aimed more at collectors than mail senders during the second half of the 20th century.

A public administration under the rule of the Ministry of Finances, the French postal service was established as the Postes et Telegraphs (Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (PTT) in 1921) under a specific Minister from 1879. Modernisation allows express mail services with adequate postage stamps: airmail, pneumatics in Paris. Automatisation of mail sorting took place in the 1960s with the progressice introduction of the 2 then 5 digit postal code.

Since 1990 the French postal service had been living increasing changes. Separated from the telecommunication branch (France Telecom) the PTT became La Poste, an autonomous public company. La Poste has to adapt to the liberalisation of the mail over 20 grams and parcel markets while ensuring a postal universal service in the whole country.

In the first decades of the 21st century, as the different directions of La Poste needed to be profitable, Philaposte, the French philatelic service and its printing plant in Boulazac issued more and more stamps and philatelic souvenirs while daily mail sent by public and companies were sharply decreasing. Under Groupe La Poste president Philippe Wahl activities of La Poste were diversified towards paid services that could be provided along the way by postmen and -women along their tour: visiting and delivering food to elderly, take pictures for insurance company, filming the state of roads for départements, etc.

This postal and philatelic history encouraged many to collect and study postage stamps as such, mail as examples of postal evolutions (postmarks, rates, labels,...).

Outside Metropolitan France with Corsica, only overseas départements had known both French Posts services and postage stamps. La Poste manages postal services in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Mayotte even if those two lands have had philatelic autonomy.

Now: How to explain evolution of postal practice // postage stamps evolution // postmarks evolution // introduction of different stamps: tax, airmail, other services.

• I. A General Chronology connecting postal service evolution with solo marks and stamps.
  • 0. Before Louis XI: Roman Gaul, private courier (university, Church)
  • 1. Louis XI to 1789. Pre-postage stamps: signs, marks <-> royal mail routes and farmers (17-18th century), private city post.
  • 2. 1789-1849. State monopoly and introduction of postmarks with départements numbers <-> how postal services work // Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
  • 3. 1849-1914. General postage stamps <-> general history of the postal reform <-> adaptations: definitive series, printers, rise of the PTT, higher taxation on unstamped mail.
  • 4. 1914-1945?. First "non definitive" stamps appearance // WW1 and interwar 1930s crisis. Specificities of World War 2 and Occupation.
  • 5. 1945-1990. Definitive "Marianne" series become normal. Commemorative program and stamp collecting expanded. Modernisation of the postal system // postal code, salmon-colored barcodes.
  • 6. Effect of La Poste as a company... How to source all this.

• II. Other aspects of the postal services // collection and studies.
  • 1. Cancels: evolution of datestamps from introduction to absence today (cancel at sorting platform or by an anonymous datestamp).
  • 2. Promotional/illustrative cancels: Daguin machine, flammes -> current black inkjet cancels.
    • 2b. First day cancels and commemorative cancels by the PTT, La Poste and philatelic organisations.
  • 3. Francking machine: from introduction to current blue inked ones.
  • 4. Registration and charged letters: labels and practices of handling them in postl offices since origins.
  • 5. Telegrams, pneumatics and other express mail systems and stamps.
  • 6. Taxation of underpaid mail from 1849.

• III. Postal service and postage stamps of Metropolitan France use as such overseas
  • 1. Algeria: some period for stamps. Need to verify for PTT.
  • 2. Since 1947, customs for DOM to be under PTT/La Poste services and use of France postage stamps: Guadeloupe, Guyane, Martinique, La Réunion ; since ... Mayotte ; a short period for SP&M (to check).
    • Rates: 20g France wide (FR/DOM/TOM-COM) but airmail rate increment every 10 grams nowadays [check for historic rates].

• Anatole Hulot: updates, checks.
• Eugène Daguin: create?

• Jean-François Brun: expand.
• Michèle Chauvet: create? Books.

• Ceres series
• Napoleon III series (or Empire stamp series?)
• Sage series
• Peace and Commerce series
• Merson series
• Blanc series or Type Blanc?
• Sower series
• Louis Pasteur stamp or series?
• Philippe Pétain stamp series
• etc.
• Marianne multiple series.

• Daguin machine: updates, date of use in FR, overseas and foreign countries.

• Banque de France printing plant in Paris
• Atelier du timbre, Paris that moved to Boulazac as Imprimerie du timbre et des valeurs fiduciaires (ITVF), now named Philaposte Boulazac as part of the philatelic service Philaposte (originally Service national des timbres-poste et de la philatélie (SNTP).

• Colonies and new independent states:

Bureau d'études des postes et télécommunications d'outre-mer: create article on the previous service in Paris (storing, sending to colonial post offices, sales to collectors).

• Overseas territories:
  • Office des Postes et Telecommunications de Nouvelle-Calédonie
  • check for Wallis and Futuna
  • Office des Postes et Telecommunications de Polynésie française now Groupe OPT including Fare rata La Poste
  • Services des postes des Terres australes et antarctiques françaises.
  • La Poste SPM