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**Rare 1926 French Foreign Legion (Légion Étrangère) Mail - Written in Bulgarian to Algeria Outpost**
Up for sale is an incredibly rare, historically significant original vintage postcard from **March 19, 1926**. This incredible artifact documents the correspondence between Bulgarian expatriates/soldiers, addressed directly to a Bulgarian national serving inside the grueling ranks of the **French Foreign Legion** in North Africa.
The front of the card features a classic vintage French black-and-white print from Auvergne titled *"L'AUVERGNE. - Trois entêtés - Tris darus"* (`G. D'O. - 1081`), depicting a humorous rural scene of a man pulling a stubborn donkey with a rider.
The reverse side ("Carte Postale") is a goldmine for military postal history and genealogy collectors:
* **The Recipient:** Addressed to **Légionnaire Pierre Batchevaroff** (French phonetic spelling of the Bulgarian name *Petar Batchevarov* / Петър Бъчваров), bearing Legionnaire Service Number **50948**.
* **Military Unit:** Stationed with the famous **1er Étranger** (1st Foreign Infantry Regiment), **3ème Bataillon, 9ème Compagnie** (3rd Battalion, 9th Company).
* **Location Destination:** Addressed to the remote Legion garrison outpost of **Aïn-Sefra, Algeria**.
* **Postal Franks:** Franked with two green **15-centime French "Pasteur" stamps**, typical of mid-1920s French colonial postal system mail.
* **The Message (Written in Bulgarian Cyrillic):** A full-page message in vintage Bulgarian cursive script (utilizing the old pre-1945 orthography). The sender checks in on his compatriot's health, notes that he is working for an "American company", and laments the tough conditions, writing: *"What a joke of a human existence we lead here... life is pretty miserable here."* He adds a vertical note identifying his home roots in **Lovech, Bulgaria** (Ловеч).
* **Condition:** Vintage antique condition. The card shows typical light corner bumping, edge wear, and uniform surface age-toning. The handwriting and stamps remain perfectly intact, crisp, and fully legible. Please review the high-resolution gallery scans closely to evaluate the exact condition details of this remarkable piece of historical militaria.
**Shipping & Handling:**
* Shipped in a protective, acid-free sleeve.
* Packaged securely inside a rigid hardboard mailer or cardboard-backed envelope to guarantee it arrives completely flat and undamaged.
* Combined shipping is available if you buy multiple items! Please wait for a combined invoice before paying.
