1860 (May 29) Stampless prepaid cover from Philippopolis to Constantinople, struck with "Franco" and Cyrillic "Pochta/Plovdiv" cds (Hitzler 'XR'), both in blue, with faint receiving cds on reverse. Fewer than ten covers are recorded with this postmark. Cert. Todd (2015). (Image)

1880 (Feb 21) Stampless prepaid registered cover from Philippopolis to Constantinople, bearing "Franco" & "Recommandee" straight-line hs, together with Cyrillic "Pochta/Plovdiv" cds (Hitzler 'XR'), all struck in greenish blue, backstamped on arrival. Flap tears repaired on reverse and small part of front of envelope filled at upper right. Fewer than ten covers are recorded with this postmark, this additionally being registered. Cert. Todd (2015). (Image)

1881, 5pa black on olive, horizontal pair, and 10 pa black on green single, all perf. 13 1/2, tied to 1881 cover by circular grid hs with bilingual "Kazanluk" cds below, all in blue. Cover roughly opened at right. A rare combination franking not included in the Franz See collection. Cert. Todd (2015). (Image)

1884, 5pa lilac and bluish lilac, perf. 11 1/2, used on local mourning envelope and tied by circular barred obliterator with bilingual "Philippople" cds at left, triangular "Plovdic City Post" at left, all struck in blue. Cert. Todd (2014). Ex Franz See. (Image)

1881, 10pa black on greenish, pair on April 16, 1881 cover from Klisoura to Plovdiv via Karlovo, paying the single domestic rate, tied by circular barred cancel in purple, showing superb strike in blue of Karlovo cds at right, and Plovdiv cds applied on arrival on reverse, also in blue and both being sought-after types in Cyrillic. Few covers originating from Klisoura with provisional cancellations are known; this being of much better quality than the example gathered in the Franz See collection. An exceptional item of Bulgarian and Eastern Rumelian postal history. Cert. Hitzler (2016). Note: The purple bar cancellation of Klisoura was a provisional usage. This post office had no datestamps available in March and April 1881. All accepted mail received a provisional postmark or was cancelled in manuscript. The mail originating from Klisoura was subsequently forwarded to the post office in Karlovo, where the mail was officially treated with a datestamp and occasionally with a different bar cancel. Both Karlovo and Plovdiv Russian-type postmarks are very rare. (Image)