Grading Rarities: A Case Study of Kyiv 1 Tridents

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One problem with rare stamps is that we cannot always get them in the exact quality we would like; we have to make do with second best. Above, for example, is my stock of Russian 7 ruble black and yellow stamps overprinted with single handstamp tridents of Kyiv type 1. This is a rare stamp: as Bulat #12 it catalogues $500 mint and $400 used. I comment on the advantages and disadvantages of each stamp, left to right:

Stamp 1: Superb! Probably CTO with a neat, central KIEV 3 12 18 cancel and the back of the stamp perfectly clean. Probably washed off a philatelic cover or sheet of paper. The date is a bit late for this Trident which was one of the first to appear and the 7 ruble value was used non-philatelically on Money Transfers so could not easily be obtained genuinely used. BUT main drawback: no one has ever signed this stamp. Maybe it was signed on paper which has been removed from the back but that’s no help. And who will sign it now?

Stamp 2: Nice perforations and clean back, but messy cancels. It could have been genuinely used since the messy cancels look like overlapped KIEV and KHARKOV and helpfully a .. 10 18 date is readable – early dates are good on these stamps. BUT the Trident is a bit washed out and the stamp is unsigned

Stamp 3: Oh, a variety INVERTED OVERPRINT not listed by Bulat. Most probably CTO since there is gum on the back. Rather messy trident. On the back a big handstamp AUFDRUCK FALSCH. Oh dear …. However, look more closely and you will see that FALSCH has been crossed through in pencil and beside it there are the initials of Dr S in what I believe to be the  handwriting of Dr Seichter and bottom right is his handstamp Dr Seichter in violet. It looks like Seichter made a mistake which he corrected. The overprint is not a forgery – I don’t think it is. But who wants a stamp with a great big AUFDRUCK FALSCH?

Stamp 4: Oh …Oh… Kyiv 1 Trident and underneath Kyiv 2 (I’m going to propose sub-type 2a) in similar or identical inks. Unreadable cancel. Clean back, no gum, tiny pencil annotation.. Signed UPV! I think it’s genuine though unlisted and, of course, philatelic. Still, if you like rarities this is one you are not going to see again next week ….

Your task: Suppose you had to price these. Which would you ask most for?

Added February 2020: Most of my Ukraine-related Blog posts are now available in full colour book form. To find out more follow the link:

http://www.armeniazemstvo.com/2020/02/just-published-trevor-pateman.html

Ukraine Tridents: Different Kinds of Rarity

In English, two things which are opposites are sometimes called "chalk and cheese".

Here are two very different kinds of Ukraine Trident rarity, chalk and cheese:

On the left, a Parcel Card fragment with badly clipped stamp cancelled ODESSA 2 10 18. The overprint is Odesa VIb. Go to Bulat and it is number 1369 valued at $275 mint and unknown used. Go to Dr Seichter and it is valued at 450 DM mint but, again, is unknown used.

So here is a stamp which, from the catalogues, you will probably think a philatelic production and yet here is a copy used in the most non-philatelic way possible at an appropriate date. The stamp was even torn before it was used(* see footnote). Maybe it is the "only known" used [part of a] copy. It was in the Ron Zelonka collection.

So what is it worth?

On the right, a 5 rouble Romanov overprinted with Kyiv I Broken Trident and cancelled KIEV 20 7 19 at which time Kyiv may have been under Red control. Anyway, go to Bulat and this stamp is unlisted; go to Dr Seichter and it is unlisted. Dr Zelonka signed it for me back in 2006. It's 100% genuine and 100% philatelic and may be the "only known" copy. It came from the Iwan Bobyn collection, part of which was sold at auction a few years ago.

So what is it worth?

Which of these two items would you rather have in your collection, the chalk or the cheese? Both are for sale.

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* The fact that is torn may be a clue: suppose this stamp was produced for sale to a philatelist like Trachtenberg. Suppose it got torn by accident so could not be sold to him. Then maybe it was put into counter stock to be used up without causing an accounting problem.

Added February 2020: Most of my Ukraine-related Blog posts are now available in full colour book form. To find out more follow the link:

http://www.armeniazemstvo.com/2020/02/just-published-trevor-pateman.html