France Offices in Turkey #2, 1893 Anatolian cancel

Item Specifics

Country

French Offices in Turkey

Catalog Number

2

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Stamp Format

Single

Year of Issue

1886

Item Description

The item in this listing is a single used, French postage stamp issued 1886 for use in the French Post Office network in the Turkish Empire. It is listed in Scott as #2 and has an overprint of 1 piastre over the French value of 25 centimes. It was cancelled on the 1st of December 1893 in one of the Anatolian branch post offices--i.e. not Constantinople, but one of the others in the Asia Minor part of Turkey. Based on the fact that the bottom of the cancel reads "Turquie D'Asie" instead of "Turq. D'Asie" it is most likely that this cancel was applied at the Smyrna (Izmir) post office, although Mersina is another option.

For those unfamiliar with the “Foreign Office” concept, in brief, the world powers in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries opened branches of their own post offices in foreign countries in which they had commercial interests. This was done because the local post office was deemed “insufficient” but was also done as a mark of imperialism. In this time period, having foreign post offices was as much a sign of a country’s international power as it useful in facilitating communication.

In the Turkish Empire, Austria was the country with the most extensive postal network. However, Germany, France, Great Britain, Russia, Greece, Romania, and Poland all operated post offices to some extent from the period of 1750 until the final settlement of the First World War closed all foreign post offices in Turkey in 1923. French Post Offices in Turkey were closed during the War, as France and the Ottoman Empire were on opposite sides, but were reopened between war’s end and 1923.

Please see scan for condition.

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Shipping:

All stamps shipped by US Mail. US Orders $1.00 without insurance, international rates vary according to country of destination (please e-mail.) Optional insurance at USPS rates. 50 cents additional for each item, more of a discount for purchases of more than six items. Insurance will be required for shipments sold for $20 or more in total. Please e-mail for quotes on shipping if purchasing more than six items! Uninsured shipments sent at buyer's risk. This means that if you choose to forgo insurance, you agree to release me from any future claim via paypal if it should be lost in the mail.

Payment Options:

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Return Policy:

14 day, money back guarantee, provided the item(s) are sent back in original condition. The 14-day period is defined as follows:

US Bidders: 14 days from the 3rd day after the item is sent.

International: 14 days from the 7th day after the item is sent.

If there is a problem with an item (i.e. a problem with the item itself, it didn't get there, etc.), please e-mail me within this time frame and I will be happy to work with you! Sales will be considered final after that point if no contact is made. If any item is returned for any reason, shipping charges will not be refunded.

Seller Information

Seller

sugi891 (3970)

Registered Since

06/07/2005

Feedback

99.9%

Store

Po`oleka Hawai`i--Hawaiian stamps and more

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Item Location

Virginia, United States

Ships To

Worldwide

Returns Accepted

No