384. Auktion

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.

1881 (March 31), 10pa black & green, perforated 13.5, horizontal pair, tied to folded letter from Klissura (per sender’s notation), cancelled with purple provisional cork cancel, to Plovdiv via Karolovo, in Karlovo further cancelled with circular blue grid and corresponding c.d.s. (Apr 1), backstamped the next day with “Poste Plovdiv” c.d.s. receiver, a fine and important cover, demonstrating both an early usage of the rare Klissura provisional cork, but also one of the latest recorded usages of the Plovdiv Russian-type c.d.s; with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1881 (April 9), registered cover franked with 10pa black & green, 20pa black & rose, and 1pi black & blue, tied to back of registered cover by blue circular grid cancels, Aitos c.d.s. despatch struck on front, with Sofia transit datestamps (April 15/16) on front and back, Orsova c.d.s. and multiple Breslau backstamps (May 5), adhesives with some toning and one 10pa stamp torn, but a rare franking, paying the 2pi foreign registered letter rate, struck with the scarce small Aitos Russian double-circle c.d.s.

1881 (April 28), folded letter, datelined Klissura, to Plovdiv, franked with two 10pa black & green, tied by dual purple cork and green circular grid cancels, blue “Post Karlovo” Russian-type c.d.s. alongside (Apr 29), reverse with bilingual Plovdiv c.d.s. arrival backstamp (Apr 30), a fine and fascinating entire, provisionally cancelled in Klissura, and datetamped only upon arrival in Karlovo; rare, with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1881 (May 13), 10pa black & green, three singles tied to newspaper “Maritza” by green circular grid cancels, paying the rate for three bundled newspapers of up to 30g, likely originating in Plovdiv as the newspaper was printed there, destination unknown as address label has fallen off, yet a rare and striking franking, likely the only such extant; with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1881 (August 5), 10pa black & green, tied to postal card to Kazanluk by blue circular grid cancel, matching Karlovo despatch c.d.s. alongside, reverse with fine strike of Kazanluk c.d.s. receiver, an early example of the usage of the bilingual circular date stamp in Eastern Rumelia.

1881 (September 6), receipt for the private conveyance of mail by Ivan Mihalev and Kanju Valkov between Sliven and Jambol, struck with blue double Post Horn negative seal “East Rumelian Post / Jambol”, light filing folds, a scarce document.

Note: Under the Eastern Rumelia postal regulations of September 1881, post offices were permitted to have mail transported privately; receipts such as these were issued for mail transported by such means.

1882 (September 28), postal card franked with two 5pa black & olive, each tied by blue grid cancel, neatly-struck Karlovo c.d.s. alongside, one adhesive further tied by next-day Plovdiv c.d.s. receiver, a most attractive example of the 10pa domestic postcard rate.

1881 (October 4), 10pa black & rose, overprinted “R.O.” in blue, tied by neatly-struck circular grid cancel in blue to bilingual newspaper “Maritza”, Vol. 3, No. 322, published in Plovdiv, adhesive with remarkably bright colour, the newspaper with trivial flaws but similarly fresh, a superb and late usage, an extremely rare example of a sound “R.O.” overprinted issue on a newspaper; with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1882 (February 9), 10pa black & lilac, overprinted “R.O.” and “Roumélie Orientale” in blue, tied by neatly-struck circular grid cancel in blue to bilingual part newspaper “Maritza”, Vol. 5, No. 360, published in Plovdiv, adhesive with various small flaws, newspaper quite fresh, both a late usage and rare franking, one of only two recorded examples recorded by Hitzler of genuine “R.O.” overprinted issue on newspaper, and the latest recorded usage of any denomination of this issue, uncommonly found used after July, 1881; with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1883 (January 23), 20pa black & rose, tied to postal card by blue Pechtera c.d.s., year date incorrectly set to “82”,  sent via Constantinople to Tatar with Constantinople Yeni-Djani transit and blue c.d.s. arrival backstamp, a few trivial stains, but an uncommon cancellation.

1883 (March 10), 20pa black & rose, tied to cover to Sheravna by blue “Poststation Schipka” Russian-type c.d.s., indistinct free strike alongside, toned and opening tear to reverse, but a scarce usage of this datestamp, with Sheravna continuing to use the Russian hammer after most other towns had replaced theirs with bilingual examples .

1883 (June 6), cover franked with 20pa black on rose horizontal pair, paying the 1pi foreign letter rate to Schumen, adhesives tied by blue Haskoy c.d.s., matching free strike at lower left, alongside Gaborovo c.d.s. transit (Jun 10), second Gabrovo backstamp (Jun 12), and Schumen c.d.s. receiver (Jun 13), somewhat roughly opened through back flap, else a fine and unusual cover, the adhesives being cancelled by a c.d.s., contrary to regulations, and both the Haskoy and Gabrovo postmarks showing inverted day or year slugs.

