343 / März 2011

1854, The Mercury Essay 20 kop. light blue/black, as almost all known examples cut to shape and affixed to small piece. The earliest known essay for Russia no. 1, produced at the State Paper Mills. One of the great rarities of classic Russia; certificate Mikulski Provenance: Breitfuss (1911), Fabergé, Goss

1857, narrow-tailed Eagle Essay 10 kop. + 1 kop. green/brown, cut square with fine fresh colour and nice embossing; extremely rare, certificate Mikulski Provenance: Breitfuss (1911), Fabergé, Goss

same essay in rose/brown, cut square with large margins; a very nice colour combination and extremely rare, certificate Mikulski Provenance: Fabergé

1857, colour proof in the adopted design in green and orange on chalky glazed paper with watermark "1", unused with original gum; very fine and fresh;  unique in this colour combination, certificate Mikulski Provenance: Breitfuss (1911), Fabergé, Goss, Eppstein, Mehrtens

1857, 10 k. light brown/blue in mixed franking with 1858, 10 k. brown/blue, tied by numeral "37" of Reval to cover to Riga with adjacent endorsment "Reval 22 December 1859" and same date dispatch mark on reverse, also boxed datestamp "Polucheno 25 December" applied in transit, full intact wax seal; a very fine and unique mixed franking and one of the great rarities of Russia and Estonia. This cover is no. 8 of the Mikulski listing out of only two covers used in Estonia. Provenance: Z. Mikulski (2006)

1857, 10 k. light brown/blue, plate II, large margins all around, beeing from the upper right sheet corner, in combination with 1858 10 k. brown/blue perforated 14½, each tied by red cds. "WARSAW 4/3" and additional  pen stroke to cover to Wilno; the 1857, 10 kopecks  has been lifted for inspection and is replaced with a hinge; both stamps of fresh colour and in fine condition. This is the only known entire with a mixed franking of the first two stamps of Russia; one of the greatest rarities of Russian and Polish philately.The Mikulski listing of 'Mixed frankings imperforate, used in combination with perforate' records four covers only (plus three pieces) with the 1857, 10 kopecks imperforated. This cover is No. 3 of the Mikulski listing and the only used in Poland. One of the greatest gems of Russian and Polish Philately! Certificate BPA

1858, 30 k. rose/yellow-green diagonally bisected, lower right half, tied by cyrillic script straight line "Berdichev" to folded lettersheet to Warsaw, the addressee's name in the cover was excised and has been restored, the bisect itself in very fine condition. A beautiful cover and a true gem of Russian and Ukraine philately, signed Faberge and certificate BPA (showing the state before restauration) Provenance: Fabergé (1939, lot 193)      

1866, 10k. brown/blue, two singles with inverted center, tied by cds. "Kursk 18 Dez. 1874" to cover to Warszaw, with adjacent arrival postmark "WARSZAWA 21 Dec.1874". Addressee's name excised and partly covered with white paper, stamps very fine, with additional departure and transit markings on reverse. A phenomenal rarity from Imperial Russia, and unique on cover, Mikulski certificate Provenance: Z. Mikulski (2004)

10 k. blue/orange, imperforated colour proof on thick chalky glazed paper, very fresh colour, fantastic raised embossing and wide margins all round, unused, very fine, only two pieces are known with blue frame, the other one having a different center colour, certificate Mikulski. A major rarity of Russian Empire Provenance: A. Fabergé

Definitive issue: 1857, 10 k. brown/blue, fresh colour and large margins all around, unused without gum, very fine, certificate Calves

10 k. dark brown/blue, wide margins all around, used, small gum creases (Mi. 1.000,-)

10 k. dark brown/light blue, from the lower right sheet corner with wide margins on three sides and just slightly touched at right, tied by manuscript to folded letter sheet to Moscow, a very appealing item

1884, essays in unadopted designs 3,50 r. blue/black and 7 r. yellow/black, imperforated on horizontally  laid paper with part of original gum and paper remainders on reverse Provenance: Fabergé

1889, 4 k. red and 20 k. blue/red on vertical laid paper, tied by cds. "RIGA 12.10.07" to reverse of insured letter for 10 rbl. to Leipzig, very fine and attractive

1889, 1 r. brown/orange on horizontally laid paper, imperforated block of 10 with wide sheet margins at left and right, overprinted "OBRASEZ"; folded vertically once, unhinged mint; a very rare multiple

1889, 1 kop. orange on vertically laid paper, imperforated horizontal strip of 5 from lower left sheet corner with large sheet margins and plate no. "1", perforated "OBRASEZ", unhinged mint, very fine and fresh

1908, 10 and 25 K., tied by cds. "24.10.1917" - the day before the Octoberrevolution - to registered cover from the Petrograd department of the Peoples Bank of Moscow to the Russian-Asian bank in Gomel, arrival mark on reverse, fine

1910/19, 3.5 R. block of 11 with three empty fields, the lower row imperforated at bottom, unhinged mint, fine and interesting

Arms imperforated: 1 r. imperforated with shifted double impression of the frame and inverted background, unhinged mint, fine

1 r., block of five with upper sheet margin, empty field with double V in between two upper stamps, with very striking oblique double printing of the burelage, unhinged mint, fine  

Perforation 13½:13¼ with horizontal losanges of varnish: 1 r. imperforated block of four from upper right sheet corner with center shifted to the upper left, unhinged mint, few wrinkles otherwise fine, in addition 1 r. imperfed proof with black instead of light brown burelage, hinged, few wrinkles and some gum disturbance  

1 r. vertical strip of four with heavily shifted background an shifted center, lower stamp without center, wer stamp with small adherence otherwise unhinged mint, fine and attractive

3.50 r. and 7 r., each as complete sheet, 3.5 r. folded in the middle and split perforation, unhinged mint, otherwise fine

1918, Saving stamp 25 r., vertical pair with additional franking, tied by cds. to cover, opened out for display, fine

Revenue stamps 5-15 k. and saving stamp 5 k. green tied by cds. "ODESSA 21 8 18" to 2 pieces, 5 k. with two blocks of four including both possible tête-bêche varities, fine

1921, hunger aid 2250 r. green as vertical pair, type I+II, with additional franking tied by cds. "MOSCOW -2.2.22" to properly franked registered cover to Praha with arrival mark, openend out for display, fine and scarce

1922, hunger aid 250 r. on 35 k. blue, three vertical pairs and 100 r. on 70 k. brown vertical pair with additional franking tied by cds. "MOSCOW  14.3.22" to registered cover to Basel, 250 r. on 35 k. blue with yellow-orange surcharge with overprint flaw "dot after +", reverse with censor mark, stained and roughly openend, scarce

1922, Child support 1 k. imperforated with left sheet margin, unhinged mint, position 6, fine

Hunger aid, airplane as vertical strip of four with gutter pair, airplane and car as vertical strip of ten with gutter pair and ship as block of four, unhinged mint, fine

1923, Day of work 1-4 r. and 2 r. on thin paper tied by cds. "MOCKBA 1.5.23" to First-Day registered cover, arrival mark on reverse, 1 r. with slightly shifted overprint, a fine and scarce cover, signed Hovest BPP

Worker 3 r. red imperforated with double print, one inverted, unhinged mint, fine

20 r., horizontal pair with upper sheet margin, unhinged mint, right stamp signed Dr. P. Jem, fine

SEMI-POSTAL STAMPS: 1922, Hunger aid in the southeast, 2000r. rose and green in blocks of four, without gum as issued, fine, rarely seen in multiples