The most rare and expensive brands of the USSR

To begin with, we all know that a postage stamp is a special sign of a postage that is issued and sold by national (and other) post offices. Possesses a certain nominal value. Serves to facilitate the board for the carriage of goods carried out by mail. Usually, a mark is a sheet of paper of a small size, rectangular in shape with teeth, glue is used on the back side. In addition to the description, the stamps can indicate the name of the mail that it publishes. Often different symbols, decorative elements and pictures are displayed on it.

The very first brand in Russia was printed on December 22, 1857. The first brands were "jagged", because The perforating machine, produced in Vienna, was late and required adjustment. The first brand appeared thanks to the elder master, Franz Mikhailovich Kepler, who was engaged in the engraving of national securities. On it you can see the post horns, over which the emblem of the Russian Empire towered, and the engraving: "10 kopecks". We all remember that brands are the subject of collection.

But we don’t even know how much a brand can cost, which has already been lying around somewhere on the same day with forgotten documents. This article is about such unique brands published in the Soviet Union, which are now highly valued.

The engraving on the first state mark of Russia with indiscriminate changes was popular until 1923. Later, the postage stamps of the Russian Empire were replaced by the stamps of the USSR. Individual copies today are very, very expensive, represent a philatelic value.

1. "Tiflis unique"

"Marka Tiflis" is one of the rarest postage stamps made in the Russian Empire for the city post of Tiflis (now Tbilisi) and Kojori in 1857. The date of issue and symbolism allows us to talk about "Tiflis Unique" as the first Russian brand.

The nominal value is 6 kopecks. The picture shows the coat of arms of Tiflis, and above it is a two-headed eagle with wings down.

Before the First World War, only three samples were found. On October 5, 2008, at the popular philatelic auction of the mark of David Feldman, one of the three known copies of Tiflis Unique at that time, which had previously supplied Zbignev Mikulski, was sold for 000 EUR.

According to the official website of the National Academy of Philately of Russia, in the world today only five copies of the unique brand are generally known.

2. "Levanevsky with overprint"

"Levanevsky with an overprint" - philatelic name of the USSR airmark with a bust of the pilot Levanevsky and overprints of a limited edition as part of the suspended flight Moscow-Severny

There are unique types of this brand - with a small letter "f" in the word "San Francisco", with an inverted overprint (apparently on one sheet) and an inverted overprint with a small letter "F."

Marka with nadpechatkoy was izdana Narodnym komissarom 3 avgusta 1935 years nA zaplanirovanny polet Sigizmunda Levanevskogo, Georgiya Baydukova and Vasiliya Levchenko nA samolete ANT-25 at the rate of Moskva-Severny Polyus-San-Frantsisko and prednaznachena for oplaty mail otpravleny nA this samolete. Then they tried to fly a distance of 2000 kilometers, but the experiment was interrupted due to a malfunctioning engine.

According to the reports, the inverted impression was made on several screw sheets in connection with the special order of the internal affairs commissar Henri Yagoda. He was a famous philanthropist.

It is known that a “Levanevsky with an imprint” of good quality in 1995 cost 150 dollars, with a small “f” - 250 dollars, with a “inverted” - 5000 dollars, with a small “f” on a “transverse” - 15,000 dollars. In 2003, a "Levanevsky with an overprint" of good quality already cost 350-400 dollars, with a small "f" - 500-600 dollars, with a "inverted" - 10,000 dollars, with a small "f" for a "rewind" "- 40,000- $ 50,000.

In 2008, the defect mark was sold at Cherrystone Auction in New York for $ 525,000.

3. "A hand with a sword that cuts a chain"

“A hand with a sword that cuts a chain” is the first postal stamp of the RSFSR. Released October 25 (November 7) 1918.

A hand with a sword beats off a chain against the background of the sun's rays, and above it is the inscription: "Russia". Stamps exist in two colors: blue (35 kopecks) and dark brown (75 kopecks).

The mark was made by order of the Provisional Government. One of three specially prepared miniatures by Richard Zarin was taken as a sample.

"Hand with a sword" did not become widespread. Therefore, extinguished brands do not come across more often than new ones.

The first postage stamp of the RSFSR "A hand with a sword that cuts a chain" with a nominal of 1 kopeck, which has never been issued, is estimated at 12.5 thousand dollars.

