Postal Bonds

The first information we know about Postal Bonds, which are a type of material known to Postal History collectors, is the text of the 23.7.1913 text on page 404 of the 1st volume of Asaf Tanrıkut's legendary reference book titled TURKEY POSTAGE AND TELGRAPH AND TELEPHONE HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION AND LEGISLATION printed in 1984, which states that the postal bonds tariff is 20 para up to 100 kuruş. The information on page 133 of the 1996 edition of THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE STUDY OF POSTAL RATES ROUTES DELIVERY TIMES AND EFFECTS OF HISTORICAL EVENTS by the late Erkan Esmer was also taken from Asaf Bey's book, and it also stated that only half of these bonds were found.

Half Bond - Siirt

In my twenties, I started collecting Eastern Anatolian Postal History, and I had half-bonds or stamp fragments from small fragments that I had purchased from the Vedat Koçak and İSFİLA auctions. When I started collecting postal forms, I thought that these bonds would also find their way into the collection, so in 2000s, I asked Vedat Koçak if he had seen the complete form. Koçak said, "Due to their usage, the post office splits the form in half when paying and gives half to the customer who brings it for collection. However, he has a complete form in poor condition (with holes punched in it). He gave it to Murat Hazinedaroğlu, who hasn't used it in any exhibition pages. He will probably give it to you if you want it." I asked Murat if he could sell it to me, and he said, "I haven't used it in the collection. If I find it, I won't sell it; I'll give it as a gift." At the 2017 Ankara National Exhibition, Murat gave me the form, saying, "I have a gift for you." That's how I saw the entire form. Later, I saw the fully stamped form four or five times in auction catalogues abroad.

Full Bond - BEYRUTH to ÜSKÜDAR

Back Side of the Full Bond

In July 2025, to select content for the ACADEMY ARCHIVE project, I randomly pulled one of the approximately thousands of pages of Niyazi Önder’s handwritten and typewritten volumes (volume II/6 1913-1920, pages 1136-1387). I am sharing the identity on page 1145, which I opened for the first time:

"23 July 1913 10 July 1329 (Wednesday) Issuance of Postal Bonds:

This method was created to enable money to be sent to all parts of the country, and it allows money up to 100 kuruş to be sent to any person in any place where there is a postal center for a fee of 20 para, or it allows money deposited at any post office to be collected by the depositor at another post office.

The conditions can be summarized as follows:
1. A postal bond can have a maximum value of 100 kuruş, but multiple bonds can be issued to the same person.
2. Anyone holding a postal bill can redeem their money at any post office.
3. Writing the names of the sender and recipient on postal bills is not mandatory. They may or may not be written upon request.
4. Identification is not required when paying for postal bonds.
5. Postal bonds are made payable to the carrier. However, if a recipient is listed on the check, payment is made to the recipient. Lost checks are not paid.
6. The sender is not obligated to send the bonds by mail.

7. If three months or more have passed between the check's issue date and its presentation date, a fee of 20 para is charged for each three months.

It has not been determined when this process was stopped."

Years later, I found and shared the above new information about promissory notes from the notes of the late PTT employee Niyazi Bey, whom none of us knew. The latest use of these promissory notes, which began in July 1913, was probably in July 1914. This service stopped when the Ottoman Empire entered the Ist World War. I am guessing that the AT in the encryption 224/225.798 at the end of the notes is Asaf Tanrıkurt. I also came across Asaf Bey's book notes at the PTT. I didn't copy them, thinking they were the same as the book. Asaf Bey used this information only for the date and tariff when writing his book.

Mehmet Akan
04.08.2025