Descartes : The stamps, the coins. the banknotes and the scandal

Rene DESCARTES, Mathematician, Doctor, Philosopher

Biography

René Descartes (1596-1650) is one of the most important Western
philosophers of the past few centuries. During his lifetime, Descartes
was just as famous as an original physicist, physiologist and
mathematician. But it is as a highly original philosopher that he is
most frequently read today. He attempted to restart philosophy in a
fresh direction. For example, his philosophy refused to accept the
Aristotelian and Scholastic traditions that had dominated
philosophical thought throughout the Medieval period; it attempted to
fully integrate philosophy with the 'new' sciences; and Descartes
changed the relationship between philosophy and theology. Such new
directions for philosophy made Descartes into a revolutionary figure.

The two most widely known of Descartes' philosophical ideas are those
of a method of hyperbolic doubt, and the argument that, though he may
doubt, he cannot doubt that he exists. The first of these comprises a
key aspect of Descartes' philosophical method. As noted above, he
refused to accept the authority of previous philosophers - but he also
refused to accept the obviousness of his own senses. In the search for
a foundation for philosophy, whatever could be doubted must be
rejected. He resolves to trust only that which is clearly and
distinctly seen to be beyond any doubt. In this manner, Descartes
peels away the layers of beliefs and opinions that clouded his view of
the truth. But, very little remains, only the simple fact of doubting
itself, and the inescapable inference that something exists doubting,
namely Descartes himself.

His next task is to reconstruct our knowledge piece by piece, such
that at no stage is the possibility of doubt allowed to creep back in.
In this manner, Descartes proves that he himself must have the basic
characterisitc of thinking, and that this thinking thing (mind) is
quite distinct from his body; the existence of a God; the existence
and nature of the external world; and so on. What is important in this
for Descartes is, first, that he is showing that knowledge is
genuinely possible (and thus that sceptics must be mistaken), and,
second, that, more particularly, a mathematically-based scientific
knowledge of the material world is possible.

Descartes' work was influential, although his studies in physics and
the other natural sciences much less so than his mathematical and
philosophical work. Throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries, Descartes'
philosophical ghost was always present: Locke, Hume, Leibniz and even
Kant felt compelled to philosophical engage (often negatively, of
course) with this philosophical giant. For these reasons, Descartes is
often called the 'father' of modern philosophy.


The stamps ....

The first two stamps to commemorate Descartes were issued by France
on a date between May 20, 1937 and June 10, 1937 (sources disagree)

It was in commemoration of the third centenary of the publication of
Discours de la Méthode (Stamp #1 shows "Discours sur la Méthode")
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart.jpg ;

The reissued correction shows "Discours de la Méthode")
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart2.jpg ;

(see story on the scandal below)

In 1942, Descartes appeared on a French 100 Franc banknote.
http://i10.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/dd/91/a1_1_b.JPG
He appeared on them again in 1944
http://www.numiscollection.com/eBay/1433.JPG

A 100-franc silver coin was issued by France in 1991
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descartes9.jpg

Also in 1991, a larger 100-franc (15 ECU) silver proof coin
was issued as well as a 500-franc (70 ECU) gold proof coin.
http://i7.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/5b/a7/e0_1_b.JPG

In 1994 France issued a silver 1 ECU proof coin for Descartes.


The third stamp was issued by France in 1996 on the 400th anniversary
of his birth http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart3.jpg ;

Number four was issued by Albania in 1996 (this stamp apparently
features a misspelling of the Latin form of Descartes, which should be
Cartesius) http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart4.jpg ;

Number five was issued by Monaco in 1996, his 400th birth anniversary
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart7.jpg

A medallion was also issued by France in 1996 on the 400th anniversary
of his birth http://jeff560.tripod.com/descartes8.jpg

The sixth stamp was issued by Grenada in 2000
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart5.jpg

The seventh was issued by Sierra Leone in 2000
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart6.jpg


The Scandal: Discours "sur" la methode or "de" la methode?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The international exhibition of 1937 (my translations)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We are in 1937 and preparing for the French international exhibition
which, this year will honour the French philosopher Rene Descartes.

