Some interesting Soviet stamps
For the past few nights I’ve been working with my collection of Russian and Soviet stamps. Mainly I’ve been moving the collection to a pair of larger sized stock books, but I’ve also added some new stamps. Anyway, this brings me up to few questions some more knowledgeable collectors of this area might know an answer.
First I have a mystery item…. The below stamp resembles the late 1940s Soviet definitive stamps in size and design, but alas… I can’t find a match from my catalogs. Either I’ve got a very severe case of catalog blindness, or then this is something else (like a postal forgery). Does anyone have advice?
Soviet Union. Kremlin tower, 40 kopeks blue. A postage stamp or something else? For some reason I can't seem to locate this from my catalogs.
Second… My old Michel has a footnote, that 90% of Soviet era stamps are CTO-used, and postally cancelled copies are worth a premium. In current editions of Michel this footnote is gone, so I guess the percentage number given was inaccurate? Based on gut feeling I’d say that 90% figure might be somewhat on the proper ballpark. But that’s just my opinion as a common collector. Could specialized Russian / Soviet collectors chime in about the ratio of postally vs. CTO-used ?
Some postally used Soviet stamps from my collection. Postally used copies like this are far and few, and most of the time I seem to find them in misc worldwide kiloware mixtures.
Finally, here’s an interesting minor EFO from my collection… It would be nice to know if this is listed in specialized Soviet catalogs.
1963 Soviet Union. Child Welfare, Michel #2714 with flyspeck flaw.
Till next time, happy collecting folks!
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40 к. синяя
http://cgi.ebay.ch/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250853600028&clk_rvr_id=264984806888
@duddek… Interesting find. So my copy would originate from Soviet postal stationary envelope to which somebody has simply added perforation (just for personal fun, or in attempt to create a forgery for some reason). It does look a whole lot like self-made sewing machine perf when you look at it
Now – a further question that will hopefully nail this…. My copy does have watermark: would appear like a part of Soviet star, and some lines. Was the stationary paper watermarked too? If not, then we’re dealing with something else. If yes, then this one is nailed (except for the question: why).
Hi Keijo!
In “Michel Ganzsachen-Katalog Europa 1994/95″ lots of different envelopes and postcards with the blue 40 K. Spasski-tower motif are listed. Some of them have watermark Wz. 3 (wave-lines), others Wz. 4 (zig-zag lines), most have no watermark at all. Watermark with a soviet star and lines must be Wz. 1, which i couldn’t find in connection with the above motif.
Superb Holger! I think this could be zig-zag lines (this is a very small sized stamp with just few fractions of watermark). Does it resemble the below scan:
Thanks in advance!
Keijo, this scan looks exactly like part of Wz. 7, which is “dark interlocked rings”!
Strange…i can’t find any connection with the blue 40 K.
P.S. Your site is fantastic! I’m a worldwide collector, too. My inspiration is the legendary “Kohl-Briefmarken-Handbuch” by Dr. H. Munk, released between 1923-36, later cancelled under some tragical circumstances. I’m a lucky owner of all five Volumes (ca. 5300 pages, Afghanistan-Italy 1928).
@Holger…
So now we know it’s been printed on some “official” paper. That is definitive progress.
I noted your catalog was from the mid 1990s. I assume you don’t have easy access for later copy of Michel Ganzsachen-Katalog to see if there any updates (wishfull thinking; I know the Ganzsachen katalogs are about as common as finding Penny Black from kiloware
)
Thank You
I got to admit that I’m bit jealous to You. The KBH’s are worth their weight on gold (seriously, I think I’ve seen a set of 5 sell for over 400€), and any collector to own even one of them is extremely lucky …. I wish they’d make digital reprints of these, so they would become more easily (and cheaply) available to all interested.
Think i’ve got it! Michel-Nr. U 119 c (Wz.6 – which is “bright interlocked rings”), released in 1957/60. Maybe the difference between bright and dark in a watermark could be a bit confusing?
The KBH i purchased from philabooks.com, a great specialized philatelic antiquarian bookshop in Frankfurt/Main for 250 €.
Here you can find the first four volumes for 240 €: http://www.zvab.com/displayBookDetails.do?itemId=179734220&b=1
And yes, they are definitely worth the price.
Thanks Holger! I think that nails the origin of this….
Re, KBH… Way out of my price range (at least for this year), sigh
Well, at least that’s another good reason to do lottery this evening and dream of winning the jackpot 
Your plate flaw isn’t listed in “Post Stamps of the USSR Special Catalogue of Plate and Print Errors and Other Varieties 1961-1991″ by Dudarev & Pelc. If you’re interested in the catalogue, they have a small website. One of the other issues from that set does have a listed plate flaw.
http://www.plate-errors.com/en_index.html
Michel’s specialized Soviet Union catalogue doesn’t list plate varieties, the Russian Standard Collection (or whatever that series is called) has only a very few.
http://www.standard-collection.ru/en/catalogs/v-prodazhe/filatelija/3-philately/39-katalog-pochtovyh-marok-1992-2010-rossijskaja-federatsija.html
Over the years, I have found a couple of the Soyuzpechat (Central Philatelic Agency) catalogues, including a 2001 printing that has enough English in it for me, but I don’t have one for stamps from the ’60s. Oh well.
Ryan
Thanks for the info and links, Ryan… IMO the fact that it’s not listed, inclines that’s it’s a random flaw.
I do have a copy of one of SC “general catalogs” for pre-1960s Russia, and agree that it has very little information regarding flaws. But it’s still very useful to have, as it goes deeper than common worldwide catalogs and is better illustrated… Oh well indeed. So many books to look out, so little cash in the wallet :LOL:
Dear Keijo. The picture you’ve disposed above (Soviet Union. Kremlin tower, 40 kopeks blue) is not a stamp. It is shoddy. It was made from Soviet standard envelope that included stamp of “Spasskaya bashnya Moskovskogo Kremlya” of standard 8-th issue of 1949 – 1956 years. Genuine stamp had nominal (price) “50 kopeek”. I’ve spent a few days and afterwards found picture with that envelope. Many thanks for kind people on Russian philately forum.
Here are two examples with genuine stamps:
That is the envelope with your “stamp”
Method of forgery that was applied in this case you’ve completely described above.
By the way, many of Soviet standard stamped envelopes have watermarks.
The best regards.
P.s. if the pictures are not appeared contact me by e-mail and I’ll send you them.
My experience is also that the vast majority of Soviet stamps I encounter are CTO. This is a bit puzzling, as the Soviet Union had a huge population for many decades I would expect that there would be an enormous supply of postally used stamps. Does anyone know why this does not seem to be the case?
@Oleg… Thanks for the info. The pictures / links to them didn’t come up for some reason, so I’m sending You email.
UPDATE: Here are the images Oleg tried to share:
First the actual stamps:
And then the stationary (this is very similar to eBay item that Duddek linked in first comment)
@Jim… As fas as I know, this is mainly because the use of postal stationary was (and still is) highly popular in Soviet Union/Russia. Thus people never got into use of actual postage stamps.
Secondly, the print runs of Soviet / Russian stamps were far more smaller (1/50 or less) than say those in USA or West Germany. The stamps don’t exist in large quantities (especially as mint/postally used).