Used 1862 Scott #25 Pair French Offices in Levant/Turkey (pre-overprints)

Item Specifics

Country

French Offices in Turkey

Catalog Number

#25 pair

Stamp Type

General Issue

Condition

Used

Centering

VF/XF

Stamp Format

Pair

Topic

People - Other

Year of Issue

1862

Item Description

     Under the Treaty of Commerce of 1812 between France and Turkey, a French Post Office was established in Constantinople. The treaty was suspended in 1827 due to war between Turkey and the Allies. The French colonial Post Office system in Turkey resumed operations in 1835 with offices in Constantinople and Smyrna as well as other locations. 

     The use of specific numeric postmarks for French Post Offices in Turkey (Levant) continued until mid-1884, when the French government began officially overprinting postage stamps specifically for those foreign French Post Offices. Though Constantinople (3707 small and 5083 large) and Smyrna (3709 small and 5098 large) are most prevalent in collections, they still command premiums above standard usage of the same issues in France. 

     From 1857 to 1884, contemporary French postage stamps were used and cancelled with duplex postmarks bearing a number affiliated with each specific French Post Office, and in some instances smaller CDS strikes. The numbers were in two sizes and simply noted as large or small. The postmark adorning this pair is diamond grid with the large "5083" assigned to the Constantinople (today's Istanbul) post office. 

Scott Catalogue Number: #25 Pair

Issue Date: 1862

Color: Bister Yellowish 

Condition: Sound.

Most, if not all stamps (especially 19th Century issues) listed are dipped and checked for faults and reviewed under a digital microscope and a high-powered UV light to detect any possible faults. It also helps having an extensive philatelic reference library as well as a colleague/friend who certifies U.S. material for the Philatelic Foundation, PSAG, and APEX, and will offer his opinion, too, when needed.

Member:  

Olympia Philatelic Society 

American Philatelic Society 

U.S. Postal Classics Society 

Tacoma (WA) Stamp Club, former president

Seller Information

Seller

AcmeStamps (1947)

Registered Since

03/15/2018

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Item Location

Texas, United States

Ships To

United States, United Kingdom, Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegowina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City State), Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Republic of, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine

Shipping Instructions

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