Russian Stamps
Charity Stamps of 1905 - 1915
The first Imperial Russian stamps, issued for the purpose of raising money for charitable purposes, appeared in 1905. These are regular definitive and commemorative postage stamps, but they have a "value added tax" or "surtax" on them, designed to raise money for national organizations, public events, and public charities. For this website category, these stamps will be referred to as "Charity Stamps".
The four pictorial Russian stamps shown above were issued in 1905. The stamps are typographed on unwatermarked paper, and they are perforated 11 1/2 to 13 1/2.
Each stamp sold for three Kopecks over the face value, with the surtax being donated to a fund for the orphans of soldiers killed in the Russo-Japanese War.
The four central designs are as follows:
- 03 K. - Admiral Kornilov Monument in Sevastopol.
- 05 K. - Pozharski and Minin Monument in Moscow.
- 07 K. - Statue of Czar Peter the Great in Petrograd.
- 10 K. - Czar Alexander II Memorial & Kremlin in Moscow.
The catalog attributes are as follows:
- 03 K. (1905 - Sc. #B1) - Red, Brown, & Green.
- 05 K. (1905 - Sc. #B2) - Lilac, Violet, & Straw.
- 07 K. (1905 - Sc. #B3) - Light Blue, Dark Blue, & Pink.
- 10 K. (1905 - Sc. #B4) - Light Blue, Dark Blue, & Yellow.
The four pictorial Russian stamps shown above were issued in 1914 and 1915. The stamps are typographed on unwatermarked paper, and they are perforated 11 1/2 (common), 12 1/2 (common), or 13 1/2 (scarce).
Each stamp sold for one Kopeck over the face value, with the surtax being donated to various charities during World War I.
The four central designs are as follows:
- 01 K. - Ilya Muromets, legendary Russian hero.
- 02 K. - Don Cossack bidding farewell to his sweetheart.
- 07 K. - Allegory of charity.
- 10 K. - St. George slaying the dragon.
The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on colored paper, are as follows:
- 01 K. (1914 - Sc. #B5) - Red Brown & Dark Green on Straw.
- 03 K. (1914 - Sc. #B6) - Maroon & Gray Green on Pink.
- 07 K. (1914 - Sc. #B7) - Dark Brown & Dark Green on Buff.
- 10 K. (1914 - Sc. #B8) - Dark Blue & Brown on Blue.
The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on white paper, are as follows:
- 01 K. (1915 - Sc. #B9) - Red Brown & Dark Green.
- 03 K. (1915 - Sc. #B10) - Maroon & Gray Green.
- 07 K. (1915 - Sc. #B12) - Dark Brown & Dark Green.
- 10 K. (1915 - Sc. #B13) - Dark Blue & Brown.
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Charity Stamps of 1905-1915
