Austrian Offices In Turkey

Oops , sorry Jon, that is what happens when I view and reply on my iPhone. Great stamp Nigel and thanks for all the other L-V usage information

great thread here for a fascinating area of study. Good stuff everyone. Please keep adding to it.

Sorry if this post is a little off-topic but it may be of interest here.

I had some fun working out where this cover had been.

It was sent in 1851 from Ottoman-controlled Crete to Marseille via Trieste, Milan and Switzerland:




I believe the following is the story of its journey:

1. Chania, Crete, Ottoman Empire - 8th January

- Letter heading inside is actually dated 28th December (i.e. Old Style) but I guess this was a mistake for the 27th.

2. The island of Syros, Greece - 8th January

- Black "SYROS" (in Greek) CDS at right on the front, dated 27th December 1850 (Old Style)

- The black "DP" (in Greek) mark at the top right on the front indicates it was paid to its destination.

- Syros was the major shipping port in the area before the rise of Pireaus so its mark often turns up on early covers.

3. Trieste, Austria - 12th January

- Black "TRIEST" CDS at top right on the back

4. Milan, Lombardy-Venetia - 14th January

- Red "MILANO" mark in the top middle on the back

- I wonder if this is where the black "AT" (Autriche Transit) mark at the top on the front was applied before it was sent onwards to Switzerland.

5. Chiasso, Switzerland

- Red "VIA DE CHIASSO" mark at the top on the front.

- This was applied to letters from Lombardy-Venetia bound for Basel.

6. Basel, Switzerland

7. Saint-Louis, France - 16th January

- Red "AUTRICHE / BEAU FR 1 DE BALE" CDS at top left on the front

8. Marseille, France - 19th January

- Black "MARSEILLE" CDS bottom middle on the back

nigelc - very attractive cover - and good job on tracking the transit route. I'd consider it pre-philatelic as Greece issued its first stamp some 10 years after this was sent. I did not know about the 'AT' transit mark so theres always things to learn. What is the manuscrift annotation for tax due (on the front) - '90' - or '40'?
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Blaamand.

I agree that it is pre-philatelic. I've seen later covers like this from Crete that have a Greek large Hermes head stamp applied and cancelled on Syros.

I'm afraid I don't know what the figures on the front (or back) are.

I assume they're a charge mark but the cover was marked "DP" so I wouldn't expect the recipient to pay anything in Marseille (although maybe this wasn't recognised further along the route).

I find these kind of covers fascinating but I have very few.

Unfortunately, a few years ago I sold most of my early Crete covers and now I wish I hadn't.

Back on topic!

Here's a small group of stamps used in the Austro-Hungarian post office in Scutari (Shkodër) in Albania:



The postmark reads "SCUTARI in ALBANIEN".

That's all the Austrian Levant stamps I have arranged so far but I'll look and see if I have any other postmarks.

Wow - I say wow!
Until now I have only found 2 forerunners for Albania, but both on Turkey/Ottoman stamps - none on Austrian.
So - jealousy - again

Nice displays of Austrian in Turkey from everybody . I have a few .

Nice range floortrader.

I like the clean thimble "ALEXANDRIEN" strike from Egypt in the 1883 set.

Also nice to see another Albania office: "SANTI QUARANTA" (Sarandë) along with KERRASUNDE (both on the 1896 set).

Ahhh - nigel you beat me to it - I had just identified the same postmarks as you did, with special interest in the Alexandrien one!

Floortrader - that's a nice group, well done you!

btw - seems like the 25s in the first set may have a transit mark 'VIA DE MARE' or similar...?

And - the first stamp 2s yellow was probably also cancelled in Albania - (Dur)azzo, can't figure out what other post office it could be.

Nice!

I will show you some of my covers from Austrian office in Beirut. Hope you will enjoy it!

1873. Entire letter to SWITZERLAND tied by BERUTTI cds´s (Beirut)
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Postcard from Beirut that shows Arab women and sent to England
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Stationery envelope of 10 soldi used in Beirut on 7/8/1876 and addressed to Germany
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All very nice trabz!

I love the "MISSENT TO NEW YORK" mark.

My favourite has to be your used postal stationery envelope.

This thread just gets better and better

Thank you nigelc. I will add more items gradually!