Ottoman Empire Contraband Mail 20 Para

Ottoman Empire · 1884 · 20 Para

A rectangular stamp featuring the Ottoman crescent moon and star emblem, with 'POSTES OTTOMANES' and '20 PARA' in Latin script, alongside text in Ottoman Turkish script. The design is simple and functional.

Issued to tax letters carried by travelers outside the official postal monopoly, this stamp was part of a special 'contraband service' (Katchak) established to recover lost postal revenue. Contraband letters were taxed at double rates.