364 / März 2017

Mail to France April 1917 – January 1918 Nine postcards, varied frankings, origins and destinations some with interesting messages  

June –November 1917 Three Registered postcards, two at the 14 kop Tariff from Petrograd to Paris with receiver cachets on reverse; one from Piatigorsk at the later 28 kop Tariff but underfranked by 1 kop, locally censored  

1st November 1917 (first week of Soviet power in Petrograd) card showing the Anichkin Palace sent via diplomatic mail from Petrograd to Paris with violet cachet of the MISSION MILITAIRE FRANÇAISE EN RUSSIE  

Mail from Great Britain January 1918 two ordinary letters sent to Petrograd from Plymouth and Moscow from London. Both opened by British censor and marked with a boxed SERVICE SUSPENDED cachet. One letter optimistically addressed to Prince Alexander Alexandrovich Dolgorukov at the Imperial Yacht Club  

Mail to Great Britain November 1917 ordinary postcard from Essentuki and December 1917 Registered postcard from Kisolovodsk, both to London. Sent by Mrs Amy Cox, a known member of the British community in Russia, to her daughter Ursula, a medical student. Petrograd censors on both cards since at this early post – Revolution date these North Caucasus resorts were not yet “White” areas

Mail to Netherlands May – November 1917 two Registered letters with British paper seal censorship, one from Saratov cancelled 25 10 17 [first day of Soviet power in Petrograd] and two postcards, one routed out of Odessa the other from Moscow again dated 25 10 17, a nice group to a relatively scarce destination (4 items)  

Mail to Persia Four covers to the Imperial Bank in Teheran, one Registered, sent from Moscow and Petrograd during the period of the Provisional Government. In addition, one 1918 cover with contents from Ashkabad via Baku to Teheran  

Mail to Romania Two items: letter from Petrograd sent May 1917 addressed to Iasi and re-directed, Petrograd and Romanian censors. The addressee has the same surname as the tutor to Tsar Nicholas’ children A.M.Gaillard; card from IRKUTSK VOKSAL sent September 1917, arriving in Iasi in November. Both items worthy of further research. Mail to Romania is rarely seen

Mail to Sweden 25 October 1917 [ first day of Soviet power in Petrograd] Registered cover from Kursk correctly franked at 40 kop using an uncommon10 kop stationery envelope, censored in Petrograd, arrival STOCKHOLM 9 12 17 on reverse  

March 1918 Registered cover sent from KAZAN 10 [ or possibly 18] 3 18 at an unclear rate of 1 ruble 20 kop, addressed to the Polish Committee of the Red Cross in Stockholm, opened in Moscow and a large wax seal (intact) applied on reverse and opened again by British censorship, with clear STOCKHOLM 27 8 18 receiver on reverse, nice small item  

Mail to Switzerland 31 October 1917 (first week of Soviet power in Petrograd) commercial card from Petrograd to Geneva, correctly franked at 8 kop, with Petrograd censors  

November 1917 Ordinary card from Stavropol franked at the Inland rate of 5 kop instead of the 8 kop foreign rate, Petrograd censors, Postage Due raised and 10 c Swiss Due stamp applied in LAUSANNE 22 1 18; Also a Registered card from PETRGOGRAD 11 1 18 correctly franked at 28 kop, Petrograd and French censor marks, addressed to Ida Ungern-Sternberg in Bern, adhesion damage on reverse  

March 1918 Ordinary letter from TIENTSIN RUSSKAYAR POCHTA 16 3 18, franked 10 Cents Post Offices in China stamp, Petrograd censors, front and back, Postage Due indicated with cachet and manuscript. An interesting and scarce late example of a Chinese post office still operating under Soviet control. Quite soon, mail would no longer be routed to Petrograd  

Mail to the USA Three Registered commercial covers from Moscow to the same pre-printed address in Philadelphia, correctly franked according to the Foreign Tariffs of 1 February 1917 (20 kop), 1 September 1917 (40 kop) and 10 March 1918 (60 kop). All with Moscow and British censorship and appropriate arrival marks  

March 1918 Registered cover from Moscow to Dallas correctly franked at 60 kop and with dual censorship, all visible on front, notable for the new printed letterhead People’s Bank of the Russian Republic  

April 1918 Letter with long typed contents sent from the American Embassy, at the time re-located to Vologda because of the perceived German threat to Petrograd. In accordance with usual American diplomatic practice, the envelope is franked with Russian adhesives adding up to no recognisable tariff which have been cancelled on arrival in Washington

Mail to Other Destinations November1917 Registered cover Krapivna to Italy at 70 kop; January 1918 card Vladivostok to Japan at 8 kop (correct); May 1918 card Orlov to Spain at 20 kop (the Inland tariff used as often happened instead of the 12 kop foreign rate)  

Franked Inland Mail during the “Free Post” period 1919 – 1921 Tariff of 1st January 1919 The introduction of this RSFSR Tariff was combined with the invalidation of all postal stationeries; but they could be purchased from post offices and used as Blanks. As with all three “Free Post” tariffs, an underlying rate for ordinary cards and letters was specified so that organisations with “Free Frank” privileges for ordinary mail could still claim their concession – for example, sending a Registered letter for 25 kop instead of the combined letter rate  + Registration fee which combined to 50 kop March 1919. Registered letter sent locally within Moscow, “Free Frank” privilege claimed with a violet seal on reverse and therefore franked only for the Registration fee of 25 kop, very scarce

April 1919. Registered letter from Nerekhta, Kostroma to Moscow, “Free Frank” privilege claimed with violet seal on reverse and therefore franked only for the Registraion fee of 25kop, very scarce

