This gallery shows 70 collective deluxe proofs from France, Andorra, and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.
The French government printers began producing deluxe proofs of engraved stamps in 1923. From the 1950s through the 1990s the proofs were printed on thin white paper measuring 100mm by 130mm and are imperforate. About 200 copies of each proof were printed.
In addition to the normal deluxe proofs, special collective deluxe proofs were issued showing all the stamps in a set on a single proof. These are interesting because, by showing the stamps arranged on a single sheet of paper, they help us visualize the stamps as part of a set of related stamps, as the postal administration intended. These collective sheets were issued in much smaller quantities (approximately 25) than regular deluxe proofs. Deluxe proofs of souvenir sheets, which also show multiple stamps, were issued in the same quantities as normal deluxe proofs and are not collective proofs.
Deluxe proofs (including collective deluxe proofs) are listed and valued in the Maury stamp catalogues.