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Friday 1 April 2016

Imperial Russia 2 kopeck - a Bogus Essay?


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There is always something on my desk (or on the floor) waiting for an appointment. Sometimes, I keep putting it off. Today I finally tried to assess the perforated stamp in the white packet. I think the answer is this: the stamp has been cut from an Imperial 2 kopeck banderole, like the one shown underneath the stamp. The brownish wove paper, without gum, is similar if not identical. The design of the stamp is identical. Then it has been perforated, though not very successfully - it looks as if scissors have been used to remove surrounding paper. Then it was probably - sometime, somewhere - offered for sale as an  Essay for an Imperial stamp or as an unissued stamp. I can't think of any other explanation. The stamp has not been stored so well as the banderole, which explains the colour differences

Has anyone got a better ( = true) story?

By the way, this is not my April Fool's Day joke :) 

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