Commerce

1948 — Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Original three autograph letters. 1+1+1 p. 'Ismail Pirge Biçak, Destere ve Tarak Imal ve Satis Yeri' letterhead. Signed by Ismail Pirge, who was the most important Turkish knife and pocketknife craftsman and manufacturer in Bursa city, third of six generations. They are two kind request letters. Written to Osman Bey. Dated 1948. In Ottoman script. One is written by a pencil, another is by a fountain pen with a black ink. Between the years 1877-1878 the Ottoman - Russian War (93 Harbi) after the Turks from the Balkans migrated to Anatolia, there was also a knife master Ismail Bey. In 1879, he started to work in Yahya Usta's shop (Yesilyayla Biçakçisi) in Okçular Çarsisi (one of famous bazaar which means 'Archery Bazaar' in Bursa city which still has touristic crafts) and started to produce knives and agricultural tools. When he died at a young age in 1885, his son Mehmet (Pirge) continued to do the affairs of Ismail Usta. The art of knives was thus passed on from father to son. In 1934, Mehmet Bey received the surname "Pirge" with Turkish Surname Law which means 'master who trained masters'. Ismail Pirge was son of Mehmet Pirge. At Okçular Bazaar, he and his craftsmen produced knives and accelerated trade with manufacturing. Thus, he began sending his products to a large part of Turkey, Iraq and Egypt in the 1970s. These autograph letters shed light on early history of this art comes from Ottoman tradition.