386th Auction

1866, Coat of Arms 1 kopek black/yellow on vertically laid paper, two singles, with 3 kopek black/green on horizontally paid paper, all of fresh colours, making up the correct 5 kopek rate and tied by cds “REVEL 12 FEV. 1872” to official postal formula card to Moscow, adjacent railway travelling post office “39-40” and arrival cds “MOSCOW 14 FEVR. 1872”, fine. Rare early use of the newly introduced formula cards

Illustrated in James Peter Gough ‘The Postal Card’, p. 81

3 kopek black/green with 1875 20 kopek blue/red orange, fresh colours, tied by cds “WARSAW 13 MAY 1877” repeated alongside to registered envelope to Vienna, Austria, with adjacent framed “ZAKAZNOE” (registered) as well as endorsement “Recommandiert”, reverse arrival cds “JOSEFTADT WIEN 26 5 77”. Except for a few short perforations on the 3 kopek and a few negligible toned spots on the envelope, in very fine condition. A very scarce early registered franking to a foreign destination

Correct 23 kopek franking, with UPU domestic rate 8 kopek and registration fee 15 kopek

1908, 10 kopek dark blue, 35 kopek lilac brown/green and 1 ruble brown/sienna/orange-red, all tied by “LODZ 13.10.11” to reverse of a German parcel card with Germania 20 pfennig blue and Representative 2 marks dark blue with cds “CHEMNITZ 27 9 11”, one stamp missing on front, some tear and minor imperfections, still an attractive and most unusual mixed franking

1870/82, interesting assembly of seven covers and cards, displaying a fine range of rates and usages, some better items with 1875 2 kopek printed matter rate to Italy, 5 kopek postal stationery card used at the newly introduced UPU 4 kopek rate with “ST PETERSBURG 17 AUG. 1875”, better destination with Sweden, etc, some occasional faults, overall in good condition

1872, Postal stationery card 5 kopek green, used with cds “PLODSK 8 1875”, addressed to Warsaw with adjacent arrival cds “WARSAWA 7 AUG. 1875”, large blue framed “1875” (ca 47:26 mm), allegedly applied locally at departure to indicate the application of the new UPU tariff of 4 kopek, light vertical archival crease, otherwise fine

Following the implementation of the UPU tariff of 19th June 1875 (4 kopek for both domestic and international rate), the previous 5 kopek stationery cards kept on being sold at the counter and used provisionally at the new tariff. Several local post offices are known to have amended the indicium to reflect the rate change. Reference: Epstein, Postal Stationery of Russia and its Dependencies, Vol I, page 36

Illustrated in James Peter Gough ‘The Postal Card’, p. 239

1872, 1 kopek brown and 5 kopek blue, two of each, fresh colours, tied on transit by Russian post office blue cds “ALEXANDRETTA”, repeated on reverse, and an additional single pen strike, to commercial envelope from Mersina to Aleppo, handed over on transit to the Ottoman post with Turkey 1876 Duloz 1 piaster yellow, strip of five and single, paying the domestic rate and cancelled with negative seal; one adhesive folded in half on the edge of the envelope and a few short perforations, still fine. A rare and appealing mixed franking

Provenance: Joseph Hackmey (Spink1986)

1872, 5 kopek blue, tied by blue cds “KONST-NOPOLSK FEV 74” with an additional strike alongside, to small envelope (with content) to Mitylene, originally posted at Odessa with Russia 3 kopek black/green and 10 kopek brown/blue paying the correct 13 kopek rate to Turkey via Russian steamship up to Constantinople, the last leg to Mitylene being paid by the Russian Levant adhesive. The 5 kopek with light vertical crease, 10 kopek shortened perforations on the right side and the envelope with part of back flap missing, still fine. An attractive colourfull mixed franking and most unusual Levant usage

1876, “8" on 10 kopek carmine/green, fresh colours and good perforations, neatly tied by cds “KONSTANTIN 15 JUNE (18)78” to letter sheet with content to Taganrog, reverse transit via Odessa and arrival cds “TAGANROG 20 June 1878”, fine and rare usage of the provisional issue correctly paying the 8 kopek rate

Provenance: “Cihangir” (121. Corinphila Auction, 2000)

1879, 7 kopek on 10 kopek carmine/green, Type II in black, tied by cds “CONSTANTINOPLE 21 JUL 1880” to printed commercial envelope to Odessa; on reverse arrival cds “ODESSA 23 NOV 1880”. The envelope with minor peripheral wear and aging, not distracting. Fine and very rare. Signed Romeko and certificate Eisold BPP (2000)

1884, 1 kopek orange, Second Printing, a vertical block of six of fresh colours and good perforations, used with cds “ROPIT AFON 15 OCT 1900” to reverse of an envelope to Mount Athos, originally posted at Samara with Russia 7 kopek blue paying the domestic rate, endorsed on front “via Odessa and Konstantinople” with all appropriate transit cds, taxed “T”, envelope opened on two sides, fine. A very scarce usage

Mail underfranked by 3 kopek, the 6 kopek Levant adhesives acting as postage due stamps representing the taxation of double the amount missing

10 kopeck brown and blue, close at lower right and possibly tiny touched, otherwise good to mostly wide margins, obviously unused with large parts of original gum and no traces of any kind of cancellation. A very attractive copy and extremely rare in this condition. This lot will be sold on the merit of the certificate Ferchenbauer (1988) .

