It's a story that had everything to work on paper: in 2016, Xavier Niel, known for his business flair and the audacity of his investments, joined forces with Renaud Barthon de Montbas, a enthusiast of rare stamps. Together, they launched the company Pêcheur de timbres, based in Paris. The plan? Buy collectible stamps to resell them to enlightened enthusiasts, with a nice profit expected within six to eight years.
Legal puzzle
But very quickly, the idyll turns sour. From the first year, the company's accounts turned red: 179,503 euros in losses. Tensions between the two partners escalated, and in 2018, the situation became downright unmanageable. Renaud Barthon de Montbas accuses the billionaire of slowing down activity, while the latter believes that his partner is managing the company poorly.
In 2020, faced with conflicts, Renaud Barthon de Montbas threw in the towel and left management. He settled in Poitiers and relaunched a stamp trading business with his son. But Xavier Niel, via his holding company NJJ, does not intend to leave the matter there. According to him, Pêcheur de timbres was left in ruins, accumulating abysmal losses of 2.64 million euros at the end of 2021.
The reproaches are pouring in: NJJ accuses the former manager of Pêcheur de timbres of having misappropriated the family inheritance to buy a house in Poitiers instead of financing the company, but also of having sold the company's customer file to a competitor. Worse, he would have continued to develop a competing activity under a new name: Stamp Dream.
The case ended up before the Poitiers judicial court. In January 2025, the courts ordered Renaud Barthon de Montbas to repay 1.3 million euros to NJJ Holding. An astronomical sum which includes: 400,000 euros for a guarantee commitment from 2018, 750,000 euros for another from 2019 and 150,000 euros for a debt assignment contract in 2019.
-Added to this are interest at the contractual rate of 4.15% since 2022, and the capitalization of accrued interest. For the former manager, it is a real descent into hell: bailiffs, debts and convictions are added to the liquidation of his company.
However, the story is far from over since the stamp seller has announced that it will appeal this decision. For his part, Xavier Niel did not wish to comment, letting justice take its course. This incredible story, where business, rare stamps and legal battles mix, reminds us in any case that in business, even the greatest passions can make you completely crazy.
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