The Minister of Postes, Robert Jardillier envisaged to celebrate the
event by the emission of a Descartes commemorative stamp of 90 C
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart.jpg intended to replace the
previous 90c Puy in Velay stamp.
http://www.coppoweb.com/timbres/fr_290.jpg

Moreover, pressed by several important personalities, Jardillier lets
people know that this emission is envisaged and will arrive on time.

In fact, the stamp is printed and May 19, and 20, 1937.
692,000 specimens are dispatched at the post offices, and
an image of it is communicated to the press.

The Press explodes

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Journalists note with amazement the erroneous legend:
"discours sur la methode". The press ignites.

The Dunce's cap for the postal and telecommunications authorities

"Everyone knows that the major work of Descartes is entitled
"Discours de la Methode". Only the authorities of the administration
of posts and telecommunications seem to be unaware of this monumental
work of French thought. It is not painful that it has, at its head,
an academic in the person of Mr. Jardillier. A simple rural letter
carrier would have been better Cartesian. "

Le Figaro, May 20, 1937


"Up to now, in the contest of the dunce's cap, the office of Mr. Jean
Zay had a good lead: that of Mr. Jardillier has just gained a point."

L'Echo de Paris, May 20, 1937


Immediately, on May 20 at 17:10 (5:10 PM), the minister telegraphs to
all of his regional managers and departmental staff, a circular to
direct them to return the Descartes stamps:

"To stop distribution and return to the accounting agencies all
Descartes stamps. Particularly rigorous measures will have to be taken
to ensure the complete return of all supplies (of stamps) received."

Mr. Jardillier, May 20, 1937


They also asks Henri Cheffer (the engraver) to modify the stamp model.
HE is satisfied to stick a small piece of paper with "de" over the
word "sur". The new stamp model:
http://www.coppoweb.com/momes/maq_desc1.jpg


The recovery of the stamps
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole supply of the stamps was recovered except for some in
Finistère and l'Indre. In Indre, a clerk prematurely sold 38 stamps
in the office of Issoudun and 1 stamp in the office of Vatan. As of
May 31, 1937 all were recovered except for the specimen sold in
Vatan.


The battleship "Comodoro Rivadavia"** affair
------------------------------------------

In Finistère, in Brest the story becomes complicated. A hundred
stamps were sold to the postal officer (purser) of the Argentinian
battleship "Comodoro Rivadavia" at the time of a stopover.

The telegraphic order sent by the minister was not carried out
immediately by the main post office of Brest and, the following day,
it is already too late, the Argentinian sailors had used the stamps.

The information did not remain confidential and the Minister of Posts,
questioned by the Senate was required to make a report which
concludes: "(...) In short, out of the 692,000 stamps which post
offices had been supplied with, 131 did not return to the vaults of
the Accounting Agency of postage stamps in the boulevard Brune
(signed) "E Quenot, Director postal production, May 31, 1937"

Minister Jardillier does not want to be held responsible for
speculation. He decides to carry out the emission of the two stamps
(the error and the corrected one) at the same time. The stamps will
be put into circulation on June 10, 1937 in Paris and on June 11 in
the provinces.

Please note that, today, the erroneous stamp, which is preferred
by philatelists, costs less than the corrected stamp, of which
less were sold.


Some Unadopted Descartes Designs
http://www.coppoweb.com/momes/maq_desc2.jpg
http://www.coppoweb.com/momes/maq_desc3.jpg

** a brief history of the Comodoro Rivadavia (1914-1957)
including a reference to the 1937 visit to Brest can be found at:
http://www.warship.get.net.pl/Argent...o_history.html


I hope that this information has cleared some of the mystery
about the Descartes stamp issue of 1937.

Blair Stannard (TC)

Excellent Blair!
Can we look forward to other articles of similar nature
al la LN Williams ?
A very kind member of the NG here sent me a mint pair of
these, so I'll put this article alongside.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 08:56:58 +0800, "Rodney"
wrote:

Excellent Blair!
Can we look forward to other articles of similar nature
al la LN Williams ?
A very kind member of the NG here sent me a mint pair of
these, so I'll put this article alongside.



