Since 1849, France has issued its own postage stamps, and since 1876 it has been a member of the Universal Postal Union. The first postage stamps of France - in the series known as "Ceres" - came into circulation on January 1, 1849. The stamps of three denominations depicted the goddess of agriculture, Ceres, and included the inscription “Repub franc” (short for “République française” - “French Republic”). The 1 franc cinnabar stamp from this first issue is considered rare.