Ottoman Official Payment Deed 1910 Armenian Citizen Armenia Kazazian
Ottoman Official Payment Deed with Hamidiye–Hejaz Railway Revenue Stamp (1910)
Description:
This Ottoman official payment deed is a noteworthy example of late-period Ottoman fiscal and administrative practice. Such documents were legally required for official payments of fifty kuruş or more made through public institutions, ensuring accountability and record-keeping within the state bureaucracy.
One of the most distinctive features of this document is the presence of a cold-embossed revenue stamp marked “Hamidiye Hicaz Demiryolu menfaatine”. The Ottoman state used these special stamps on official documents to collect dedicated revenues, which were then allocated to the construction and financing of the Hamidiye Hicaz Demiryolu. This practice reflects how the empire mobilized administrative paperwork itself as a tool for large-scale infrastructure funding.
The document is dated 16 June 1326 (25 June 1910) and bears official signatures and revenue stamps, underscoring its formal and legal character. Its subject concerns the payment of 51 kuruş 20 para to Hacı Kevork Kazazyan. In the text, Kazazyan formally acknowledges that he received this amount from the municipality, confirming the transaction in writing.
The reason for payment is particularly significant: the sum was paid in return for a shapirograf (şapirograf) machine that Kevork Kazazyan had constructed for the municipality. A shapirograf is a manually operated duplicating machine that reproduces text written on waxed paper through an alcohol-based printing technique an important technological innovation for offices before widespread mechanized printing.
Beyond its administrative function, the document is historically valuable for what it reveals socially and economically. It highlights the role of a non-Muslim (Armenian) entrepreneur in introducing and supplying new office technologies to a municipal authority. This illustrates how non-Muslim Ottoman citizens were actively involved in commerce, craftsmanship, and technological innovation, often serving as intermediaries in the adoption of modern tools within local government.
Although the specific municipality is not named in the text, the presence of the municipal mayor’s official seal suggests that further archival or comparative research could potentially identify it. Overall, this is a highly collectible and interpretively rich document, combining fiscal history, technological modernization, and the multi-communal structure of late Ottoman urban life.
Key Features:
• Document Type: Ottoman official payment deed (sened)
• Date: 16 June 1326 / 25 June 1910
• Legal Context: Mandatory documentation for official payments over 50 kuruş
• Revenue Stamp: Cold-embossed stamp for the Hamidiye–Hejaz Railway fund
• Payment Amount: 51 kuruş 20 para
• Recipient: Hacı Kevork Kazazyan
• Payment Reason: Construction/supply of a shapirograf duplicating machine for the municipality
• Historical Significance: Demonstrates municipal modernization and non-Muslim participation in trade and technology
• Physical Features: Official stamps, signatures, and mayoral seal
• Collectible Value: Strong example of Ottoman fiscal policy, infrastructure financing, and late-period administrative practice