French Levant Perfin

Here is a French Levant issue with what certainly appears to be a perfin. It is upside down to assist in looking at the perfin, with a blue background to help it "pop" a bit.

It seems to be a C and (maybe) an L, separated by some distance. I've included a detail of the C.

Is this something other than what you'd traditionally define as a perfin? I'm only skeptical because I've never run across a French Levant perfin before.

Thanks for looking.





[edit: By the way, does anyone agree that this postmark is Constantinople-Galata?]

[second edit: I found an auction result for a German Levant cover that included this particular perfin as a Credit Lyonnais perfin (on a CL envelope, so seemingly pretty reliable as a source). The other Credit Lyonnais perfins that I had seen were overlapping, along the lines of a monogram, so I had ruled that out.]

G'day Colin,
I have the same perfin on a Belgian.

Probably Credit Lyonaise but not proved in my experience.

Advise if you want a close up, to inspect the punctures,
and I'll try and dig it out.

(seen here top left right)

Thanks for the scan. I think they are the same. Subtle. With the small size and the wide spacing, it makes me wonder if it was originally designed to miss the vignette on a particular stamp. I have nothing on which to base that, of course.

I believe that the C.L. perfin you have scanned was used by the Credit Lyonaise. They were a large banking company that had offices thoughout Europe and Afica and the perfins do vary from the different locations and eras.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The digital trickery on that Red Star Line perfin side-by-side really plays with a person's mind.

It is probably just some quirk with the wiring in my brain...

C.

French Levant
seek assistance PERFIN CL ? FC?

An CL PERFIN is discussed in the Perfin catalogue 2011 Page 46
but unable to locate it on the internet.

Could it be cjd's.........

Solved
Credit Lyonnaise Poss Constantinople (supported by Postmark)

also Cse on Pmk may = Constantinople.

http://zenius.kalnieciai.lt/europe/.../french.html

The postmark is "CONSTANTINOPLE - GALATA / POSTE - FRANCSE".

Nice work. Thanks Nigel.