1883 (September 8), 10pa black & green, perforated 13.5, paying the 10pa inland postcard rate, tied to stationery card by blue Achielo c.d.s., reverse with Plovdiv c.d.s. arrival backstamp, light horizontal crease, else fine.

1883 (December 18), 5pa black & olive, tied by green grid cancel to December 15 edition of the “South Bulgarian” newspaper, with blue Plovdiv despatch c.d.s., the odd small edge tear to paper, a choice franking illustrating this inland newspaper rate. 

1884 (April 1), 10pa black & green, tied by circular grid cancel to March 28, 1884 edition of the “South Bulgarian” newspaper, with blue Plovdiv despatch c.d.s., to Tirnovo, typical small edge tears to news paper, the adhesive with some perf toning, else a fine example of the scarce foreign newspaper rate.

1884 (June 18), 1pi black & blue, tied to cover from Kazanluk to Dresden by green grid cancel, Kazanluk c.d.s. despatch, dual Gabrovo transit marks, with both Russian (Jun 19) and bilingual type (Jun 21), reverse with Russe transit (Jun 22) and Dresden (Jul 7) c.d.s. arrival backstamps, light wrinkles, else a fine single franking paying the foreign letter rate.

1884 (July 31), 20pa black & rose, dark shade, perforated 13.5, tied to postal card to Vienna by green circular grid cancel, matching green Tatar Pazardjik despatch c.d.s. at lower left, neatly-struck Constantinople-Galata / Départ transit (Aug 5) on front and Istanbul c.d.s. backstamp, redirected upon receipt in Vienna to Vardenberg, with c.d.s. receiver (Aug 10), fine.

1884 (September 5), 5pa black & olive, perforated 13.5, tied to cover by scarce green triangular Post Horn local cancel of Plovdiv, corresponding c.d.s. struck above, light vertical fold, else a desirable franking of the 5pa local post rate for printed matter, and demonstrating the recurrence in 1884 of the triangular handstamp originally introduced in 1880-81; with 2022 Hitzler certificate.

1884 (October 3), 5pa black & olive, tied to front cover of newspaper “Science” by green circular grid cancel, below struck with ornate crossed Post Horn negative seal “Eastern Rumelian Post Plovdiv”, trivial edge flaws as commonly seen, not detracting from the tremendous visual appeal of this scarce franking, illustrating the domestic printed matter rate.

1884 (October 20), 10pa green and light green, tied to large newspaper piece by blue circular grid cancel, faint “Poste Kasanlik” despatch c.d.s. alongside, a scarce franking, paying the inland newspaper rate for the 15g to 30g weight class, fine.

1884 (November 9), three 1pi black & blue, perforated 13.5, tied to registered cover to Prague by blue grid cancel, fine Poste Slivno c.d.s. despatch above, black “Constantinople-Galata / Départ” (25 Nov) transit on front, reverse with two faint c.d.s. and Prague c.d.s. receiver (28 Nov), a few trivial edge flaws of no importance given the scarcity of this striking cover, paying the 1pi registered letter fee and 2pi foreign letter rate for the second weight class. 

1884 (December 17), cover franked with 5pa lilac on pale lilac, perforated 11.5, tied to Plovdiv local cover by triangular “Plovdiv City Post” Post Horn handstamp, blue c.d.s. alongside, light vertical fold, else fine.

1884 (December 30), postal card to from Burgas to Kotal, franked with 10pa green on light green, perforated 11.5, tied by blue circular grid cancel, matching blue c.d.s. despatch below, reverse with unusual intaglio sender’s seal, a fine example of the 10pa inland postcard rate.

1885 (January 10), 20pa black & rose, perforated 13.5, tied to stationery card by green circular grid cancel, Kavakli c.d.s. despatch strike below, carried to Vienna via Burgas, with blue c.d.s. transit backstamp, oval Landstrasse/Wien receiver on front, name erased from address panel, else a fine example of the foreign postcard rate with a small village origin in present-day Turkey.

1885 (February 2), postal stationery card franked with 5pa lilac on pale lilac, perforated 11.5, tied to Plovdiv local cover by triangular “Plovdiv City Post” Post Horn  in blue, with c.d.s. struck at left, an uncommon local usage, attractive and fine.

1885 (February 20), 10pa green & light green, perforated 11.5, two singles, each tied to stationery card by blue circular grid cancel, corresponding “Poste Jambol” despatch c.d.s., to Arthur Maury in Paris, with Constantinople transit and c.d.s. arrival backstamp (Mar 11), a fine example of the 20pa foreign postcard rate.