Corinphila Auction 291-297 Day 3

Ballon Monté 1870 (Sept. 19): Entire letter carried on board of Ballon Monté No. 1 'Le Neptune' to Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, Spain bearing  Napoléon laureated 40 c. orange, a fresh and fine example, tied by Étoile de Paris '15' numeral with matching 'R. Bonaparte' despatch cds and boxed PD in red alongside. Reverse with "ALCALA DE HENs / MADRID 28 OCT 70" arrival cds. An amazing item, covers from the 'Neptune' are missing from the most advanced collections of Ballons montés. Maury = € 15'000 for the Neptune + € 5'000 for the destination Spain / Lhéritier = € 18'300 + 4'600. Note: This is the first entire from a most interesting correspondence of six entire letters, written by a wife to her husband and children in Spain, a new find. This item was despatched on September 19, the day the Prussian troups have closed the siège, the letter deals with the mail from Spain which arrived in Paris the day before. It does not show an endorsement 'Ballon Monté' just 'Espagne par Bayonne', because this service and terminology has not been established as the first balloon, the 'Neptune' did not depart earlier than September 23rd. This lack of endorsement is typical for the first balloons.