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Soviet Russia

RSFSR

Issues of 1922-1923



The postage stamps of Soviet Russia, for the period between late 1922 and and the Summer of 1923, begin to show the slow recovery of the Russian state from the previous year's economic hyperinflation.

By the end of 1922, the Russian Civil War would finally come to an end, and the RSFSR would become the dominant player in the creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.



The five commemorative Soviet Russia stamps shown above were issued on November 8, 1922 to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the October Revolution.  The stamps are typographed and imperforate.

The patriotic design features a worker carving the Cyrillic letters for RSFSR and the anniversary dates into stone.

The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on wove paper, are as follows:

  • 05 R.  (1922 - Sc. #211) - Ocher & Black.
  • 10 R.  (1922 - Sc. #212) - Brown & Black.
  • 25 R.  (1922 - Sc. #213) - Violet & Black.
  • 27 R.  (1922 - Sc. #214) - Rose & Black.
  • 45 R.  (1922 - Sc. #215) - Blue & Black.

The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on pelure paper, are as follows:

  • 25 R.  (1922 - Sc. #213a) - Violet & Black.
  • 27 R.  (1922 - Sc. #214a) - Rose & Black.
  • 45 R.  (1922 - Sc. #215a) - Blue & Black.



The Imperial Arms and post horns type stamps of the Russian Empire shown above were overprinted and re-valued between late 1922 and early 1923.  These stamps are referred to as the Stars Issue.

The overprint features a star with the symbols of agriculture (sickle) and industry (hammer), which would eventually be used as the national emblem of the USSR.

The catalog attributes, for stamps that are perforated 14 1/2 x 15, are as follows:

  • 005 R. on 20 K.  (1922 - Sc. #216) - Blue & Carmine.
  • 020 R. on 15 K.  (1923 - Sc. #217) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.
  • 020 R. on 70 K.  (1922 - Sc. #218) - Brown & Orange.
  • 030 R. on 50 K.  (1922 - Sc. #219) - Brown Violet & Green.
  • 040 R. on 15 K.  (1922 - Sc. #220) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.
  • 100 R. on 15 K.  (1922 - Sc. #221) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.
  • 200 R. on 15 K.  (1922 - Sc. #222) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.



The catalog attributes, for stamps that are imperforate, are as follows:

  • 005 R. on 20 K.  (1922 - Sc. #223) - Blue & Carmine.
  • 020 R. on 15 K.  (1923 - Sc. #224) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.
  • 020 R. on 70 K.  (1922 - Sc. #225) - Brown & Orange.
  • 030 R. on 50 K.  (1922 - Sc. #226) - Brown Violet & Green.
  • 040 R. on 15 K.  (1922 - Sc. #227) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.
  • 100 R. on 15 K.  (1922 - Sc. #228) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.
  • 200 R. on 15 K.  (1922 - Sc. #229) - Red Brown & Deep Blue.



A lot of errors occurred during the production of these stamps, such as inverted and double surcharges.  Examples are shown above.  They are all relatively common.  Please refer to the major catalogs for details.



The four major type definitive Soviet Russia stamps shown above were issued in 1922 and 1923.

The two common designs feature a Worker and a Soldier.

The catalog attributes, for stamps that are imperforate, are as follows:

  • 010 R.  (1922 - Sc. #230) - Blue.
  • 050 R.  (1922 - Sc. #231) - Brown.
  • 070 R.  (1922 - Sc. #232) - Brown Violet.
  • 100 R.  (1922 - Sc. #233) - Red.

The catalog attributes, for stamps that are perforated, are as follows:

  • 010 R.  (1923 - Sc. #234) - Blue.
  • 050 R.  (1923 - Sc. #235) - Brown.
  • 070 R.  (1923 - Sc. #236) - Brown Violet.
  • 100 R.  (1923 - Sc. #237) - Red.



The five major type definitive Soviet Russia stamps shown above were issued in May 1923.  These would be the last postage stamps of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.

The three common designs feature a Soldier, a Worker, and a Peasant.

The catalog attributes, for stamps that are perforated, are as follows:

  • 03 R.  (1923 - Sc. #238) - Rose.
  • 04 R.  (1923 - Sc. #239) - Brown.
  • 05 R.  (1923 - Sc. #240) - Light Blue.
  • 10 R.  (1923 - Sc. #241) - Gray.
  • 20 R.  (1923 - Sc. #241A) - Brown Violet.



The catalog attributes, for stamps that are imperforate, are as follows:

  • 03 R.  (1923 - Sc. #238a) - Rose.
  • 04 R.  (1923 - Sc. #239a) - Brown.
  • 05 R.  (1923 - Sc. #240b) - Light Blue.
  • 10 R.  (1923 - Sc. #241d) - Gray.
  • 20 R.  (1923 - Sc. #241c) - Brown Violet.





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Soviet Russia - Issues of 1922-1923






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For anyone seriously considering specializing in the stamps of Russia or the Stamps of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a specialized catalog is required.


The Zagorsky catalog is the specialty catalog for Russian philately, and the more recent editions are published in English!  Click on the picture above for a link to ordering information on the Zagorsky website. 

These catalogs are also frequently available on eBay.  Here's a link to the proper eBay category.