10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to mostly wide margins, appears unused, but pen cross excellently removed, non-original gum on reverse, very fine.

10 kopeck brown and blue, wide margins, used by pen cross. Very fine. Signed Buchsbayew.

10 kopeck brown and blue, wide margins, tied by pen cross to small piece. Very fine. Signed Buchsbayew.

10 kopeck brown and blue, nice colour and ample to large margins, used with pen cross on envelope without dispatch mark, to Riga, with arrival mark of March 17, 1858. Envelope with filing fold at bottom, not affecting the stamp, otherwise fine. Signed Pfenninger and Certificate Buchsbayew 2018.

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to wide margins with 3.5 mm sheet margin at left, used by undefined dotted circular postmark. Very fine. Certificate Buchsbayew (2021)

10 kopeck brown and blue, clear at top, otherwise wide margins with ca.3.5 mm sheet margin at left, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. Certificate Buchsbayew (2013)

10 kopeck brown and blue, bottom right sheet corner with 3/3.5 mm sheet margins and wide margins on other sites, used by undefined dotted circular postmark. Very fine and outstanding. There are only very few corner sheets of the number 1 recorded. Certificate Buchsbayew (2021)

Provenance: Z.S. Mikulski (Cherrystone 2006)

10 kopeck brown and blue, plate 2, good to mostly large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. Certificate Mikulski (1997)

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to mostly large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine.

10 kopeck brown and blue, large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. 

10 kopeck brown and blue, large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. 

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. 

10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine. Signed Pohl.

10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to large margins, used by double line pre-philatelic postmark. Very fine.

10 kopeck brown and blue, touched on all sides, tied by unreadable two-line datestamp to envelope to Moscow, with arrival mark. Wax seal on reverse cut out. Certificate Buchsbayew (2018)

10 kopeck brown and blue, variety 'large watermark' (4mm instead of 3,5 mm wide), large margins, used with unclear pre-philatelic cancellation. Very fine. A great rarity; just one further copy of this watermark variety has been recorded. Certificate philatelic foundation of Russia (2010)

ARENSBURG (Island Saaremaa, Estonia): 10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to good margins, used with pen cross on envelope with reverse side bilingual dispatch mark, to Mitau (Latvia), with arrival mark. This stamp additionally cancelled and tied in transit by clear dotted circle "38" RIGA. Very fine. A very interesting and rare cover; the only recorded entire from Arensburg. 

 

Provenance: Mehrtens 

BALTISCH-PORT (Paldiski, Estonia): 10 kopeck brown and blue, clear to ample margins, used on lettersheet with reverse side white label "BALTISCH-PORT" with manuscript "10/22 April 1858", to Borga, Finland. The stamp cancelled by faint straight-line "REVAL" and additionally tied by clear boxed "REVAL 12 APRIL 1858". A fine and rare entire; the only recorded from Baltisch Port. Certificate Buchsbayew 2022)

Note: This method of using a label instead of dispatch handstamp is unique in the entire Russian Empire

BELOSTOK (Poland): 10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins, used with pen cross and tied by boxed "BIALYSTOK 1858…", to blue piece. A very fine and rare usage on Polish soil. Signed Buchsbayew with certificate (2014)

BELOSTOK (Poland): 10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins, used on lettersheet with reverse side dispatch mark"BIALYSTOK 8 AUG.1858", to Warzaw; the stamp cancelled upon arrival twice by red c.d.s. "WARRSZAWA 21/8). Usual filing fold, not affecting the stamps. A fine and very rare entire; just few No.1-entires have been recorded from todays Polish soil. Certificate Buchsbayew 2014)
 

BERDICHEV: 10 kopeck brown and blue, large margins, used with 2 clear strikes of boxed handstamp of March 24. Horizontal crease, very fine appearance. 

BERDICHEV: 10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to large margins, used with clear strikes of italic type pre-philatelic handstamp on small piece. Very fine.

BERDYANSK: 10 kopeck brown and blue, ample to wide margins, used with part of pre-philatelic double line handstamp. Very fine.

BERDYANSK: "443", dotted rectangular, superb strike on 10 kopeck brown and blue, good to large margins. Very fine. Signed Buchsbayew and Thier.
 

BERDYANSK: 10 kopeck brown and blue, cut into at base, otherwise good margins, tied by pre-philatelic double line "BERDYANSK 18 APRIL 1858", to Odessa. Despite the small imperfection very fine.