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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

TURKEY 1863-1875

Türkei - Turquie

Return To Catalogue - Turkey overview - Turkey cancels on the first issues

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For the Turkey 1863 issue, click here.

1865 Star and moon, text in black (Duloz type)

In total 4 (5 if the next issue is included) different types of the black inscription exist, recognizable with the upper part of the text. The first prints were done by Poitevin in Paris, the later prints (1868 onwards) were done locally in Turkey.

  10 pa green
  10 pa brown
  10 pa lilac
  20 pa yellow
  20 pa green 
  1 Pi lilac
  2 Pi yellow
  2 Pi blue
  2 Pi red
  5 Pi red 
  5 Pi blue
  25 Pi red 
  25 Pi yellow

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
(1865 Type 1, compare upper black text, perforation 12 1/2)
10 pa green	***	***
20 pa yellow	*	*
1 Pi lilac	***	***
2 Pi blue	***	*
5 Pi red	**	***
25 Pi red	RR	RR
(1867 Type 2, perforation 12 1/2)
10 pa green (olive)	*	*
20 pa yellow (orange)	***	***
1 Pi lilac	***	***
2 Pi blue	*	**
5 Pi red	*	**
25 Pi red	RRR	RRR
(1869 Type 3, badly locally printed perforation 13 1/2, 10 pa also 12 1/2) (1869 Type 3, badly locally printed, rough irregular perforation)
10 pa brown	***	*	Exists with perforation 12 1/2: ***
10 pa lilac	RR	RR	Only exist with irregular perforation
20 pa green	***	*
1 Pi yellow	*	*
2 Pi red	*	*
5 Pi blue	*	**
25 Pi yellow	RR	RR
(1873 Type 4, perforation 13 1/2)
10 pa lilac	***	*
20 pa green	***	*
1 Pi yellow	RR	***

Postage due stamps, other colours (1865)

  20 pa brown (with black text, 2 types)
  20 pa brown (with brown border and text, 1868)
  1 Pi brown (with black text)
  1 Pi brown (with brown border and text, 1868)
  2 Pi brown (with black text)
  2 Pi brown (with brown border and text, 1868)
  5 Pi brown (with black text)
  5 Pi brown (with brown border and text, 1868)
  25 Pi brown (with black text)
  25 Pi brown (with brown border and text, 1868)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1876 Type 5, more dense text

  10 pa lilac
  20 pa green
  20 pa grey (1881)
  1 Pi yellow
  2 Pi red (1881)

(Unissued 25 Pi)

A 5 Pi and 25 Pi were prepared, but not issued?

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged and more dense text

  '1/4 Pre' on 10 pa lilac
  '1/2 Pre' on 20 pa green
  '1 1/4 Pre' on 50 pa red
  '2 Pres' on 2 Pi brown
  '5 Pres' on 5 Pi blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted with a 'beetle' like text (1917)

On type 1 of 1865

  20 pa yellow (red overprint)
  1 Pi lilac (or grey, red overprint)
  2 Pi blue (red overprint)
  5 Pi red

On postage due stamps (type 1) of 1865 (blue overprint)

  20 pa brown
  1 Pi brown
  2 Pi brown
  5 Pi brown
  25 Pi brown

On type 2 of 1867
  5 Pi red

On type 3 of 1869

  2 Pi red (perforation 13 1/2, blue overprint)
  5 Pi blue (local rough irregular perforation)
  25 Pi yellow (local rough irregular perforation, blue overprint)

On postage due stamp of 1869 (type 3)
  5 Pi brown (perforation 13 1/2, blue overprint)

On type 4 of 1873

  10 pa lilac (blue overprint)

On type 5 of 1876

  10 pa lilac (blue overprint)
  20 pa green (red overprint)
  20 pa grey (blue overprint)
  1 Pi yellow (blue overprint)
  2 Pi red (blue overprint)
  1/4 Pi on 10 pa lilac (blue overprint)
  1/2 Pi on 20 pa green (red overprint)
  1 1/4 Pi on 50 pa red (blue overprint)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

(Error of colour 1 Pi red; the colour of the 25 Pi)

Triangular overprint with 'S C P', applied in Mount Athos.

Typical cancel (for more cancels on the first issues see: Turkey cancels on the first issues):

Typical triple box cancel, here used in Tokat.

Stamps with a Mosul (nowadays Irak) cancel.

(Stamp used in Chio, Greece)

Forgeries, examples:

(Reduced sizes)

Note that the star above the moon is not nicely symmetric, it has a longer lower right foot. These forgeries were also offered by the forger Fournier (images can be found in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'). Note the typical square cancels

Fournier Album with forgeries.

Another forgery is described in 'The Spud Papers': the '5 Pres' on 5 Pi blue; in each corner there is an arabic '5' (an 'o' like figure), this figure is surrounded by an octogonal frame consisting of a white line in the originals. In this particular forgery however, it is a white circular line.

The next forgery has the 'o's (which are actually '5's in Arabic) much wider than in the genuine stamps:

Forgeries with wide "o"s. Note the two clear semicircles in the crescent. There are 57 pearls in this forgery. It is described as the fourth forgery in Album Weeds.

Another forgery set cancelled with a pattern of dots:

I know that the Spiro brothers made forgeries of at least the following values: 1 Pi brown, 5 Pi brown, '1/4 Pre' on 10 pa lilac, '1/2 Pre' on 20 pa green, '1 1/4 Pre' on 50 pa red, '2 Pres' on 2 Pi brown and '5 Pres' on 5 Pi blue. I do not know which of the above forgeries is a Spiro forgery. I've seen whole sheets of 25 stamps of these forgeries.

Strange looking 5 Pi stamp, probably a forgery.

Forgeries of the surcharged stamps, there are 43 pearls instead of 48.

A 20 pa blue forgery with no black inscription, but a very small cancel 'KONSTANTINOPEL 4 5 91 N'. There is a white outline around the star.

Another forgery with a white outline around the star. The moon is also not very convincing. It might have been a cut from a postcard very similar to the ones shown here?

Forged cancels made by Fournier, which might have been used on these stamps. The cancels were taken from 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'. The EBNOUB cancel was actually used for forgeries of Egypt (as well as the Sedfa cancel?).

For issues of Turkey from 1876 to 1900, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer