1913 Scott 252 20pa red "Mosque of Selim, Adrianople" Quick History Turkey is located in Southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Ottoman Empire reigned from there between 1299 - 1922, and then the Republic of Turkey was born in 1923. 1863 Scott 7 1pi black/gray "Tughra" Lithographed, Red Band, Thick Surface Colored Paper The Ottoman Empire issued its first postage stamp on January 1, 1863 with the "Tughra", the calligraphic monogram of Sultan Adul-Aziz. Ottoman Empire 1900 Between 1865-1876, the "Crescent and Star", enclosed by a central oval, and symbols of the Turkish Caliphate, were used on the so-called typographic "Duloz" stamp issues. "Duloz" Stamp Issues: 1865 Scott 11 2pi blue "Crescent and Star" The Top and Side Overprint Characters translate "Ottoman Empire Posts" These were designed and initially printed in France, but the printing plates were moved to Constantinople in 1868, where the remaining stamps were printed. 1876 Scott 55 50pa blue & yellow Ottoman Empire Issue The Ottoman Empire joined the General Postal Union (then the Universal Postal Union) in 1876. A new Empire issue was released, with the name of the country and values in both western script and Arabic script, and was intended for use to countries within the UPU. A note of caution: both common and rare issues of 19th century Ottoman Empire stamps have been extensively forged. Unfortunately, we will not have time to look into this sad reality. 1901 Scott 104 20pa magenta For Foreign Postage The 1901-1911 issues all had the Tughra of the reigning monarch. WW I proved the end of the Ottoman Empire, who had entered the war in 1914 on the side of the Central Powers. The Allies occupied Constantinople. The Sultinate was abolished by the National Assembly on November 1, 1922. Turkey Turkey was declared a republic on October 28, 1923, under the leadership of President Mustafa Kemal. 1923-25 Scott 613a 5pi violet, Type II "Crescent and Star" The "Star and Crescent" design of the first stamp issue of the Republic of Turkey marked the end of the use of the "Tughra", which had been on most stamps from 1863-1922. Note that "Constantinople" was officially changed to "Istanbul" in 1930. (I will be using either one somewhat indiscriminately.) The capital was and is Ankara, and the population was 17,800,000 in 1940. 1914 Scott 255 4pa dark brown "Column of Constantine" Into the Deep Blue The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for the Turkish (Ottoman) Empire and Turkey 1863-1942, 1303 major number descriptions. Of those, 594 are CV