[FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE SOVIET RUSSIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST] A rare manuscript document of “Rus Hariciyye-i Ticâret Bankasi” [i.e., The Russian Bank for Foreign Trade] about... and activities in Istanbul in the 1920s

THE BRANCH MANAGER OF THE RUSSIAN BANK FOR FOREIGN TRADE, Manuscript, Dersaadet, 1926.

COMPLETE TITLE: [FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE SOVIET RUSSIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST] A rare manuscript document of “Rus Hariciyye-i Ticâret Bankasi” [i.e., The Russian Bank for Foreign Trade] about bank’s responsibility and an official including written to the Turkish court, documenting bank’s existence, and activities in Istanbul in the 1920s

An early and very rare partly manuscript document of the Dersaadet (Constantinople) branch of the Russian Bank for Foreign Trade, on "Joyston Superfine" watermarked paper, signed by the branch manager, with two Ottoman stamps, 38x23,5 cm. In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). Blank verso, two slight stains on the paper, otherwise, a clean and well-preserved document.

Extremely rare in the market and institutional holdings.

The official document written by the Dersaadet (Istanbul) branch of the bank to the Turkish Supreme Court regarding the estate of a Greek citizen who was notified to the bank in 1926 and the lawsuit filed between close relatives regarding this inheritance.

Turkish transcription of the document:

“Istanbul Mahkeme-i Asliye Altinci Hukuk Dairesi Riyâset-i Âlîsi'ne,

Reis beyefendi hazretleri,

Aleksandra Kesisoglu terekesine dair Mahkeme-i Âlîlerinizin 20 Kanunsani 1926 tarihçeli ve 57-182 adedli tezkîresi 23 Kanunsani 1926 tarihinde Rus Ticâret-i Hariciyye Bankasi'na teblig kilindi. Ziya Bey'in talebi üzerine Istanbul Icrâ Dairesi tarafindan 18 Kanunsani 1926 tarihinde Androniki Kesisoglu'nun tereke-i mezkûreden (?) taht-i hacze alinmistir. Hacz-i mezkûre ve terekeye dair Androniki Kesisoglu ile Ferbinaldi beynindeki davaya binâen tereke-i mezkûreye aid meblagin Emvâl-i Eytâm muduriyetine irsâli bankanin mesuliyetini intâc edebileceginden davâ-yi vakia hakkinda bir ilâm (?) Daire-yi Icrâca tenfîz edilmedikçe ve (?) Aleksandra Kesisoglu'na banka tarafindan verilen 28 Kanunsani 1914 tarihli sened iade edilmedikçe ve hacz-i mezkûr dahi fen(?) edilmedikçe bir sey yapilamayacagi kemâl-i ihtirâm ile cevâben arz ve beyân olunur efendim olbâbda emr û fermân hazret-i...”

The Russian Bank for Foreign Trade (Русский для внешней торговли банк) was one of a group of banks in Saint Petersburg that played an important part in Russian international trade in the second half of the nineteenth century and up to the Russian Revolution between 1871-1917. The bank was one of the largest in Russia prior to the revolution and it was nationalised by a decree of 14 December 1917 leading to a legal battle in France over its deposits in that country.

Provenance: Ali Çubuk (?-2020) Collection includes mostly rare navigation and important books, manuscripts, historical documents, maps, and portolans.