Petite Treasures – May 2026.

1902, LATTAQUIE JUIL/24/902 cds. on envelope bearing 1 pia. violet-blue, commercial lokal imprint, to London with arrival mark on reverse 5/AU/02, fine and a scarce forerunner.

1870, Austrian P.O. small type Smirne 19.2.70 cds. on an unfranked folded letter to Italy, alongside boxed “Piroscafi Postali Italiani” ship mark, on reverse transits Brindisi and Milano and arrival Brescia 26.2.70. At arrival mix of Italian postage due 0.10 c. (1869 issue) and 60 c. (issue 1870, small corner defect lower right) tied by Brescia 26.2.70 cds., with complete content, two faint registration marks through postage, otherwise fine and attractive. Interesting armenian imprint AVAKIAN FRERES SMYRNE inside and blue cachet on front.

1908, Jericho picture postcard franked with Ottoman, French Levant, Port Said and Egypt adhesives cancelled Jaffa, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Port Said, used in combination with Russian Levant 20 Para on 4 kop. carmine, tied by violet datestamp "R.O.P.I.T  JAFFA", unaddressed but very attractive, fine four-country combination, with the rare Jaffa Ropit cancel.

BAGDAD: "BAGDAD TURQUIE FEV 19 1879" on Duloz surcharge ½ pia. on 20 pa. green in horizontal pair in combination with Ampir 1876 10 pa. black/lilac on small envelope to Tabriz, Persia; a fine cover with quite unusual combination.

1901/02, OVERLAND MAIL & SHIP MAIL: two Turkey postal stationery cards cancelled DIARBEKIR TURQUIE following different routes to Karnal India. First overland from 11.1.01 with turkish transit mark BAGDAD 27.1.01, British P.O. BAGDAD 20.JAN.01 and arrival mark KARNAL 28 FE 01. The second written 11 month later from 21.DEC 1901, transit marks Stamboul 26.12.01, ALEXANDRIE 30.12.01, SEA POST OFFICE 5.JAN.02 and arrival mark KARNAL 12 JA 02. Both written by an Armenian to the same address in Karnal Panjab. A very interesting corrosponding pair and scarce postal history.

1889, Bagdad provisional issue 1 piaster on 2 piaster bisect diagonally on envelope, tied by "BAGHDAD TURQUIE" c.d.s. with arrival mark "KERBELA 15/NOV/89" on reverse, shortened at left and tiny toned, otherwise fine. In PROFI archive earliest recorded usage of the Bagdad provisional, very scarce

1890, "POSTAHANE-I BAGDAD 99" all arabic cancellation on envelope bearing 1 piaster on 2 piaster Bagdad provisional issue with arrival mark "POSTAHANE-I HANEKIN 95" on front, tiny shortened at left and crease, otherwise fine, attractive cover showing very clear cancellations, scarce

1892, Baghdad provisional issue 1 pia. on 2 pia. yellow bisect diagonally tied by clear "POSTAHANE-I BAGDAD" to cover, addressed to ERBIL with boxed arrival mark (Brand-Ceylan no.IX-52) alongside, few tiny spots, otherwise fine, a very attractive and scarce Iraq and Turkey local forerunner

1892, Baghdad provisional issue 1 pia. on 2 pia. yellow-olive on yellow diagonally bisected tied by all arabic negative mark “POSTAHANE-I BAGDAD” to cover, arrival mark “POSTAHANE-I HANEKIN 95” (Coles-Walker no.19) on front, vertical fold, shortened at right and cut on flap, otherwise fine, a very scarce Local issue

1875, AL-BAZOURIYAH: 1 pia. yellow on folded envelope tied by "SHAM 81" (Coles-Walker No.31), transit mark all arabic BEZOURYE 288 (Coles-W. unrecorded, A&P No.1, RRR), addressed to Beyrouth, file fold, otherwise fine, very scarce Turkey and Lebanon forerunner

1894, BRUMANA: 1 pia. blue three stamps on registered envelope, two tied by "BRUMANA POSTA SUBESI" (Coles-Walker No.75, AP Type 04, no.1,RRR) all arabic type cancellation, one stamp tied by BEYROUTH c.d.s., transit “LIGNE N PAQ. FR.  No.3 2/2/94” on front and arrival mark BERLIN 21.294, tiny spot and some flaw on front and border, according to A&P less than five recorded, very clear cancellations, This cover is shown in Coles Walker catalogue 

1898, 20 para dull violet tied to cover by JAFFA 3/MAR/98 cds., oval "T" for taxe and blue crayon 12 1/2, addressed to USA, at arrivel postage due 5 c. tied by Brooklyn Sta.C. MAR/19/98 cds. on reverse, opened out for display, border tiny toned otherwise fine and an extremely scarce mix usage.

