Collecting stamps of Ottoman and Turkish vintage
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Gül Demir and Niki Gamm
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 28, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The Ottomans were a founding member of the General Postal Union in 1875, an organization that regulated the way that mail passed between countries.
Postal services have existed for millennia as part of the need to provide communications for the rulers of countries or empires so large that it took days to cross. Systems were set up with horses kept at various stages somewhat like the famed Pony Express in the United States in modern times and men would ride as fast as possible over a set route.
In later years for instance in the Ottoman Empire, communications worked in the same way for the government but the various foreign embassies had their own agreements with the Ottoman government so that they could maintain "swift" communications with their own governments.
Finally this led to the establishment of regular post offices as we know them today where the letter being sent could be weighed and a price charged. The stamp essentially certified that cost had been paid.
On Jan. 1, 1863 the Ottoman government under Sultan Abdülaziz whose official signature or tugra was in the center issued its first adhesive postage stamp. It was rectangular and unperforated. In 1863 Turkey became the second independent country in Asia (after Russia) to issue adhesive stamps; at the time Turkey was not considered a part of Europe. The Ottomans were a founding member of the General Postal Union in 1875, an organization that regulated the way that mail passed between countries.
The Ottomans also were the first country in the world to issue an octagonal, perforated stamp.
The first Ottoman stamp with a picture on it appeared in 1913 and showed Sultan Selim Mosque in Edirne. Later on Turkey as a republic would begin to produce stamps such as many other countries were doing. The first stamp of the new Turkish Republic appeared on Jan. 1, 1924 and had a picture of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and commemorated the Lausanne Treaty. The first philately society in Turkey was established in 1948 in Istanbul and other societies were opened in other large cities around the country. Today there is a Turkish Federation of Philatelic Associations and it has an agreement with ISFILA (Istanbul Philatelic and Cultural Co.) allowing the latter to certify the authenticity of stamps. Established in 1992 by a group of philatelists, the organization also sells stamps at its Nisantasi headquarters and via the Internet and organizes five to six auctions every year. The Federation and the Istanbul Philatelic Association share offices with ISFILA, which has as its goal making Turkish stamps popular. It also sponsors books and publications on Turkish philately.
One of t he more interesting events in stamp history will take place in London when a penny black, one of the few existing examples of the first British stamp ever produced for a public postal system in 1840 goes on sale at a Sotheby’s auction. One price given for an unused penny black was $3000 in 2000. Sotheby’s is expecting somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000 British pounds (approx. $14,500 to $17,400).
"It is very exciting for collectors to follow a rare collector’s item being auctioned, probably reminding them of the auctions that they have participated in and at the end, either won or lostÉ I am sure the auction for the British 1840 penny black will be followed with a similar excitement," Dr. Atom Damali, one of Turkey’s leading expert collectors of Ottoman coins and stamps told the Daily News. "Unfortunately in Turkey such philatelic rare material does not reach so high values. But there are quite a number single stamps or envelopes reaching the $5,000 Ğ 10,000 levels. The value of the stamps or envelopes are directly related to the number of collectors and supply of the items. The interest in Turkish and especially Ottoman stamps and covers is increasing rapidly. Ottoman philately, which started with canceled envelopes in the 1840s is practised by the collectors of many countries. When you look at the number of countries that were formed from the ruins of the Otoman Empire, you can imagine the extent of the international interest shown to Otoman stamps.
Not just collecting stamps but setting up an Ottoman archive
"Actually my interest in collections is not limited to stamps or coins. I am trying to set up an archive for Otoman history through documents, objects etc. Therefore I am interested in all documents like stamps, envelopes, invoices, fiscal papers, postcards, photographs, lottery tickets, newspapers, invitations, social aid reciepts, shares and bonds, coins, tokens, medals, orders, badges, firmans (decrees) and many different kinds of objects. These when combined with a related historical event or period, create an opportunity for understanding the history itself better. Actually these are the main evidence or supporting documents the historical events.
"In September 2010 there will be a major exhibition on Otoman Philately. People will be able to examine the most important collections participating from many regions of the world. Such exhibitions are very important for increasing the awareness of the young generation to collections. Young people have to start at some point so that they may also find their place among the important collectors in future."
A hobby to some, profession to others
Stamp collecting can get into one’s blood. After the postage stamp was first introduced in 1840, collecting in the West became something that children and teenagers did and it was only 20-30 years later that grownups decided it was a hobby worth pursuing. Then it turned into being a business.
You can be a stamp collector just for the fun of it. Some countries produce beautiful stamps in order to earn extra money. Lovely colors, delicate designs, animals, birds, scenery, squares, oblongs, triangles, etc. If one wants, one can collect just one type of stamp or stamps from only one country. Or one can go in for serious collecting of rare stamps. One needs an album, a magnifying glass and tweezers designed especially for use with stamps. Handling a stamp can transfer the oil in one's skin onto the stamp and that can lower its value. There are differences between a pristine unused stamp, a used stamp, a canceled stamp, a first-day envelope with a canceled stamp and the like. Some stamps are so common that they are barely worth their face value. So if one owns two of a kind, one might be able to trade one for a stamp one doesn’t have. Or even just use it if one still uses snail mail.
