Bidspirit auction | Russian Postal Service in Ottoman

Russian Postal Service in Ottoman Eretz Israel – Two Original Russian Levant Stamps Used in the Russian Post Offices of Jaffa, Acre, Haifa and Jerusalem - Philatelic display page presenting two original stamps of the Russian postal service that operated within the Ottoman Empire in Eretz Israel. The Russian postal network functioned as part of the system of foreign post offices established in major ports and cities of the Near East, serving pilgrims, merchants and foreign institutions. The page includes two Russian Levant stamps together with a printed explanatory text describing the activity of the Russian postal system in the region. These stamps belong to the series issued for use in Russian post offices operating in Ottoman Turkey. The accompanying text notes that Russia operated postal offices in the Ottoman Empire as early as 1748. In 1856 the Russian steamship company R.O.P.I.T. helped establish a reliable postal service. Local agencies in several cities functioned as post offices, including Jaffa, Acre, Haifa and Jerusalem. The Jerusalem office opened in 1901, and all of the offices closed on October 1, 1914 with the outbreak of World War I. Stamps included on the page: • Scott #84 (Or #359) • Scott #74 (Or #351) A philatelic display item illustrating an early and fascinating chapter in the postal history of Eretz Israel, when foreign powers maintained independent postal services within the Ottoman Empire. Overall very good condition. The stamps are well preserved and mounted on a printed display page. An interesting item for collectors of Levant stamps, Russian foreign post offices, and the postal history of Eretz Israel. Items from the collections of Jacob Yablok - VirtualJewishmuseum.com.