Soviet Russia
RSFSR
Charity Stamps of 1921-1922
Russian Famine of 1921-1922
Map of Famine Area
The charity stamps of Soviet Russia, between 1921 and 1922, were issued for a single purpose, and that was for one of the worst famines in modern history.
The young Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic had enough problems in
establishing their socialist government, with the aftermath of World War I, the ongoing
Russian Civil War, and economic hyperinflation. These problems left Soviet Russia with a lack of the proper infrastructure to distribute food supplies efficiently, thus triggering yet another disaster.
The Russian Famine of
1921-1922 affected the Volga and Ural River regions. A drought in 1921
worsened the problem and turned the situation into a worldwide
tragedy. During the course of the famine, it is estimated that over six
million people died of starvation.
The four pictorial charity stamps of Soviet Russia shown above were issued on December 31, 1921 to raise money for Volga Famine Relief. The stamps are lithographed and imperforate.
The two common designs feature Relief Work on the Volga River and Administering Aid to Famine Victim.
The catalog attributes, for stamps on normal paper, are as follows:
- 2250 R. (1921 - Sc. #B14) - Green.
- 2250 R. (1921 - Sc. #B15) - Deep Red.
- 2250 R. (1921 - Sc. #B16) - Brown.
- 2250 R. (1921 - Sc. #B17) - Dark Blue.
The catalog attributes, for stamps on pelure paper, are as follows:
- 2250 R. (1921 - Sc. #B14a) - Green.
- 2250 R. (1921 - Sc. #B15a) - Deep Red.
Forgeries of these stamps, as well as forged cancellations, are abundant.
The six overprinted and surcharged charity stamps of Soviet Russia shown above were issued on January 25, 1922 to raise money for Volga Famine Relief.
The catalog attributes are as follows:
- 100 R. + 100 R. on 70 K. (1922 - #B18) - Brown (Black).
- 100 R. + 100 R. on 70 K. (1922 - #B19) - Brown (Red).
- 100 R. + 100 R. on 70 K. (1922 - #B20) - Brown (Blue).
- 250 R. + 250 R. on 35 K. (1922 - #B21) - Blue (Black).
- 250 R. + 250 R. on 35 K. (1922 - #B22) - Blue (Red).
- 250 R. + 250 R. on 35 K. (1922 - #B23) - Blue (Orange).
The five overprinted charity stamps of Soviet Russia shown above were issued on August 19, 1922 to raise money for Child Welfare.
The overprint means "Philately for the Children". These old Russian Empire stamps were sold at five million times their face value. Eighty percent of the amount was devoted to child welfare. The stamps were only available at the Moscow post office, and they were only on sale for one day.
The catalog attributes, for perforated stamps, are as follows:
- 01 K. (1922 - Sc. #B24) - Orange.
- 02 K. (1922 - Sc. #B25) - Green.
- 03 K. (1922 - Sc. #B26) - Red.
- 05 K. (1922 - Sc. #B27) - Claret.
- 10 K. (1922 - Sc. #B28) - Dark Blue.
The catalog attributes, for imperforate stamps, are as follows:
- 01 K. (1922 - Sc. #B29) - Orange.
The four charity stamps of Soviet Russia shown above were issued during 1922 to raise money for Volga Famine Relief. The stamps are lithographed, imperforate, and they are not gummed.
The four designs are as follows:
- 2000 R. - Allegory of Industry and Agriculture.
- 2000 R. - Allegory of Agriculture Helping to End Distress.
- 4000 R. - Star of Hope, Wheat, and Worker-Peasant Handshake.
- 6000 R. - Sower.
The catalog attributes are as follows:
- 2000 R. (1922 - Sc. #B30) - Green.
- 2000 R. (1922 - Sc. #B31) - Rose.
- 4000 R. (1922 - Sc. #B32) - Rose.
- 6000 R. (1922 - Sc. #B33) - Green.
The four charity stamps of Soviet Russia shown above were issued during November 1922 to raise money for Famine Relief.
Each of the stamps is inscribed "For the Hungry". The stamps sold for 250,000 Rubles, with 200,000 Rubles being for postage and 50,000 Rubles being for charity.
The four designs and their catalog attributes are as follows:
- Automobile (1922 - Sc. #B34) - Light Violet.
- Steamship (1922 - Sc. #B35) - Violet.
- Railroad Train (1922 - Sc. #B36) - Gray Blue.
- Airplane (1922 - Sc. #B37) - Blue Gray.
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Soviet Russia - Charity Stamps of 1921-1922