At one time, speculators bought loads of stamps thinking of it as a long term investment. However, the stamps never became rare so they were left with these stamps. At another, forging Turkish stamps became rather widespread and people were advised to stay away from them. But today the market looks quite good and seems to have recovered well.
In later years for instance in the Ottoman Empire, communications worked in the same way for the government but the various foreign embassies had their own agreements with the Ottoman government so that they could maintain "swift" communications with their own governments.
Finally this led to the establishment of regular post offices as we know them today where the letter being sent could be weighed and a price charged. The stamp essentially certified that cost had been paid.
On Jan. 1, 1863 the Ottoman government under Sultan Abdülaziz whose official signature or tugra was in the center issued its first adhesive postage stamp. It was rectangular and unperforated. In 1863 Turkey became the second independent country in Asia (after Russia) to issue adhesive stamps; at the time Turkey was not considered a part of Europe. The Ottomans were a founding member of the General Postal Union in 1875, an organization that regulated the way that mail passed between countries.
The Ottomans also were the first country in the world to issue an octagonal, perforated stamp.
The first Ottoman stamp with a picture on it appeared in 1913 and showed Sultan Selim Mosque in Edirne. Later on Turkey as a republic would begin to produce stamps such as many other countries were doing. The first stamp of the new Turkish Republic appeared on Jan. 1, 1924 and had a picture of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and commemorated the Lausanne Treaty. The first philately society in Turkey was established in 1948 in Istanbul and other societies were opened in other large cities around the country. Today there is a Turkish Federation of Philatelic Associations and it has an agreement with ISFILA (Istanbul Philatelic and Cultural Co.) allowing the latter to certify the authenticity of stamps. Established in 1992 by a group of philatelists, the organization also sells stamps at its Nisantasi headquarters and via the Internet and organizes five to six auctions every year. The Federation and the Istanbul Philatelic Association share offices with ISFILA, which has as its goal making Turkish stamps popular. It also sponsors books and publications on Turkish philately.
One of t he more interesting events in stamp history will take place in London when a penny black, one of the few existing examples of the first British stamp ever produced for a public postal system in 1840 goes on sale at a Sotheby’s auction. One price given for an unused penny black was $3000 in 2000. Sotheby’s is expecting somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000 British pounds (approx. $14,500 to $17,400).
"It is very exciting for collectors to follow a rare collector’s item being auctioned, probably reminding them of the auctions that they have participated in and at the end, either won or lostÉ I am sure the auction for the British 1840 penny black will be followed with a similar excitement," Dr. Atom Damali, one of Turkey’s leading expert collectors of Ottoman coins and stamps told the Daily News. "Unfortunately in Turkey such philatelic rare material does not reach so high values. But there are quite a number single stamps or envelopes reaching the $5,000 Ğ 10,000 levels. The value of the stamps or envelopes are directly related to the number of collectors and supply of the items. The interest in Turkish and especially Ottoman stamps and covers is increasing rapidly. Ottoman philately, which started with canceled envelopes in the 1840s is practised by the collectors of many countries. When you look at the number of countries that were formed from the ruins of the Otoman Empire, you can imagine the extent of the international interest shown to Otoman stamps.
Not just collecting stamps but setting up an Ottoman archive
"Actually my interest in collections is not limited to stamps or coins. I am trying to set up an archive for Otoman history through documents, objects etc. Therefore I am interested in all documents like stamps, envelopes, invoices, fiscal papers, postcards, photographs, lottery tickets, newspapers, invitations, social aid reciepts, shares and bonds, coins, tokens, medals, orders, badges, firmans (decrees) and many different kinds of objects. These when combined with a related historical event or period, create an opportunity for understanding the history itself better. Actually these are the main evidence or supporting documents the historical events.
"In September 2010 there will be a major exhibition on Otoman Philately. People will be able to examine the most important collections participating from many regions of the world. Such exhibitions are very important for increasing the awareness of the young generation to collections. Young people have to start at some point so that they may also find their place among the important collectors in future."
A hobby to some, profession to others
Stamp collecting can get into one’s blood. After the postage stamp was first introduced in 1840, collecting in the West became something that children and teenagers did and it was only 20-30 years later that grownups decided it was a hobby worth pursuing. Then it turned into being a business.
You can be a stamp collector just for the fun of it. Some countries produce beautiful stamps in order to earn extra money. Lovely colors, delicate designs, animals, birds, scenery, squares, oblongs, triangles, etc. If one wants, one can collect just one type of stamp or stamps from only one country. Or one can go in for serious collecting of rare stamps. One needs an album, a magnifying glass and tweezers designed especially for use with stamps. Handling a stamp can transfer the oil in one's skin onto the stamp and that can lower its value. There are differences between a pristine unused stamp, a used stamp, a canceled stamp, a first-day envelope with a canceled stamp and the like. Some stamps are so common that they are barely worth their face value. So if one owns two of a kind, one might be able to trade one for a stamp one doesn’t have. Or even just use it if one still uses snail mail.
At one time, speculators bought loads of stamps thinking of it as a long term investment. However, the stamps never became rare so they were left with these stamps. At another, forging Turkish stamps became rather widespread and people were advised to stay away from them. But today the market looks quite good and seems to have recovered well.