4. "Three Pearls"

Three Pearls is the 17th edition of the Russian Empire's postage stamp. It was issued in 1908 to replace the stamps of 1889-1905.

It received its name from three "pearls" (circles) instead of four, which were supposed to be located on the left and right between the frame, denoting the nominal and the emblem.

5. "Consular fifty dollars"

"Consular" stamps are a series of service airmail stamps of the RSFSR. In 1922, after the formation of the Russian-German airline company, the first international air line Moscow-Kenigsberg opened in the RSFSR. Although the company's airplane delivered only diplomatic mail, its charter provided for the possibility of sending private, paid mail, paid for when sent from Moscow by Soviet brands, and also when sending.

It was assumed that the stamps would be used as a postal license to exchange foreign correspondence of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR and other Soviet organizations sent by air to Moscow. Since this issue was carried out without the consent of the People's Commissar of the RSFSR, the initiative of the diplomatic mission was not approved in Moscow, and soon after, as the first plane arrived in the capital with the mail, a request was issued for

"Consular fifty kopecks" is a mark of consular fee with a nominal value of 50 kopecks with the inscription "Air mail of the RSFSR. 1200 germ. mark ". This is one of the most rare postage stamps of the RSFSR, its approximate circulation is 50-75 copies. One of these brands was sold in 2008 at the Cherriston auction for $ 63,250.

6. "Lemonka"

"Limonka" is a postage stamp of the USSR from the first standard issue, which was issued in 1925. In an unacceptable form, this is a fairly rare postage stamp of the USSR. It is known only up to hundreds of copies.

During manufacture, the punching machine broke down, while other denominations were printed in full. In order not to disrupt the delivery of postage stamps, the management of Goznak decided to send this party on time, without waiting for a 15-kopeck stamp to be printed. Due to the fact that the circulation of "Limonka" was very small, and was intended to be sent to remote regions of the USSR, where there were very few philatelists, almost all 15-kopeck letters were used for direct mail. The cost of such a brand is 15-20 thousand dollars.

7. "Slash blue airship"

"Aspidka" - this is how philatelists call a rare airmail brand from the series "Airship Construction in the USSR". On it, the artist Vasily Zavyalov invented an airship over an earth globe. The mark was issued in May 1931 with a nominal value of 50 kopecks.

According to the project, it should have been dark brown. However, part of the print run, three thousand copies, was printed in black-blue (aspid) paint.

The most rare "Aspidka" is in the toothless version. It is known that there are only 24 such brands.

8. "Be a hero!"

A postage stamp, based on a photograph of V. Koretsky and dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, was issued on August 12, 1941. It is considered rare, since a significant part of the circulation was lost at the warehouse during one of the bombing raids on Moscow.

By order of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, the mark is included in the list of rare postage stamps and blocks that cannot be exported (sent) from the USSR.

9. "250 years of historical victory in Poltava"

Unpublished postal stamp of the USSR in 1959. Along with a mark with a nominal of 40 kopecks, the captured Swedish troops, led by Prime Minister Karl Piper and field marshals, put their flags in front of Peter I. After the visit of the Prime Minister of Sweden Erlander to the USSR, Khrushchev's visit to Sweden was scheduled. On the eve of this meeting, it was decided to destroy the circulation, so as not to offend the new partners, focusing on such an unpleasant event for them, as a fault in the Battle of Poltava.

The official postage stamp was sold within a few minutes, after which the circulation was withdrawn and destroyed. And only 40 brands survived. It is known that they cost about 10-20 thousand dollars.

10. "Flight of Peace and Friendship"

Inscription on the stamp: "Flight of Peace and Friendship" to Denmark, Sweden and Norway ", post of the USSR, 1964, 4 kopecks. This is a rarity, the mark was not released, because the planned visit of Khrushchev to Sweden never took place. A copy of the stamp, which got to the collectors, was sold in 2008 at the Cherriston auction for 28,750 dollars.

11. "Blue Gymnastics"

Marka, known as "The Blue Gymnast", was released on the 40th anniversary of the Soviet circus. But in her appeal she did not go because of disagreements, which year should be considered the year of the founding of the circus: 1920-1921 or 1934. Many years later it was decided to establish the date - 1919. Mark was released only for the 60th anniversary of the circus in 1979. A copy of an unpublished but collectible mark was sold in 2008 at the Cherriston auction for $ 13,800.

