Peter Ashford collection 4: Azerbaijan forerunners

After the abdication of Tsar Nicholas, the Transcaucasian guberniyas developed forms of autonomy and co-operation before eventually declaring individual independence. In this transitional period, postal services appear to have functioned as before - though subject to war -time disruption, especially in Armenia. But postal history material is hard to find. This may have a simple explanation: before the introduction of distinctive postage stamps, such mail does not immediately identify itself as from the transitional period and in the bad old days, any covers were no doubt used by dealers and collectors simply as things from which common stamps could be torn off...

The cover below is from independent Azerbaijan, but a month before Azerbaijan's own "Musavat" stamps appeared. It was registered from Baku on 24 9 19 and arrived in Tiflis on 27 9 19: it would have been carried on the Baku - Batum railway. The already-high franking of 1 rouble 70 kopecks is worth noting. It is a business letter with no philatelic inspiration but is sent to a member of the Rokhlin family [see previous Blog], in this case Zachary Jakovlevich Rokhlin- who I think was Serge Rokhlin's father.

Click on Images to Magnify:

Peter Ashford collection 3: Rokhlin family correspondence

In Part Three of Imperial Stamps Used in Transcaucasia, published in 1978, Peter Ashford lists the cancellations of  BYELYI KLYUCH - a place which he describes as a "hill resort .... where many well-to-do Tiflissians sought to escape the oppressive heat of July and August" (page 159). He goes on to list a Type 5 cancellation and records its use only in the Independence period, on a 7 kop Letter card to which a 60 kop Georgian stamp has been added. Here is that card (click on images to magnify):

This is an item of Rokhlin family correspondence, and Serge Rokhlin's Romeko partner, Arnold Meckel [ or maybe his son; but the name MECKEL provides the - ME of Ro - Me - Ko[mpanie]] has provided an English translation for Peter Ashford. 

Philatelically, the card shows early use of the St George 60 kopeck - on white paper (from the first printing) and imperforate (the imperforate stamps were issued first). Glue has been used to stick the stamp to the card which is a little surprising since these first printing stamps are normally gummed (with clear white gum). Maybe the gum was so clear that it was invisible!