RUSSIA Eagle issues, overprints, part 2

Return To Catalogue - Russia overview - Russia eagle overprints, part 1

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

Warning: the unoverprinted stamps of Russia were almost without any value and are still available in large amounts. Therefore many forgers have attempted to 'increase' their value by applying forged overprints and surcharges! I quote from 'The Forged Stamps of all Countries' by J.Dorn: "The issues from the beginning of the war are uncontrollable, and must be considered a specialized filed, they are a gold-mine for the mass-production forgers."

Russia eagle overprints, part 1

North Western Army overprints (1919)

(Reduced sizes)

The following stamps of Russia (arms issue) were overprinted for the North Western Army: 2 k green, 5 k lilac, 10 k blue (red overprint), 10 k on 5 k lilac, 15 k lilac and green, 20 k blue and red, 20 k on 14 k blue and red, 25 k green and violet, 50 k lilac and green, 1 R brown and orange, 10 R red, yellow and grey, all perforated. The values 1 k orange, 2 k green, 3 k red, 5 k lilac, 15 k lilac and blue, 70 k brown and orange, 1 R brown and orange, 3 R 50 k brown and green, 5 R blue and green and 10 R green and red were issued imperforate. These overprints are relatively rare, be careful, forged overprints exist!

Kuban issue, South Russia (1919)

  '-25' on 1 k yellow (perforated or imperforated)
  '-50' on 2 k green (perforated or imperforated)
  '-70 k' on 5 k lilac (perforated or imperforated)
  '1 p.' on 3 k red (perforated or imperforated)
  '-1 p.' on 3 k red (perforated or imperforated)
  '3 pybnR' on 4 k red
  '10 pybnen' on 4 k red

(Another Kuban overprint)

For more stamps issued in South Russia click here.

Siberia issue (1919)

  '35' on 2 k green (imperforated or perforated)
  '50' on 3 k red (imperforated or perforated)
  '70' on 1 k yellow (imperforated or perforated)
  '1 py6pb' on 4 k red (imperforated or perforated)
  '3 py6pb' on 7 k blue (perforated)
  '5 py6pb' on 14 k blue and red (perforated)

The above stamps were issued by Admiral Koltchak.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

(another overprint for Siberia: 'P1-')

Far Eastern Republic (1920):

(Overprinted 'DBP' in fancy letters, prepared but not used)

(Further surcharges also exist, reduced sizes)

For more stamps of this region, click here.

Priamur issue (Siberia, 1922):

(Overprinted in russian in a rectangle, non issued, 1922)

More stamps with this overprint can be found in the Priamur region.

Don issue (1918)

(Genuinly used, image obtained from Bill Wagner)

  25 on 1 k yellow (perforated or imperforated)
  25 on 2 k green (perforated or imperforated)
  25 on 3 k red (perforated or imperforated)
  25 on 4 k red
  50 on 7 k blue

For more stamps issued in South Russia and information on forgeries and postmarks of this issue click here.

Crimean issue (Sebastopol, 1918)

(Image obtained from Bill Wagner)

  '35 KOP' on 1 k yellow

There is a nice website on this issue on: http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/south_russia_sulkevich_1.shtml (made by Bill Wagner). For more information and stamps issued in South Russia click here.

Issues for the Wrangel army (Crimea)

(Genuinly used stamps, images obtained from Bill Wagner)

  5 R on 5 k lilac (perforated or imperforated)
  5 R on 20 k blue and red

A similar overprint was made on the Denikin (South Russia) issue (35 k blue).

(Reduced size)

  100 R on 1 k yellow (perforated or imperforated)
    

The 100 R stamp was prepared, but never issued. The following information was obtained from Bill Wagner (USA):
The Crimean 100 roubles surcharges were prepared for use, but never issued.  "Used" copies of them were subsequently manufactured in Paris by a former postal official, using cancellors which he carried away with him in the evacuation.  His downfall, however, was that these are postmarked with dates previous to the supposed "issue date."  If you want an illustration of these, you can find a multiple of them at http://hometown.aol.com/byckoff1/SRUSSIA.html   Note that there are different settings !  The "1" of "100" can be above the "B" or the "L" of "Rublei" below it.  This is because the typographic plate was originally set up to print double-figure surcharges, being modified at the last minute to print three-figure surcharges.

For more stamps issued in South Russia click here.

Other overprints:

(1920: '2 PYb' on 2 k green; issue for Yakutsk and '1 PYb' on 1 k orange for Olekminsk)

(1920: 'PYB' and 'P' overprint of Kustanay)

('20' on 20 k Rogachev issue, 1920)

Priamur issues, overprinted 'H HA H B. P. P.' (1921), example:

These overprints are extremely rare (no doubt many forged overprints will exist). For more of these stamps, click here.

Other overprints:

Issued during the german occupation of Russia (1918)

  '20 Pfg' on 10 k blue
  '40 Pfg' on 20 k blue and red

1922 Philately day overprint

  1 k orange
  1 k orange (imperforated)
  2 k green
  3 k red
  5 k lilac
  10 k blue

These stamps were overprinted with 'RSFSR Philately day 19 - 8 -1922', they were sold at 5000 times their initial value. Forged overprints exist where the letter 'delta' (first letter of the third(?) line) does not have a lower horizontal line and looks like a 'pi' (source: http://www.rossica.org/Samovar/viewthread.php?tid=1048).

Two forgeries with 'FAUX' overprint

1922 Eagle stamps of Russia, overprinted with star and Sowjet arms, perforated or imperforated

  5 R on 20 k blue and red
  20 R on 15 k lilac and blue
  20 R on 70 k brown and orange
  30 R on 50 k brown and green
  40 R on 15 k lilac and blue
  100 R on 15 k lilac and blue
  200 R on 15 k lilac and blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forged 20 R overprint, the '2' is different. This forged overprint also exists inverted. Image obtained from http://rossica.org/Samovar/viewthread.php?tid=379.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer