French Post Turkish Empire year 1895/1900 MH stamps

French Post Turkish Empire year 1895/1900 MH stamps

Here are some key details about postage stamps issued by the French Post Offices in the Turkish Empire around 1895-1900:

Designs:

• In 1885, France began using its “Sage” type definitive stamps overprinted “EMPIRE TURC” for use in Turkish post offices.
• In 1893, a new set with the “RF” monogram of the French Republic was issued specifically for the Turkish offices.
• Stamps depicted allegorical female “Republic” figures in various colors.

1895 Issues:

• New denominations from 1pi to 10pi on 1fr values added in 1895, all with overprints.
• The overprints read “EMPIRE TURC” with new values denominated in paras and piastres.

1899-1900 Issues:

• In 1899, the allegorical design was modified slightly with thick “RF” letters.
• New colors included blue, orange, green and dull violet stamps from 1pi to 10pi.
• Higher values to 20pi on 2fr were issued in 1900.

Rarity:

• Many of the individual commemorative-like values from 1895-1900 had relatively limited print quantities.
• This makes complete mint sets quite valuable, especially for the 1899-1900 printings.

Cancellations:

• A wide variety of Turkish town circular datestamps and other markings can be found on used examples.

These turn-of-the-century issues from the French post offices operating in Constantinople and other cities of the Ottoman Turkish Empire are very popular with collectors of French philately as well as Middle East area specialists. The colorful designs and scarcity of complete sets make them quite desirable.