384. Auction

1882 (September 16), 10pa black on green, showing the “missing frame at upper right corner” variety,  tied to postal card to Karlovo by circular grid cancel in green, partial Plovdiv c.d.s. at left, a rare example of this flaw.

1880/1, 20pa black and rose, affixed to postal card, with attached reply card, tied by blue “Obrasets” (SPECIMEN) handstamp in blue, scarce and fine.

1882 (October 3), 20pa black & rose, the scarce paler shade, tied to reply card from Budapest by blue crayon, sent via Constantinople, with c.d.s. transit backstamp (Oct 8), received by the Austrian Post Office in Plovdiv, with black Filipopoli arrival c.d.s. on front (Oct 11), a most unusual usage.

1884 (July 8), 20pa black on rose, perforated 13-¼,, horizontal pair, tied to reverse of cover by blue circular grid cancel, front with Karlovo despatch c.d.s., reverse with Kazanlik (Jul 10) and Gabrovo (Jul 12) transit marks, Svischtov (Swischtow) c.d.s. receiver (Jul 14), piece torn from lower left corner, impacting one cancellation, else a fine example of the 1pi foreign letter rate.

1884 (August), 20pa black & rose, perforated 13.5, dark shade, tied to postal card by green circular grid cancel, matching Plovdiv despatch c.d.s., to Vienna, Austria, with Constantinople-Galata / Départ transit c.d.s. of the French Post Office (Aug 9) and Istamboul - Arrivée c.d.s. backstamp, Mariahilf-Wien c.d.s. receiver (Aug 12), crease at upper left, some surface abraisions to reverse, else a fine example of the 20pa foreign postcard rate.

1884 (August 17), 20pa black & rose, perforated 13.5, tied to postal card to Sofia by blue circular grid cancel, corresponding Poste Yambol despatch c.d.s., transported by rail, with blue “Roumelie Orientale / Du Train” transit backstamp (Aug 18), next-day Sophia receiver struck on front, some light edge toning to card, yet a rare railway cancellation.  

1884 (October 20), 20pa black and rose, perforated 13.5, tied to postal card to Dédéagh by green circular grid cancel, postmarked with green Tatar Pazardjik despatch c.d.s., reverse with partial Constantinople French transit c.d.s. in blue (Oct 24), a fine example to a scarce destination.

1884 (November 28), 20pa black on rose, perforated 13.5, tied to postal card to Vienna, Austria, by blue circular grid cancel and Plovdiv c.d.s., Constantinople - Galata / Départ transit (13 Dec) and Landstrasse / Wien arrival (16 Dec) cd.s. on front, slight toning in places, else a fine stationery card to an uncommon foreign destination.

1885 (July 24), 20pa black & rose, perforated 13.5, horizontal pair, tied to cover to Plovdiv by blue circular grid cancel, Ichtiman c.d.s. despatch below, reverse with next-day blue bilingual c.d.s. receiver, with enclosure, pair slightly separated prior to being affixed to cover, a few trivial edge flaws, else a fine example of the 1pi double inland letter rate.

1885 (September 20), postal card written from Archialos (Achielo), franked with 5pa lilac horizontal pair, tied to postcard to Plovdiv by green circular grid cancel, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp (Sep 25), a fine and scarce usage, sent following the issuance of the overprinted Lion stamps, but before their receipt by post offices in more outlying areas, this example being from a small town on the Black Sea. 

1885 (September 4), edition of the newspaper “Kampf”, Issue 15, Vol. 1, franked with 1884 10pa green on light green, perforated 11.5, tied by black circular grid cancel, dispatched from Plovdiv to Sofia and returned to Plovdiv, a scarce usage of historical importance, the newspaper positively reporting on the  September 2 uprisings in Panagyurishte, and published the day prior to the coup of September 6. 

"PHILIPOPLE 12/VI 84", blue c.d.s. on large-size official cover (reduced at top and left), addressed to the Grand Vizier at Constantinople, with arrival mark. Opinion Todd AIEP (2015)

1879 (December 9), stampless cover, from Plovdiv to Worms, via Constantinople, handstamped “FRANCO” in blue, with blue c.d.s. transit marks (Dec. 23) on front and back, some toning, yet a rare cover, one of only a small number of such examples recorded following the closure of the last Russian field post offices and transfer of civil mail responsibility to Eastern Rumelia, but before adhesive stamps had arrive from Constantinople in late 1880.

