The stamp represents Marianne, allegory of the French Republic, wearing as usual a tricolor cockade, and the Phrygian cap.
Among these ten, President Jacques Chirac finally chose Thierry Lamouche's design.
The first day of issue took place 8 January 2005 in the Palais Bourbon and in each départemental prefecture in the country.
They can be used in Metropolitan France, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, and overprinted for use in Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
It cost 20 eurocents more than usual (50 cents in January) to finance a project in Lhokseumawe, Indonesia, after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.