The Gold Standard issue or Small Head issue was the first definitive series of postage stamps issued by the Soviet Union between 1923 and 1927. The stamps were designed by Ivan Shadr.
The RSFSR Government re-issued definitive stamps with regular frequency. By the time of the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, with its more than 200 million inhabitants, there was an urgent need for more stamps of various face values that would reflect the change of the state name. New stamps were also required due to the monetary reform in the Soviet Union and the introduction of the chervonets (equal to 10 roubles), backed by the gold standard. [1] [2]
The first definitive series of postage stamps, which the Russians themselves name "standard series", was issued by the newly formed USSR in October 1923. Because its face values corresponded to the introduced gold standard, the series usually goes under the name of "Gold Standard". These stamps are also known as "Small Head" issues. They were thoroughly described by H. L. Aronson. [1] [2]
The design of this series was not new. It was modified and simplified from former stamp issues of the RSFSR. Representatives of the three main strata of the population, the Worker, the Peasant, and the Red Army Soldier, were depicted on the stamps. [1] [2]
The Russian sculptor and artist-designer Ivan Shadr was the stamp design author. He worked on this project very conscientiously. Live models from his hometown of Shadrinsk were chosen for producing at first sculptures of those three types. Then, the sculptures were photographed from all sides. The final stamp design was selected on the best view of the sculptures. [1] [2]
The stamps have the inscription Russian : "CCCP" ("USSR"), the value, and the word Russian : "золотом" ("zolotom") meaning "golden". [1] [2]
In the early 1920s, there were two basic printing processes, lithography and typography, used in Russia. The Small Heads were produced by both methods. There are different designs and distinguishing marks, both in lithographic and typographic printing. To detect them is not always easy, and four values, the 1, 2, 6, and 20 kopecks, are especially difficult in terms of identification. [1] [2]
For the first months, those stamps were sold at the post offices at the varied prices. This was because the stamp value was at the beginning established through the daily official stock market (ru) quotations, which fluctuated from day to day. In March 1924, the new ruble based on the gold standard was finally introduced, and the stamp prices were fixed. [1] [2]
One of the Gold Standard stamps, Limonka , is considered quite rare, if in mint condition. This is the 15 kopeck yellow perforated stamp of the Peasant design issued in 1925. The name "Limonka" is referred to its lemon yellow colour. [3]
(Printing-Production. Soviet Stamps)
(Printing-Production. Soviet Stamps)
(Printing-Production. Soviet Stamps)
(Printing-Production. Soviet Stamps)
(Printing-Production. Soviet Stamps)
(Printing-Production. Soviet Stamps)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in contrast to a "provisional stamp", one that is issued for a temporary period until regular stamps are available, or a "commemorative stamp", a stamp "issued to honor a person or mark a special event" available only for a limited time. Commonly, a definitive issue or series includes stamps in a range of denominations sufficient to cover current postal rates. An "issue" generally means a set that is put on sale all at the same time, while a "series" is spread out over several years, but the terms are not precise. Additional stamps in a series may be produced as needed by changes in postal rates; nevertheless some values may be permanently available, regardless of prevailing rates; examples include 1c or 1p and $1 or £1.
The Far Eastern Republic, sometimes called the Chita Republic, existed from April 1920 to November 1922 in the easternmost part of Siberia. It was formed from the Amur, Transbaikal, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Primorye regions. In theory, it extended from Lake Baikal to Vladivostok but, in May 1921, the Priamur and Maritime Provinces seceded. Although nominally independent, it was largely controlled by the RSFSR and its main purpose was to be a democratic buffer state between the RSFSR and the territories occupied by Japan during the Russian Civil War to avoid war with Japan. Initially, its capital was Verkhneudinsk, but from October 1920 it was Chita. On 15 November 1922, after the war ended and the Japanese withdrew from Vladivostok, the Far Eastern Republic was annexed by Soviet Russia.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Communications of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the central state administration body on communications in the Soviet Union from 1923 to 1991. During its existence it had three names: People's Commissariat for Posts and Telegraphs (1923–32), People's Commissariat for Communications (1932–46) and Ministry of Communications (1946–1991). It had authority over the postal, telegraph and telephone communications as well as public radio, technical means of radio and television broadcasting, and the distribution of periodicals in the country.
Samuil Markovich Blekhman was a renowned philatelist of the Soviet Union who wrote a number of notable philatelic books and articles. He was born in Moscow, was trained and worked as an engineer, and lived much of his life in Moscow.
All-Russian Society of Philatelists was the first national philatelic organisation in Soviet Russia established in 1923. Later on, it was subsequently renamed and reorganised into the All-Union Society of Philatelists and the All-Union Society of Collectors.
The First All-Union Philatelic Exhibition was held in Moscow in 1924–1925. Its full name was the First All-Union Philatelic, Scripophilic and Numismatic Exhibition. This was because it combined the objects of philately, scripophily, and numismatics.
In philately, Leniniana is a topic for collecting postage stamps that tell about the life and story of Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) or people, places, etc. connected with him. The topic was common in the Soviet Union.
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Philatelic International (Filintern) was an international philatelic society of collector-workers. It was founded and based in the Soviet Union in the 1920s to 1940s.
Soviet Philatelic Association was a business run by the Soviet Union authorities in the field of philately.
Soviet Philatelist or Sovetskii Filatelist was a Soviet central philatelic magazine published in 1922–1932 by the All-Russian Society of Philatelists. For a number of years, in 1925 and in 1928–1932, its name was changed to Soviet Collector or Sovetskii Kollektsioner.
Kollektsioner or formerly Sovetskii Kollektsioner is a Russian central philatelic yearbook. This annual publication started in 1963 and covered the history and design of postage stamps, and other related topics.
Moscow Society of Philatelists and Collectors was one of the first philatelic organisations in Soviet Russia that appeared in Moscow in 1918. Later on, it ceased and was replaced with the All-Russian Society of Philatelists.
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International trading tax stamp is kind of revenue stamps that were used in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s for taxation of the trade in stamps. The latter were considered a commodity for which philatelists could be taxed. This type of taxation was introduced by the Soviet government in addition to revenue it collected from stamp sales. International trading tax stamps were issued by the Posledgol Central Commission of VTsIK, the Organisation of the Commissioner for Philately and Scripophily and, later, by the Soviet Philatelic Association.
The first stamp of the Russian Empire was a postage stamp issued in 1857 and introduced within the territory of the Russian Empire in 1858. It was an imperforate 10-kopeck stamp depicting the coat of arms of Russia, and printed using typography in brown and blue.
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