================================================== ==========

Rod:

It would be nice to find a Descartes stamp cover postmarked
MAY 20, 1937 from BREST or even better from VATAN.

By the way L + N Williams were TWO people, so I doubt
that I'll ever match their output.

Cheers

Blair

Blair, thanks for a fabulous article. I will keep it in my archives for
reference purposes, but for the moment concentrate on the Hals-painting :-)
--
Best regards
Ann Mette Heindorff (Mette)
http://www.heindorffhus.dk





"Blair (TC)" skrev i en meddelelse
...
Rene DESCARTES, Mathematician, Doctor, Philosopher

Biography

René Descartes (1596-1650) is one of the most important Western
philosophers of the past few centuries. During his lifetime, Descartes
was just as famous as an original physicist, physiologist and
mathematician. But it is as a highly original philosopher that he is
most frequently read today. He attempted to restart philosophy in a
fresh direction. For example, his philosophy refused to accept the
Aristotelian and Scholastic traditions that had dominated
philosophical thought throughout the Medieval period; it attempted to
fully integrate philosophy with the 'new' sciences; and Descartes
changed the relationship between philosophy and theology. Such new
directions for philosophy made Descartes into a revolutionary figure.

The two most widely known of Descartes' philosophical ideas are those
of a method of hyperbolic doubt, and the argument that, though he may
doubt, he cannot doubt that he exists. The first of these comprises a
key aspect of Descartes' philosophical method. As noted above, he
refused to accept the authority of previous philosophers - but he also
refused to accept the obviousness of his own senses. In the search for
a foundation for philosophy, whatever could be doubted must be
rejected. He resolves to trust only that which is clearly and
distinctly seen to be beyond any doubt. In this manner, Descartes
peels away the layers of beliefs and opinions that clouded his view of
the truth. But, very little remains, only the simple fact of doubting
itself, and the inescapable inference that something exists doubting,
namely Descartes himself.

His next task is to reconstruct our knowledge piece by piece, such
that at no stage is the possibility of doubt allowed to creep back in.
In this manner, Descartes proves that he himself must have the basic
characterisitc of thinking, and that this thinking thing (mind) is
quite distinct from his body; the existence of a God; the existence
and nature of the external world; and so on. What is important in this
for Descartes is, first, that he is showing that knowledge is
genuinely possible (and thus that sceptics must be mistaken), and,
second, that, more particularly, a mathematically-based scientific
knowledge of the material world is possible.

Descartes' work was influential, although his studies in physics and
the other natural sciences much less so than his mathematical and
philosophical work. Throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries, Descartes'
philosophical ghost was always present: Locke, Hume, Leibniz and even
Kant felt compelled to philosophical engage (often negatively, of
course) with this philosophical giant. For these reasons, Descartes is
often called the 'father' of modern philosophy.


The stamps ....

The first two stamps to commemorate Descartes were issued by France
on a date between May 20, 1937 and June 10, 1937 (sources disagree)

It was in commemoration of the third centenary of the publication of
Discours de la Méthode (Stamp #1 shows "Discours sur la Méthode")
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart.jpg ;

The reissued correction shows "Discours de la Méthode")
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart2.jpg ;

(see story on the scandal below)

In 1942, Descartes appeared on a French 100 Franc banknote.
http://i10.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/dd/91/a1_1_b.JPG
He appeared on them again in 1944
http://www.numiscollection.com/eBay/1433.JPG

A 100-franc silver coin was issued by France in 1991
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descartes9.jpg

Also in 1991, a larger 100-franc (15 ECU) silver proof coin
was issued as well as a 500-franc (70 ECU) gold proof coin.
http://i7.ebayimg.com/03/i/02/5b/a7/e0_1_b.JPG

In 1994 France issued a silver 1 ECU proof coin for Descartes.


The third stamp was issued by France in 1996 on the 400th anniversary
of his birth http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart3.jpg ;

Number four was issued by Albania in 1996 (this stamp apparently
features a misspelling of the Latin form of Descartes, which should be
Cartesius) http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart4.jpg ;

Number five was issued by Monaco in 1996, his 400th birth anniversary
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart7.jpg

A medallion was also issued by France in 1996 on the 400th anniversary
of his birth http://jeff560.tripod.com/descartes8.jpg

The sixth stamp was issued by Grenada in 2000
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart5.jpg

The seventh was issued by Sierra Leone in 2000
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart6.jpg


The Scandal: Discours "sur" la methode or "de" la methode?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

The international exhibition of 1937 (my translations)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
------

We are in 1937 and preparing for the French international exhibition
which, this year will honour the French philosopher Rene Descartes.

