Lot 20155 - c.1900 Illustrated picture postcard bearing the Railway Post Office No. 4 double-circle datestamp, struck twice, and featuring a complete handwritten poem in Greek by the distinguished Cypriot poet Ioannis Perdios (1864–

c.1900 Illustrated picture postcard bearing the Railway Post Office No. 4 double-circle datestamp, struck twice, and featuring a complete handwritten poem in Greek by the distinguished Cypriot poet Ioannis Perdios (1864–1936), signed by the author.

The poem includes the evocative lines:

"...many nights in my dreams I travel to Switzerland to gather Edelweiss for my beloved..."

This remarkable postcard combines literary, postal, and social history in a single artefact. The clear Railway Post Office No. 4 cancellations provide an excellent example of the travelling post office service on the Cyprus Government Railway, while the autograph and original manuscript poem by Ioannis Perdios, one of the pioneers of modern Cypriot Greek poetry, elevate the item far beyond ordinary postal history.

An exceptional and highly unusual exhibition piece, appealing equally to collectors of Cyprus postal history, railway mail, literary manuscripts, and historical ephemera. A unique convergence of literature and philately, and a wonderful artefact illustrating the cultural life of British Cyprus at the turn of the twentieth century.

Note: Ioannis Perdios (1881–1930) was a prominent Cypriot poet, satirist, and journalist. Educated in Nicosia and Geneva, he became renowned for his patriotic poetry and sharp social commentary. In 1911, he founded the satirical newspaper To Mastigion ("The Whip"), using wit and satire to criticise politics, society, and British colonial rule in Cyprus.