German Offices in Turkey #10, SON Constantinopel 2 cancel dated 13 July 1897

Item Specifics

Country

German Offices in Turkey

Catalog Number

10

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Stamp Format

Single

Year of Issue

1889

Item Description

The item in this listing is a single used, German postage stamp issued for use in the German Post Office network in the Turkish Empire. Listed in Scott as #10, this stamp was an ordinary German 20 pfennig stamp of the “Crown and Eagle” series of 1889 until it was overprinted with a new face value of 1 Turkish Piaster. It was used, and was cancelled at the branch "Post Office #2" in Constantinopel (Istanbul). Scott CV of $2. Please see scan for details.

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, Germany maintained post offices in five cities (Beirut, Constantinopel, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Smyrna). Its’ postal presence in Turkey actually predates the foundation of Germany itself; the original Constantinopel post office was opened in 1870 as a postal agency of the North German Confederation&mdashthe predecessor state to the German Empire and modern Germany. Other nations which operated post offices in Turkey included Austria, France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Greece, Romania, and Poland all operated post offices to some extent from the period of c. 1750 until the final settlement of the First World War closed all foreign post offices in Turkey in 1923. As the then-Ottoman Empire was an ally of Germany during the War, all German Post Offices were closed in 1914 and did not reopen.

Please see scan for condition.

Terms of Sale:

Please note that your bid constitutes your acceptance of all the terms listed below. If anything is unclear, please e-mail for clarification or do not bid.

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:

Paypal, Money Orders, and Checks payable in the US are accepted. Credit cards accepted through paypal only. Checks must be drawn on a US bank, or I cannot cash them! (I can no longer accept Canadian Postal Money Orders, even those in US dollars-sorry!)

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 (3954)

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

Yes

Returns Policy

Must be returned within 14 days in original condition. Money back, less shipping, no questions asked. Buyer pays return shipping.