The Minister of Postes, Robert Jardillier envisaged to celebrate the
event by the emission of a Descartes commemorative stamp of 90 C
http://jeff560.tripod.com/descart.jpg intended to replace the
previous 90c Puy in Velay stamp.
http://www.coppoweb.com/timbres/fr_290.jpg

Moreover, pressed by several important personalities, Jardillier lets
people know that this emission is envisaged and will arrive on time.

In fact, the stamp is printed and May 19, and 20, 1937.
692,000 specimens are dispatched at the post offices, and
an image of it is communicated to the press.

The Press explodes

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Journalists note with amazement the erroneous legend:
"discours sur la methode". The press ignites.

The Dunce's cap for the postal and telecommunications authorities

"Everyone knows that the major work of Descartes is entitled
"Discours de la Methode". Only the authorities of the administration
of posts and telecommunications seem to be unaware of this monumental
work of French thought. It is not painful that it has, at its head,
an academic in the person of Mr. Jardillier. A simple rural letter
carrier would have been better Cartesian. "

Le Figaro, May 20, 1937


"Up to now, in the contest of the dunce's cap, the office of Mr. Jean
Zay had a good lead: that of Mr. Jardillier has just gained a point."

L'Echo de Paris, May 20, 1937


Immediately, on May 20 at 17:10 (5:10 PM), the minister telegraphs to
all of his regional managers and departmental staff, a circular to
direct them to return the Descartes stamps:

"To stop distribution and return to the accounting agencies all
Descartes stamps. Particularly rigorous measures will have to be taken
to ensure the complete return of all supplies (of stamps) received."

Mr. Jardillier, May 20, 1937


They also asks Henri Cheffer (the engraver) to modify the stamp model.
HE is satisfied to stick a small piece of paper with "de" over the
word "sur". The new stamp model:
http://www.coppoweb.com/momes/maq_desc1.jpg


The recovery of the stamps
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole supply of the stamps was recovered except for some in
Finistère and l'Indre. In Indre, a clerk prematurely sold 38 stamps
in the office of Issoudun and 1 stamp in the office of Vatan. As of
May 31, 1937 all were recovered except for the specimen sold in
Vatan.


The battleship "Comodoro Rivadavia"** affair
------------------------------------------

In Finistère, in Brest the story becomes complicated. A hundred
stamps were sold to the postal officer (purser) of the Argentinian
battleship "Comodoro Rivadavia" at the time of a stopover.

The telegraphic order sent by the minister was not carried out
immediately by the main post office of Brest and, the following day,
it is already too late, the Argentinian sailors had used the stamps.

The information did not remain confidential and the Minister of Posts,
questioned by the Senate was required to make a report which
concludes: "(...) In short, out of the 692,000 stamps which post
offices had been supplied with, 131 did not return to the vaults of
the Accounting Agency of postage stamps in the boulevard Brune
(signed) "E Quenot, Director postal production, May 31, 1937"

Minister Jardillier does not want to be held responsible for
speculation. He decides to carry out the emission of the two stamps
(the error and the corrected one) at the same time. The stamps will
be put into circulation on June 10, 1937 in Paris and on June 11 in
the provinces.

Please note that, today, the erroneous stamp, which is preferred
by philatelists, costs less than the corrected stamp, of which
less were sold.


Some Unadopted Descartes Designs
http://www.coppoweb.com/momes/maq_desc2.jpg
http://www.coppoweb.com/momes/maq_desc3.jpg

** a brief history of the Comodoro Rivadavia (1914-1957)
including a reference to the 1937 visit to Brest can be found at:

http://www.warship.get.net.pl/Argent...o_history.html


I hope that this information has cleared some of the mystery
about the Descartes stamp issue of 1937.

Blair Stannard (TC)