12. "Carpathian Ukraine"

A rare postage mark dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the reunification of Zakarpattia Ukraine with Soviet Ukraine.
Inscription on the stamp: post of the USSR, 1965, 4k.

A copy of an unpublished but collectible mark was sold in 2008 at the Cherriston auction for $ 29,900.

13. "Study of the polar lights"

The international geophysical year, which was counted from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958, caused a certain philatelic interest in the world. The post offices of many children of the states were taken to the global science company. Hundreds of postage stamps have been issued. The USSR Post marked the IGY by releasing two interesting series.

In 1958, a circulation of 40-kopeck postage stamps of the USSR was issued. The study of auroras from the series "International Geofichesky Year" in the rare version with linear perforations was sold at an auction for 14,500 dollars.

14. Others

Also, among philatelic rarities, one can note the dark blue 10-kopeck stamp of the USSR in 1925, which was sold for 18.5 thousand dollars. This is the mark of the USSR with a portrait of Mendelev, the circulation "Scientists of Our Motherland" is estimated at 11,500 dollars. Also vertical toothless bombs of the USSR, 1937, with a nominal value of 40 and 50 kopecks from the series, issued for the century since the death of Pushkin. Its price at the auction was $ 9,500.

15. "Cardonka" with an inscription - $ 766 250

Kartonka is the philatelic name of the souvenir bloc (souvenir list), which was issued in 500 copies for the first All-Union philately exhibition in Moscow in 1932 and was sent to the invited guests by the invited guests. Its name "Kartonka" was derived from the fact that it was printed on very thick paper. On 25 sheets of the souvenir there was an inscription "To the best striker of the All-Russian Society of Philatelists", and on three - an additional print. One of these three souvenir lists (the only one that survived) was presented to the President of the Presidium of the Moscow Society of Philatelists E.M. Nurkas and sold at an auction in October 2008 for the indicated amount.

16. Airmail 5 rubles. 1923 - $ 86,250

The first series of the USSR air mail stamp was published in 1923 and included 4 stamps with the same image of the Foker F-111 flying aircraft in different colors, in denominations from 1 to 10 rubles. But the series did not make it into circulation because the air service was suspended for the winter. Only in the spring of the next year, after the revaluation and printing of the new nominal value, the stamps appeared in circulation. On one sheet of the whole lot, there was a defect: the number "5" was noticeably wider and lower than on the rest of the circulation. According to Lyapin's catalog, less than 50 copies of this rarity were preserved on white and yellowish background. "Fat Five" was sold in September 2008 for $ 86 and a quarter thousand.

17. Block "First All-Union Congress of Architects" in 1937 without text - $ 40,250

On June 16, 1937, a series of eight icons "Architecture of New Moscow" was released and was timed to coincide with the opening of the First All-Union Congress of Architects in Moscow. At the same time, a part of the stamps, consisting of four 40-kopeck stamps (with the project of the Palace of Soviets) and with the inscription "The First All-Union Congress of Architects", was issued with 84 thousand copies. "Moscow-1937" in the fields. At the same time, a small amount of circulation appeared without this inscription, and they are very rare. Only this circulation without text from Morozov's collection was sold at an auction in October 2008 for $ 40,250.

18. International Polar Year 1932 - $ 37,375

Aviatsionnye pochtovye marki USSR "2nd Mezhdunarodny Polar Year" nominalnoy kopeek value of 50 and 1 ruble, with izobrazheniem karty Severnogo polar basseyna poseredine, ledokola and samoleta sleva were vypuscheny in 1932 and prednaznachalis for frankirovki air perepiski on marshrutu Zemlya Frantsa- Joseph - Arkhangelsk. The main circulation was carried out with a linear perforation of 12.25. But a small part of the circulation was 10.5. Such a copy also made it into the ranks of philatelic rarities.

19. Sheet of 25 stamps of the RSFSR in 1922 (impenetrable, with an error of 70 rubles) - $ 110,000

What are the numbers? Impressive? I think that after such a learned information, everyone will suddenly want to find at least one such mark. And you will be lucky!