Ottoman Post

Outbound mail: 1903 printed-matter wrapper (envelope cut open on both sides) from SAFFED to Jewish liqueur business in HOLLESCHAU, Moravia ("via Vienna Post"), posted via Ottoman PO & franked 10pa per printed-matter rate using Ba165 (oddly not the 'matbua' overprinted type for printed-matter mailed abroad) & tied by scarce blue local postmark (PM5/Ba 812b); backstamped 25-3-03 arrival; scarce as w...

Ottoman Turkish post GAZA date bridge postmark (Ba #794) dated 3 Nov 1906 (last digit inverted as "9") tied to stampless official mail cover sent from local court to court in JAFFA, backstamped next day JAFFA-2 arrival; with 2x intaglio negative seals on tied to front & back; cut open at right. Muenz certification enclosed....

Superb strike of red JAFFA-JEROUSALEM travelling post office TPO postmark (Ba #977r - rarity rated S4) dated 27 March 1908 tied to stampless official mail cover addressed to a court; cut open at bottom & left and partially resealed by the collector. The strike bears the name JERUUSALEM as the letter "O" is documented damaged through use. This example is better than the red and black strikes in the...

Holyland stampless mail: 1910 dated cover on Union Bank stationary, sent from Bishop Papken of the Armenian Patriarchate in JERUSALEM to "Father Hakob Karamanukyan, Halep" (ALEPPO Syria); tied at back with the Patriarchate's cachet. Although eligible for free mail as a religious institution, under the Ottoman postal service the cover was likely couriered as it does not bear a postmark and the addr...

Rare Turkish Ottoman JAFFA 7 postmark (Ba #831 / PM 16) in black error dated 28 Nov "1916" (for 1912), tied to 5 para frank serving as printed matter postage on color picture postcard of Alexandria Egypt (Pacha Street) addressed to PARIS France, with short salutation handwritten on front (less than 5 words for "printed matter" postcard rate)....

Full strike of Ottoman NASRE (Nazareth) postmark in blue (Ba #808b), dated 3 Oct 1913 & tied to 20 Para imprinted prepaid Ottoman postal card (Ba #726) with same-day dated message in French, sent to ZURICH; backstamped with faint CAIFFA transit postmark in black (Ba #791) - Bale unlisted in black for "Chaiffa"....

Outbound mail: 17-4-1914 superb strike of ERIHA (JERUSALEM) violet postmark (PM3/Ba865v) tied to 20 Para frank with black star overprint (for mail abroad; Ba 331) on picture-postcard of Bedouins baking bread, to NUSSBAUMEN Switzerland; backstamped 21-4-14 octogonal JERUSALEM6 transit postmark (PM26/Ba 872a); marginal small top tear amended....

Double franked WWI era Ottoman-Turkish mail: 30 Dec 1915 postmarked postal card, sent from HAIFA to addressee at Anglo-Austrian Bank in GRAZ Austria, franked 20 para per period postage rate - but here with stamp affixed over the imprinted frank, as of 1915 imprinted franking on postal stationary was no longer valid for overseas postage; tied by single strike of the local postmark; front-stamped 3 ...

Ottoman Palestine/Holyland WWI correspondence: lot of 5x covers sent during Ottoman & British control of the Holy Land, 1915/1918-1919, all to same addressee in THE HAGUE Holland and most appear to be sent from JAFFA + British SZ 45 & SZ 20; the covers are mostly in poor condition, most missing the stamps - but mostly complete physically and bear many dispatch, transit & censor marks: some Turkish...

HALASA 1 (Halutza/Khalasa) - Major Rarity: 2x strikes of the PM1 postmark dated 1 Oct 1917 tied to uprated 1914-issue Ottoman 20 Para imprinted postal stationary envelope (Ba #799) addressed to officer at telegraph station in DIYARBAKIR (southern Turkey), written by a sender at the local roadside inn (manuscript at bottom right); 3x stamps are visibly missing, constituting the postage for an overs...

World War I era Turkish Beersheva BIR-ES-SEBA 2 (Ba 883) rare all-Arabic postmark: 1918-dated 5 full strikes tied to block of 20x 1916 3rd series War Orphans overprinted 20pa stamps (Ba 464/289) - 400 Para - gummed on back of partially torn ledger sheet of 5 attached telegram receipts (with signatures & Arabic manuscript), i.e. 80 Para per receipt....