Under the Treaty of Commerce of 1812 between France and Turkey, a French Post Office was established in Constantinople. The treaty was suspended in 1827 after war broke out between Turkey and the Allies. The French Colonial Post Office system in Turkey resumed operation in 1835 with offices in Constantinople and Smyrna as well as other locations. 

From 1857 to 1884, contemporary French postage stamps were used and cancelled with duplex postmarks bearing a number affiliated with each specific French Post Office. The numbers were in two sizes and simply noted as large or small. The use of specific numeric postmarks for French Post Offices in Turkey (Levant) continued until mid-1884, when the French government began overprinting postage stamps specifically for those foreign French Post Offices. 

Though Constantinople (3707 small and 5083 large) and Smyrna (3709 small and 5098 large) are most prevalent in collections, they still command premiums above standard usage of the same issues in France. The postmark applied here features a city-date stamped cancel for Smyrna (modern Izmir) as the foreign French Post Office of the letter's origin.

Scott Catalogue Number: #30 (Pair, On-Paper Remnant)

Stamp Issue Date: 1863

Stamp Color: Red Brown, Yellowish

Condition: Sound w/envelope paper fragment; no hidden faults. 

Ships FREE!

Offers Welcome!

Member:

Olympia Philatelic Society

American Philatelic Society

U.S. Postal Classics Society

Tacoma (WA) Stamp Club, former president