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OTTOMAN IRAQ – KERBALA ca. 1876 – RARE MULTIPLE FRANKING
Scarce small cover used from Kerbala (Karbala), Ottoman Iraq, circa 1876.
The reverse is franked with six examples of the provisional Ottoman issue:
½ Piastre on 20 Para green – Turkey Michel 23
arranged as:
- two horizontal pairs
- two single stamps
The stamps are tied by small square native Kerbala handstamps, with an additional small circular native handstamp alongside.
The cover also retains three original red wax seals, giving the item considerable visual and postal-historical character.
This is a highly unusual multiple franking from one of the scarcer Ottoman postal offices in Iraq.
A previous sale description for this exact item states:
“A rare multiple franking on a scarce cover from Kerbala.”
The same description notes that three stamps are damaged and that the cover shows creases and minor imperfections.
Historical context
Kerbala was part of the Ottoman Empire during this period and surviving 19th-century postal history from Kerbala is considerably scarcer than mail from major Ottoman centres such as Constantinople or Smyrna.
The 1876 provisional ½ piastre on 20 para issue belongs to the transitional Ottoman postal reforms of the circulated cover with age-related creasing, paper faults and general wear.
Please inspect all photographs carefully.
Origin: Kerbala / Karbala, Ottoman Iraq
Date: circa 1876
Stamps: Turkey Michel 23
Franking: 6 x ½ piastre on 20 para
Cancellation: Native Kerbala handstamps
Type: Ottoman Iraq postal history
Certification: Uncertified
Sold exactly as shown.
