Türkiye's Entry to FIP

In 2026, the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP), the global umbrella organisation of philately, will turn 100 years old. How Turkey became a member of FIP is quite an interesting story. I am currently preparing a foreword titled “The History of Organised Philately in Turkey” for the beginning of the Yearbook of Academy Member Philatelists, which we plan to publish in PDF format. In this section, we will commemorate approximately 20–25 prominent philatelists who have passed away.

For some time now, I have been researching Orhan Brandt. I have accessed articles he wrote, exhibition impressions, and various texts written about him published in journals such as Filateli, Pul Mecmuası, and Pul between 1940 and 1960. Brandt participated in international exhibitions at his own expense and possessed an extraordinary collection. However, at the beginning, he did not fully understand the rules and logic of exhibiting, and since he did not receive the results he had hoped for, he decided to quit exhibiting. Fortunately, jury members encouraged him to continue. This journey, which began with a vermeil medal, culminated in winning the Grand Prix Internationale at the 1956 Finland Exhibition.

In the November 1953 issue (No. 26) of Pul magazine, Orhan Brandt shared his impressions of the Lisbon exhibition, in which he was awarded a Vermeil medal. He stated that he possessed all the materials previously exhibited by Bondi Beraha, who had won two gold medals, and that he had added nearly forty new, previously unexhibited items. However, he also emphasised that he had been subjected to a great injustice. He made two important observations: first, that Adolf Passer—who served as a jury member at exhibitions in which Beraha had participated—was highly knowledgeable about Turkish philately. The second, and the main point of his article, is expressed as follows:

“This fact once again shows that in order to be appreciated, one must know how to gain recognition. And this is only possible if Turkish collectors unite, establish an organisation, and thereby secure a place in the International Philatelic Federation.”

This is the earliest comment I have found regarding FIP. Remarkably, only five years after making this statement, on 21 November 1958, Orhan Brandt led the initiative to bring together the country’s philatelic associations and founded the Turkish Federation of Philatelic Societies (TFDF).

Returning to the subject of FIP, a small note appeared in the January 31, 1953, issue of Pul magazine. It reported that an invitation for membership had been received from FIP, describing this as a great opportunity for the advancement of Turkish philately, and that work on this matter had begun at the Istanbul Philatelic Club.

A path forward was soon found through correspondence with FIP. On January 13, 1955, FIP sent a letter to the Istanbul Philatelic Club requesting that the Turkish postal authority (PTT) officially confirm the club’s status as the sole philatelic organisation in Turkey. With this letter, the club submitted a formal application to PTT on May 4, 1955. PTT’s response was sent on June 9, 1955, to both FIP and the Istanbul Philatelic Club. The translation of the letter is as follows: