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GERMAN POST OFFICES ABROAD
POST OFFICES IN TURKEY

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Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: .

The first German post office in Turkey was opened in 1870 in Constantinopel (now called Instanbul). Post offices existed in Beirut, Constantinopel, Jaffa, Jersusalem and Smyrna. In the first period the stamps of the North German Confederation and the German Empire were used, examples:

"Constantinopel" Cancellation on North German Confederation "Constantinopel" Cancellation on North German Confederation
"Constantinopel" Cancellation on 5 g stamp of Germany 'Constantinopel' cancel

"Constantinopel" Cancellation on 2 Mk stamp of Germany
(Reduced size)

1884 Stamps of the German Empire of 1880, overprinted in 'PARA' or 'PIASTER'

2 1/2 Pi on 50 p grey

20 pa on 10 p red 1 Pi on 20 p blue
(reduced sizes)

Constantinopel (nowadays called Instanbul) cancel

  '10 PARA 10' on 5 p lilac
  '20 PARA 20' on 10 p red
  '1 PIASTER 1' on 20 p blue
  '1 1/4 PIASTER 1 1/4' on 25 p brown
  '2 1/2 PIASTER 2 1/2' on 50 p grey

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
10 pa on 5 p******Reprint (10000 copies printed): **
20 pa on 10 p***R2 Types (overprint about 16 1/2 mm or 17 mm)
Reprint (10000 copies printed): **
1 Pi on 20 p (overprint blue) RRRReprint : ***
1 Pi on 20 p (overprint black) ****Reprint : *
1 1/4 Pi on 25 p RR2 Types (type I: '4' touches or doesn't touch large '1')
Reprint (9000 copies printed): **
2 1/2 Pi on 50 pRRR2 Types (type II: 'P' higher than other letters)
Reprint (7600 copies printed): **

The reprints were made in 1891. I've been told that they have a more 'shining' overprint than the genuine overprints. Example of a reprint:


(Reprint of the 2 1/2 Pi on 50 p)

Reprints with forged cancels exist.

A 'reprint' of the 1 Pi on 20 p light blue stamp was made by the forger Fouré (not to be confused with the forger Fournier!).

 

1889 Stamps of the German Empire of 1889, overprinted in 'PARA' or 'PIASTER'

1 Piaster on 20 p blue 

 '10 PARA 10' on 5 p green
 '20 PARA 20' on 10 p red
 '1 PIASTER 1' on 20 p blue
 '1 1/4 PIASTER 1 1/4' on 25 p orange
 '2 1/2 PIASTER 2 1/2' on 50 p brown\

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
10 pa on 5 p** 
20 pa on 10 p** 
1 Pi on 20 p*c 
1 1/4 Pi on 25 p **** 
2 1/2 Pi on 50 p** 

 

1900 Stamps of the German Empire of 1900, overprinted in 'PARA' or 'PIASTER'

'PARA' or 'PIASTER' on 'REICHSPOST' issue

10 pa on 5 p green "REICHSPOST" 1 Pi on 20 p blue, type I 1 Pi on 20 p blue, type II 

  '10 PARA 10' on 5 p green
  '20 PARA 20' on 10 p red
  '1 PIASTER 1' on 20 p blue
  '1 1/4 PIASTER 1 1/4' on 25 p orange and black on yellow
  '1 1/2 PIASTER 1 1/2' on 30 p orange and black
  '2 PIASTER 2' on 40 p red and black
  '2 1/2 PIASTER 2 1/2' on 50 p violet and black
  '4 PIASTER 4' on 80 p red and black on red

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
10 pa on 5 pccTwo types, see explanation after 'Mark' issues
20 pa on 10 pccTwo types, see explanation after 'Mark' issues
1 Pi on 20 pccTwo types, see explanation after 'Mark' issues
1 1/4 Pi on 25 p *** 
1 1/2 Pi on 30 p** 
2 Pi on 40 p** 
2 1/2 Pi on 50 p*** 
4 Pi on 80 p**** 
Larger size

Overprint type I Overprint type II

  '5 PIASTER 5' on 1 M red
  '10 PIASTER 10' on 2 M blue
  '15 PIASTER 15' on 3 M violet
  '25 PIASTER 25' on 5 M red an black

There are two types of this overprint, easily distinguishable by the 'A' of 'PIASTER' or 'PARA', this letter has no top stroke in type I, it has a top stroke in type II.


(Two types of the overprint, left for the 1 M stamps and right for 5 p stamps; on top type I and below type II)

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
5 Pi on 1 M******Two types
10 Pi on 2 M******Two types
15 Pi on 3 MRR 
25 Pi on 5 M RRRRTwo types

'PARA' or 'PIASTER' (in gothic) on 'DEUTSCHES REICH' issue of 1903

1 Pi on 20 p blue 2 Pi on 40 p red and black 

  '10 PARA 10' on 5 p green
  '20 PARA 20' on 10 p red
  '1 PIASTER 1' on 20 p blue
  '1 1/4 PIASTER 1 1/4' on 25 p orange and black on yellow
  '1 1/2 PIASTER 1 1/2' on 30 p orange and black
  '2 PIASTER 2' on 40 p red and black
  '2 1/2 PIASTER 2 1/2' on 50 p violet and black
  '4 PIASTER 4' on 80 p red and black on red

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
No watermark (1905)
10 pa on 5 p** 
20 pa on 10 p** 
1 Pi on 20 p*c 
1 1/4 Pi on 25 p *** 
1 1/2 Pi on 30 p*** 
2 Pi on 40 p**** 
2 1/2 Pi on 50 p**** 
4 Pi on 80 p **** 
With watermark 'Lozenges' (1906)
10 pa on 5 pcc 
20 pa on 10 pcc 
1 Pi on 20 pcc 
1 1/4 Pi on 25 p ***** 
1 1/2 Pi on 30 p** 
2 Pi on 40 p** 
2 1/2 Pi on 50 p***** 
4 Pi on 80 p **** 
Larger size

  '5 PIASTER 5' on 1 M red
  '10 PIASTER 10' on 2 M blue
  '15 PIASTER 15' on 3 M violet
  '25 PIASTER 25' on 5 M red an black

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
No watermark (1905)
5 Pi on 1 M****** 
10 Pi on 2 M***R 
15 Pi on 3 MRR 
25 Pi on 5 MRRRR 
With watermark 'Lozenges' (1906)
5 Pi on 1 M***** 
10 Pi on 2 MR*** 
15 Pi on 3 M***RR 
25 Pi on 5 M***R 

Cancels, examples:

5 Pi on 1 M red, cancelled in Smyrna
(stamp cancelled in Smyrna, reduced size)

1 Pi on 20 p blue, type II
(Stamps used in Jerusalem, Beirut and Smyrna)

 

1908 Stamps of the German Empire of 1903, overprinted in 'Centimes'

5 Centimes on 5 p green 

  '5 Centimes' on 5 p green
  '10 Centimes' on 10 p red
  '25 Centimes' on 20 p blue
  '50 Centimes' on 40 p red and black
  '100 Centimes' on 80 p red and black on red

These stamps have watermark 'Lozenges'.

Value of the stamps

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon
*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare
ValueUnusedUsedRemarks
5 c on 5 pc* 
10 c on 10 pc* 
25 c on 20 p**** 
50 c on 40 p****** 
100 c on 80 p***R 

 

In 1914 all German post offices in Turkey ceased to exist.

Forgeries

In the Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries the following cancel can be found: 'CONTANTINOPEL 2 10/1 85 1-2N DEUTSCHE POST':

If anybody has seen this forged cancel used on stamps, please contact me!

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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