Paris used several dotted cancellations from 1852 to 1876. The étoiles muettes were unnumbered star cancels used at the Central Office, showing many small variations and frame types. The pointillé cancels used very fine dots to create dense geometric patterns and are less common.
From 1863, the city introduced étoiles chiffrées, six-pointed stars with a number identifying each neighbourhood office. These different types were applied on the issues of Napoleon III and the early Third Republic, including during the Siege of Paris.