1880, postal stationery card to Captain Merzenier, Plovdiv Staff, postmarked with scare Russian-type “Posta Haskeuy” despatch c.d.s., Plovdiv c.d.s. receiver on reverse, some small stains to front, not detracting from this scarce card, one of only two recorded used examples of this stationery not having been struck “FRANCO”; with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1880 (January), group of nine postal stationery cards, showing examples printed on thin light paper without “FRANCO” handstamp, thick grey paper without “FRANCO” handstamp, thin light paper with 30mm “FRANCO” handstamp, thick grey paper with 30mm “FRANCO” handstamp, thick grey paper with short-form (29.5mm) “FRANCO” handstamp, thick grey paper with long-form (31mm) “FRANCO” handstamp, “FRANCO” overprint doubled, and examples on both thick and light paper showing “FRANCO” in light blue and “Ostrumelische Post” in dark blue, usual corner creases and edge wear, a chiefly fine and ideal group for the specialist.

1880 (January 16), prepaid stampless cover to Constantinople, struck with blue Plovdiv c.d.s., straight-line FRANCO in blue below, with c.d.s. arrival backstamp (Jan 31), opening tear to back flap and some light creasing, else fine.

Note: responsibility for civil mails passed to Eastern Rumelian authorities in mid-1879, though adhesive stamps were not available until late 1880.  

1880 (February 13), 10pa postal stationery card, sent from Stara Zaragoza to book dealer Christo G. Danov in Plovdiv, small edge stains mostly confined to lower left, scarce.

1880 (March 11), registered cover from Tatar Pazardjik to Adrianopel, likely paid 1-1/2pi letter rate plus 1-1/2pi registration fee, struck FRANCO in black due to unavailability of postage stamps for prepayment, neatly-struck Plovdiv transit on front (March 11), reverse with faint c.d.s. arrival backstamp, some toning, cover reduced at right, yet a scarce example of registered mail from this short-lived period.

1880 (March 28), stampless cover from Plovdiv to Elisabetgrad (Kropyvnytskyi, in present-day Ukraine), endorsed “en Russie”, struck with blue despatch c.d.s. and “FRANCO” in matching ink, Constantinople transit c.d.s. (Mar 30) on front, shortpaid and struck with black circular “T” due mark, “14” (kopecks) in manuscript alongside, a a fine and scarce postage due cover from the short period following the withdrawl of Russian troops, but before the delivery of postage stamps.

1880 (June 25), stampless cover to London, prepaid and struck with blue FRANCO straight-line, alongside fine Plovdiv despatch c.d.s. and Constantinople transit (Jul 9), reverse with second transit c.d.s. and London c.d.s. receiver (Jul 14), portion torn from back, clear of postmarks, cover opened on three sides for display, but a scarce usage to a foreign destination, with clearer strikes than often seen.

1880 (September 1), stampless cover from Jambol to Adrianopel, Turkey, with next-day blue c.d.s. arrival backstamp, blue “FRANCO” struck on front, light spots of toning, else fine.

1880 (19 October), 20pa violet on green and 2pi black & yellow-brown 1876 issues of Turkey, tied to registered cover to Plovdiv by blue Constantinople c.d.s., manuscript notation on reverse “destinatair inconnu” and handstamped on front with blue RETOUR, reduced at left and opened at bottom, some tone spots, yet an uncommon registered & returned to sender cover to Eastern Rumelia.

1881, 20pa black on rose “Empire” issue, two singles, in combination with 2pi “RO” overprinted vertical pair, tied to cover piece by blue Plovdiv c.d.s., adhesives with a few small tone spots, trivial given the unique status of this piece, being the only known mixed franking of these issues, with no covers recorded; signed Alberto Diena.  Provenance: Collection Earl Galitz, Corinphila, June 2016, lot 4134.

1881 (January 11), cover franked with 20pa black on rose horizontal pair, paying the 1pi foreign letter rate, tied to cover to Schumen by blue circular grid cancel, matching blue Plovdiv despatch c.d.s. below, reverse with Varna c.d.s. transit (13 Jan), with Schumen c.d.s. receiver on front, the odd spot of toning, else fine.

1881 (March 27), 20pa black & pale rose, four singles, tied to back of registered cover to Constantinople with blue circular grid cancels, partial blue Yambol despatch c.d.s. on front, handstamped “Recommandee” in blue, reverse with neatly-struck blue Constantinople/Arrivee receiver (Apr 11), some tone spots to envelope and adhesives, one 20pa stamp with portion torn off, cover slightly reduced at right, yet a scarce example of the 2pi registered foreign letter rate.