FORERUNNERS

Russian Post Offices

In the early 19th century, the Russians established  shipping Postcard sent on Christmas 1899 from Bethlehem via private courier to Jerusalem, then by the Austrian Post to Germany routes in the Eastern Mediterranean and provided a mail service. Russian postal service in the Ottoman Empire began in 1856 operated by the Russian Company of Trade and Navigation (Russkoe Obschchestvo Parokhodstva i Torgovli or ROPiT ). ROPiT  handled mail service between the various offices, and  forwarded mail to Russia through Odessa and their offices received a status equivalent to regular Russian  post offices in 1863. ROPiT     shipping and postal agencies existed in Akko (1868–1873), Haifa (1859–1860, 1906–1914), Jaffa (1857–1914) and Jerusalem  (1901–1914).

Postage stamps and postal history of Palestine  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This page was last modified on 25 March 2017, at 14:49.

Postal Cards & Envelopes, Turkish Period Mail From the Holy Land, The Israel Philatelist, February, 2011, p. 40.

Rare Russian Forerunner, New Zealand, The Israel Philatelist, February 2011, p. 12.

Figure 6. Another 3 Kop postcard is shown in Figure 6. It was mailed on June 29, 1905 from Ekaterinoslav to Jerusalem by the Zionist leader M. Usishkin, just before he left for the 7th Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. This postcard is also underpaid 1 Kop, therefore an encircled “T” was applied, probably by the office of origin.  Further  markings  are  an  Odessa  transit  mark  on  July 1, and “ROPIT JERUSALEM” arrival dated July 19, 1905.

Taxed Mail of the Ottoman Period Part 2, The Israel Philatelist, June 2012, p. 95.

The Figure 7 postcard, mailed in September 1913, bears a 2 Kop stamp and shows clear signs of another stamp which is missing. It shows a violet “T”, encircled by small stars, a handstamp and two manuscript notations.
These manuscripts prove to be most interesting. One, in red on the lower edge, reads “To collect 2 Metaliks”. The other, in blue, reads “2 Metaliks received” followed by a signature. A Metalik was an Ottoman coin equal to 10 paras, so the tax was 20 paras, equal to \4 Kopecks (1 Kopeck = 5 paras). This tax suggests that the missing stamp was the reason for
taxation – the postcard rate was 4 Kop and the tax of 4 Kop is twice the missing 2 Kop

Unfortunately, from the four items recorded for the Russian Office, it is not possible to conclude that any of the handstamps used were applied in the Holy Land. In all likelihood they were applied at the outgoing office as is usually the case.

Taxed Mail of the Ottoman Period Part 2, The Israel Philatelist, June 2012, p. 95.

Folded letter from Jaffa to Chio Greece 1874

Description

Stampless folded letter from Jaffa to Chio. Cancelled by greenish-blue circular “JAFFA 1 OKT 74” postmark and double framed rectangular “JAFFA P.P.” postmark of the Russian Post in Jaffa.

Date

1/10/1874

Markings

“JAFFA P.P.” double framed postmark (Steichele 621)
“JAFFA 1 OKT 74” postmark in greenish-blue (Steichele 624)

Place of Origin

Jaffa

Place of destination

Chio, Greece

Object Type

Folded letter

Reg.Number

MHDA.0101.2012

http://alexandercollection.org/collectionitem.aspx#collection=116&item=1345079780&startitem=5

April 5, 2017