April 1919 Registered court correspondence from KASIMOV RYAZ[an] to a People’s Court at St. Divovo on the Ryazan railway with receiver mark, franked at 50 kopeks in accord with the January 1919 Tariff, the franking including a 35 kop Chainbreaker

April 1919 Registered letter, private correspondence, franked on the front at the correct 50 kop rate and sent from Nizhni-Novogorod to Vitegra Olonets with receiver cancel on reverse, very nice example of the rate

May 1919 Registered postcard, private correspondence, sent from Kozlov to Petrograd and correctly franked at 35 kop comprised of 10 kop for the card and 25 kop for Registration. Registered postcards are rare for the first Free Post tariff period and virtually unknown for the later two periods  

July 1919 Registered letter, franked on the front at the correct 50 kop rate, from the state chemical works in Ivanovo-Voznesensk to Moscow, receiver cancel on reverse

September 1919 Registered private letter sent from STARAYA RUSSA VOKSAL 15 9 19 ADDRESSED TO “Peterburg” with PETROGRAD 6 9 19 receiver on reverse, franked on the front at 75 kopecks, correct for a double weight letter (25 + 25 Postage + 25 Registration), scarce and attractive item  

Tariff of 5 November 1919 January 1920 Registered cover, opened out and reduced, private correspondence from Nizhni-Novgorod to Kazan, correctly franked at 4 roubles, the 1 rouble stamps with vertical lozenges. Of note is the early and rather improvised Three Triangle censor of Kazan on the address side

January 1920 Registered cover from the Moscow electricity company sent locally and correctly franked on the reverse at four roubles, the 1 rouble stamps with horizontal lozenges. In the Tariff of 5 November, the concession rate for local letters was abolished. A very scare item  

Tariff of 10 and 20 March 1920 This Tariff was combined with the introduction of x 100 revaluations for kopek stamps up to 20 kop and with the invalidation of Romanov and War Charity stamps.The Tariff was introduced first in the main cities March 1920 Registered letter, private correspondence using improvised envelope, sent from MOSKVA 19, 20 3 20 to Lgov franked at the correct 10 rouble rate introduced in Moscow on 10 March. A nice early example of the new tariff

August 1920 Registered letter, private correspondence using improvised envelope , UGLICH 13 8 20 sent to Petrograd, notable for the late printing colour of the 50 kop stamps which are correctly used at face value to make the 10 rouble franking

September 1920 Registered letter, private correspondence, sent from RAZEZD [railway siding] NOMZHA SVER ZH.D. 21 9 20 with Kholm Pskov receiver cancel on reverse and Mss notes confirming date of arrival. To make the correct 10rouble franking, the 7 kop stationery envelope has been revalued x 100 contrary to regulations which had invalidated all stationeries from 1st January 1919. This may have been done in response to stamp shortages or possibly as a philatelic favour

February 1921 Registered letter, private correspondence, from Irkutsk to Petrograd correctly franked on the reverse at 10 roubles provided by a pair revalued 5 kop stamps. That Irkutsk was back under Soviet control at this date is shown by the destination and the use of a very scarce Field Post three triangle censor mark POLEV POCHT KONTORA LIT “C” on the front  

April 1921 Registered small cover with manuscript registration details sent from Tarusa in Kaluga guberniya 20 4 21 addressed to Kaluga with KALUGA 25 4 21 receiver on reverse. Correctly franked at 10 roubles with 2 x 5 kop Savings Bank stamps revalued x 100  

May 1921 Registered letter, private correspondence, sent from Sevastopol to a small locality in Samara which uses a DOPLATIT cachet with Mss date as a receiver cancel on the reverse. The Crimea was under Soviet control after Wrangel’s evacuation at the end of 1920, as indicated here by the presence of a violet Three Triangle Sevastopol censor on the reverse and the franking at 10 roubles in accord with the RSFSR Tariff. A scarce item

The “Free Post” was discontinued in the Tariff of 15 August 1921 Foreign Mail from its resumption in June 1920 until end 1921 The RSFSR re-introduced foreign mail services in June 1920. There were a limited number of routes out initially available. Alexander Epstein identifies the earliest routes  as going out of Archangel / Murmansk to the Arctic Norwegian port of Vardø, out of Odessa by Italian ship; and via Tallinn. Throughout this period, postcards are usually franked at the letter rate. Tariff of 7 June 1920 This provided for Free Post on unregistered cards and letters June 1920 Ordinary letter, private correspondence from Undol Vladimir to Lithuania with post-Independence ANYKSCIAI 13 IX 20 receiver on reverse, Moscow Three Triangle censor on the front. Correctly unfranked and sent as a Free Post item. Rare  

July 1920 Ordinary postcard, private correspondence, from Soviet-control Odessa to Toledo with Moscow Three Triangle censor and New York Postage Due marks. However, the card was sent correctly unfranked as a Free Post item. The sender is chasing debts owed since “1916 or 1917”. Rare

June 1920 Registered cover, private correspondence, sent from Moscow to Wainode in Latvia with post-Independence Latvian receiver cancel. Correctly franked to 10 roubles with revalued 5kop stamps. Scarce, early example of resumed foreign mail

September 1920 Registered cover, private correspondence, sent from Soveit-control Uman to Riga with Petrograd transits and post-independence RIGA receiver. Correctly franked at 10 roubles with 2 x 10 Sh General issue Ukraine correctly converted to 5 kopeks each and then revalued x 100. One stamp damaged .Good example of Soviet use of Ukrainian adhesives, even on foreign mail