1871, "SHAM 81" handstamp in black (Coles & Walker no. 31, Damascus) framed all arabic cancellation on folded envelope with content, bearing Duloz 2 pi. orange-red, diagonally bisected, cut to shape, addressed to Beirut, usual file fold and tiny toned, otherwise fine. A scarce Syria forerunner

1906, DERA 20/6/06 bilingual c.d.s. on postcard to France bearing 1905 issue 20 para on front, clear cancelled, on reverse Malain 1/7/06 arrival mark. Fine and scarce (Coles & Walker no.50)

1916, DJISRICHOUOUR 6.10.16 cds. (AP no.3, Coles-W. no.78 / Jisr-esh-Shugur) two times clear on envelope bearing 1 pia. blue and 10 pa. green war orphans issue to BEIT UL LAHM Palestine (Coles-W. no.115) with arrival mark 15.11.16 on front, crescent and star censor of Jerusalem on front and on reverse transit marks of Alep, Damas and Jerusalem, tiny vertical crease, otherwise fine. In AP catalogue this cancellation is unrecorded on cover. An important rarity of Syria and Ottoman Empire postal history.

SANAA: 1892 (ca.), cover franked with pair 20 pa. violet of 1892, coat of arms issue and tied by SANAA (A&P type 2, R) datestamp to cover to Constantinople with arrival mark on reverse, tiny shortened on top and two pinholes, otherwise fine and very attractive. Certificate Holcombe (1991).

1894, "HODEIDA" clear blue all arabic on cover back only. Coat of Arms 2 piaster 1892 issue used bisect diagonally and blue "HUDEIDA 7 MART 310" c.d.s. alongside, black arrival mark Istanbul five weeks later "MAKRIKEUY 13 NISAN 310" cds., european date "93" adjustment wrong as often, arabic date 1894 is correct, very scarce and attractive Turkey forerunner!

1911, "HODEIDA 5" c.d.s. clear blue (Isfila no.13, scarce colour) on commercial cover with imprint bearing 1 Pia. blue block of four, transit mark PORT TAUFIQ and arrival mark BEYROUTH alongside, shortened at left, extremely rare and attractive 4 Piaster rate for a heavy letter from Yemen to Lebanon!

1913, "HODEIDA 1 - 25.11.909" (Coles-Walker type 69, no.1 unrecorded, isf.no.8) on commercial cover Max Klein (Aden) bearing two 20 pa. 1908 issue, on reverse transit mark SUEZ 5.12.09 and arrival mark Cairo 5.12.09, vertical fold, otherwise fine and attractive, very clear cancellations.

1915, official registered cover from Ministry of Health in Istanbul to the Camaran Island hospital showing bilingual "Hodeida 6" ds. and "SALIF (YEMEN) 27.9.915" cancellation (Coles-Walker no.71, 76) with annotation of the Salif postmaster "Camaran Island sea way closed due to the War time situation return to sender" a remarkable postal history item demonstrating the disruption of the First World War in Yemen, tiny border crease and tear on top, otherwise fine.

1856, Folded envelope from Manchester DE/20 1856, ms. ‘Via Marseille’ on top left, with several transit marks including, Piccadilly, french ‘Angl. Amb. Calais’, forwarding agent ‘G. Belfante Alexandrette’ adressed to Aleppo, tiny file fold and border crease, otherwise fine and scarce forwarding agent 

“BASRA” (Coles & Walker no.43, RRR*) cancellation on 1876 cover with 20 Para green / violet to Kermanchah / Irak with arrival mark on reverse, shortened on top and corner flaw, this cancellation is unknown on cover at Isfila, great rarity of Turkey & Iraq postal history 

“KIAZIMIE 23/9/07” c.d.s. (Coles-Walker no.31) on 1908 cover with 1 Pia. blue to Teheran with arrival mark, fine and very clear Iraq forerunner

“KERYE BACHI (BAGDAD)” Turkish cancellation (Isf. no.2) on telegram form.  A scarce ottoman forerunner, very clear cancelled

1913, "MOUSSOUL 1" (Coles-Walker no.70, 20 pts.) on reverse of parcel card from Hungary cancelled "SOPRON 916 JUL 3", via Zimony, to the Bank Imperial Ottoman Mosoul, for parcel fee at arrival Turkey 10 pia. blueishgreen block of four affixed on reverse and clear cancelled, minor corner faults and flaw at border, otherwise fine, a scarce destination and very high parcel fee.