Armenia to Zemstvo: A Philately Blog: Ukraine postal stationeries

Friday, 8 March 2013

Forensics can be fun ...

In 1918, Ukrainized postal stationeries - like the one above (it's Bulat #1) - were often cancelled by favour. How do you know if that is the case for any individual card? Normally, you just have to turn over the card and nothing is written on the back. Very simple.

In the case of this card, it is not necessary to turn over and look at the back. Why? Take your time. Click on the Image to magnify. The Answer is below.

Answer:

The card is cancelled ZVENIGORODKA 30 10 18. The top line of the address reads "Leningrad". Petrograd was not re-named until 1924, after Lenin's death. So the address was only added much later to a philatelically cancelled card. Whether it is a real address on Vasilevsky Ostrov [Island], I don't know - I can't get a result from Google.

When I click on the image to magnify it, it looks as if the address is written in Biro. Laszlo Biro first demonstrated the biro pen in 1931 and patented it in 1938 ...

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

Friday, 15 June 2012

Soviet Ukraine 1921 - I Have to Invent a Word for This Item!

Here is an interesting item: a scarce Ukrainian National Republic formular for sending parcels, used in Sovietised Ukraine in January 1921. It is endorsed "Red Army" in pencil at the top and is being used to send a large package (39 Funt) from MONASTIRISHE KIEV 27 1 21 to Borshevo Voronezh (arrival cancel on reverse 11 3 21). The cost of sending this parcel is shown at the bottom as 97.50 (and this will be roubles rather than Karbovanets). With stamps revalued 100 times, it looks at first sight as if the franking totals 98 roubles. But wait a moment ...

Look at the 3 kopeck imperforate with Kyiv II Trident overprint. This has not been badly cut. It has been cut to approximate a 2 roubles 50 kopecks stamp. The stamp has been sexisected (bisected, trisected, quadrisected... I am not even going to look at the Dictionary to see if a word exists. I have decided that the right word is sexisected :))

Maybe the postal clerk put the unused, sexisect portion into his accounting book to show why he had only received 2 roubles 50 for a 3 rouble stamp. Maybe he used the sexisect on another parcel card which needed a 50 kopeck stamp.... Who knows. But I think the clerk's intention was clear.