page_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Turkey
section_title: Early Twentieth Century
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Turkey / Ottoman Empire / Early Twentieth Century
caption_attribution_description: English: A 2 piastres stamp of Ottoman Empire, 1909, Scott Cat. no. 155. Русский: Почтовая марка Османской империи 1909 г. номиналом 2 пиастра, Скотт № 155.
context_page_description: The postal history of Turkey and its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, dates to the 18th century when foreign countries maintained courier services through their consular offices in the Empire. Although delayed in the development of its own postal service, in 1863 the Ottoman Empire became the second independent country in Asia to issue adhesive postage stamps, and in 1875, it became a founding member of the General Postal Union, soon to become the Universal Postal Union. The Ottoman Empire became the Republic of Turkey in 1923, and in the following years, its postal service became more modernized and efficient and its postage stamps expertly designed and manufactured.
  The Ottoman Empire's early or "classic" stamp issues between 1863 and 1888 are popular among philatelists, and its postal cancellations have received extensive study. Philatelists collect stamps used in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, such as Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Greece. Turkey's stamps also have a complex history of overprints of interest to philatelists.
context_section_description: From 1901 through 1911, the Ottoman Empire issued a number of stamps with similar designs including the Tughra of the reigning monarch. All early Ottoman stamps were printed in the Ottoman Empire, with the exception of the first two Duloz issues printed in Paris (see above). All these stamps also had a distinct Turkish appearance until 1913, when a series of stamps was issued commemorating the recapture of Adrianople from the Bulgarians.  These stamps were designed by Oskan Effendi and were engraved and printed in England by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., Ltd., and are in a more international style, with central vignettes surrounded by a frame.  An example is illustrated in the lead to this article.
  In early 1914, a series of finely engraved stamps, some in two colors, was issued depicting scenes of Constantinople and other images.  They were designed by Oskan Effendi and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in England, and also have a more international appearance to them.
caption: Typical early 20th Century stamp.
exif: {}