Stamps of Russia, 1857-1917

English: Stamps of Russia issued from 1857 to 1917. Numbers according Michel catalogue.

Nederlands: Russische postzegels uitgegeven in de periode van 1857 tot 1917.

Definitive stamps[edit]

1857[edit]

First stamp of the Russian Empire, coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office. Imperforate, watermarked large number 1. Officially issued on 22 December (O.S. 10 December) 1857, valid for postage from 1 January 1858. Designed and engraved by Franz Kepler and produced in Saint Petersburg. Intended for the postage of a letter weighing up to 1 lot, approximately equal to just under half an ounce (0.45oz) or 12.8grams.

10k, unused (№ 1)
10k, used with pen cancel (№ 1)
10k, used, plate 2 (№ 1)
10k, used by pen cancel on folded letter, Riga to Pernau

1858[edit]

January-March[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office, perforated 14.5:15, watermarked. 10k issued on 10 January 1858, 20k in February and 30k in March. Designed and engraved by Franz Kepler and produced in Saint Petersburg. Thick paper >0.11mm (x) and thin paper <0.11mm (y). 20k Bisects known (3H).

10k, unused (№ 2)
20k, unused (№ 3)
30k, unused (№ 4)

September 19[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office, Harrow perforation 12.25:12.5, watermarked. Issued on 19 September 1858. Designed and engraved by Franz Kepler and produced in Saint Petersburg. 20k Bisects known (6H).

10-30k, unused (№ 5-7)
10k, used by black dotted cancel '1' (St. Petersburg) (№ 5)
10k, used by black dotted cancel '44' (Dvinsk, now Daugavpils in Latvia) (№ 5)
10k, used by black dotted cancel '393' (Dorpat, now Tartu in Estonia) (№ 5)
10k, used by black dotted cancel '395' (Fellin, now Viljandi in Estonia)
20k, used by black dotted cancel '1' (St. Petersburg) (№ 6)
20k, used (№ 6)
10k, used on folded letter from '38' (Riga)
10k, used 1860, on folded letter St. Petersburg to Pernau
10k, used 1864, on folded letter from Moscow
10k, used 1864, on cover Reval to St. Petersburg

1864[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office, perforated 12.25:12.5, watermarked, issued on 10 July 1864. In 1864 the Postal Department decided to allow international mail also to be paid using stamps. Introduction of some smaller value stamps was thus needed to be able to make up for the various irregular fees for international postage.

1-5k, unused (№ 9-11)
1k, unused (№ 9)
1k, used (№ 9)
3k, unused (№ 10)
5k, used St. Petersburg (№ 11)

1865[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office, perforated 14.25:15, unwatermarked. Issued June 1865.

10k, unused (№ 15)
10k, used pair, Levant postmark (№ 15)
20k, unused (№ 16)
30k, unused (№ 17)
10k, used on folded letter

1866-1868[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office, perforated 14.5:15, watermarked. Horizontally or vertically laid paper. Issued 20 August 1866.

1866, horizontally laid paper[edit]

Horizontal paper, watermark wavy lines
Set 1-30k, unused (№ 18x-23x)
1k used (№ 18x)
3k used (№ 19x)
5k used, black on lilac (№ 20xa)
5k used, black on grey-blue (№ 20xb)
10k used (№ 21x)
20k used (№ 22x)
30k used (№ 23x)
1k, 3k and 10k on folded letter, Warsaw to Baden

1868, vertically laid paper[edit]

3k used (№ 19y)
30k used (№ 23y)

Postal history[edit]

7x1k and 3k, used on cover
2x1k and 2x10k, used 1869 on cover, St. Petersburg to Lausanne
1k, 3k and 10k used on folded letter
1k, 3k and 10k used on folded letter
1k, 3k and 10k used on folded letter, 1872
3k and 5x5k, used on folded letter
5k used on a postcard
3k and 10k, used on cover
2x3k and 2x10k, used on folded letter
10k, used on folded letter
2x10k, used on cover
4x10k, used on folded letter

1875[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office, perforated 14.5:15, watermarked. Horizontally (x) or vertically (y) laid paper. Issued 18 June 1875.

2k used (№ 24x)
2k unused 'КСП' plate error (№ 24xX)
7k unused (№ 25x)
7k used (№ 25x)
8k used (№ 26x)
8k used, shifted center (№ 26x)
8k used, plate error broken horn (№ 26xII)
10k used (№ 27x)
20k used (№ 28x)
2x2k, used 1875, on postal card from Narva to Schweinfurt
7k used 1879, on cover from Efremov
7k used1880, on cover Vyazma to Bologna, showing both sides
7k used 1880, on folded letter Odessa to Nice
7k used1883, on cover St. Petersburg to Florence, showing both sides
8k used 1877, on folded letter Warsaw to Basel
8k used 1877, on folded letter Odessa to Vienna
8k used 1877, on folded TPO letter Odessa to Livorno
8k used 1876, on folded letter to Riga

1884-1888[edit]

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office (without thunderbolts), perforated 14.5:15 (1884-01-25), 14.25:14.75 (1888-03) or imperforate, watermarked.

1884, 2k used, (№ 30Aa)
1888, 2k used, 'КОП' dot plate error (№ 30IV)
1884, 7k, used (№ 33)
1884, 14k unused, imperforate (№ 34U)
1884, 14k unused half sheet, partly imperforate
1k pair on cover ((№ 29Aa)

Coat of arms and the emblem of the Post Office (without thunderbolts), perforated 13.25, watermarked. Horizontally laid paper (x, only 3.50R) or vertically laid paper (y). Issued 1884-01-25.

3.50 and 7 Rubel used (№ 38y, 39y)

1904[edit]

A set of four semi-postal stamps were issued and sold for 3k over their face values. The extra 3k being donated to a fund for the orphans of soldiers who participated in the Russian-Japanese war. Perforations:

A: K 12:12.5 (№ 57-60)
B: L 13.25 (№ 57, 59, 60)
C: L 11.5 (№ 57)
D: L 11.5:13.25 (№ 57)
E: L 13.5:11.5 (№ 57)

Set of four, unused (№ 57-60)
7kop used (№ 57)

Special delivery[edit]

Stamps for the special delivery of court correspondence and documents.

1909[edit]

Imperial revenue stamp, overprinted in red "В пользу почталіона" (In favour of mail carrier).

15k, unused
15k, unused tete-beche

1911[edit]

15k, unused
15k, unused block of four

Telegraph stamps[edit]

1866-1867[edit]

1866 20k unused
1867 10k unused

Local post[edit]

Province of Wenden[edit]

Cēsis, (Wenden) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. It issued stamps for a local post from 1862 to 1901.

1862, unused
1863, Pen-cancelled
1863 unused
1864, unused
1871, unused
1875, 2k unused
1880, 2k used
1901, 2k unused

Town-post[edit]

Tiflis[edit]

Tiflis (now known as Tbilisi) town-stamp, the first provisional stamp of Russia.

1857, 6k unused

Saint Petersburg[edit]

1863-1865, 5k unused
1863-1865, 5k unused block of four
1863-1865, 5k unused gutter pair

Local government post (Zemstvo)[edit]

A Zemstvo stamp was a Russian local stamp used widely in rural areas from 1865. It was named after the Zemstvo local administrative districts or uyezds that were created in 1864. On August 13 1870 the Zemstvo system was officially organized by a decree of this date. The stamps ceased at about the time of the 1917 Russian revolution. Stamps grouped alphabetically by Governorate (province), some Uyezd (counties) as subsection. Numbers according Chuchin catalogue.