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first issues > countries > south russia, special conference

South Russia: Special Conference

Friday, May 2, 1919

South Russia 1f  

South Russia Scott #61
  South Russia Scott #61 xxx

Perforated 11½ and imperforate, wove paper, no watermark, lithographed.
Printed by the Office for the Production of Fiduciary Papers at Novocherkassk.

General Denikin issue. Surcharge on Russian stamps of 1909 - 17
Description # issued Scott #
Imperforate. May 2, 1919
5 kopecks orange
 11,400,000 61
10 kopecks green
 11,400,000 62
15 kopecks red
 11,400,000 63
35 kopecks light blue
 40,000,000 64
70 kopecks dark blue
 80,200,000 65
June 16, 1919
1 rubel brown & red
 11,200,000 66
2 rubels gray violet & yellow
 1,000,000 67
3 rubels rose & green
 8,000,000 68
5 rubels slate & violet
 6,000,000 69
7 rubels gray green & rose
 1,000,000 70
10 rubels red & gray
 4,000,000 71
Perforated 11½
3 rubels dull rose & green
 Included in #68 68a
3 rubels slate & violet
 Included in #69 69a
3 rubels dull red & gray
 Included in #71 71a

 

All issue quantities are approximate.

All 11 denominations (Scott #61 - 71) were prepared and printed together in April of 1919. However, supplies of the ruble denominations (Scott #66 - 71) were withheld until stocks of existing Arms stamps were nearing exhaustion (around the middle of July), making the kopecks effectively the first issue. The earliest known date of use is May 8.

These were printed by authority of the Special Conference on South Russian Government (the only White faction able to secure western assistance), and issued to keep the postal system supplied with stamps it would otherwise have run out of.

The kopecks were printed by the Office for the Production of Fiduciary Papers (many translations of this Russian phrase are possible) of the All-Great Army of the Don at Novocherkassk, in sheets of 400 subjects : the 25-stamp (5 X 5) panes were arranged 4 X 4, with imprint (inverted) over panes A & B. These printers' sheets were then quartered into office sheets of 100 (a few of which survive intact).

The first printing (made via direct, stone lithography) can be recognized by its thin framelines and fine detail. Gum on the initial printing was often more like a thin, brown glue which soaked into the paper.

By late 1919 (November) these had been printed in prodigious numbers, with (due to wartime shortages) a wide variety of papers, inks and gums. Although some of these are rarities, mint remainders of the issue as a whole are easily and cheaply available - almost wallpaper. Postally used examples, however, are very scarce items which provoke spirited competition when (infrequently) offered at auction.

Printed quantities.
Scott # May/July 1919 Aug/Sep 1919 Oct. 1919
61 3,200,000 3,200,000 5,000,000
62 3,200,000 3,200,000 5,000,000
63 3,200,000 3,200,000 5,000,000
64 15,000,000 15,000,000 10,000,000
65 5,200,000 15,000,000 60,000,000
66 1,200,000 5,000,000 5,000,000
67 1,000,000 0 0
68 & 68a 1,000,000 2,000,000 5,000,000
69 & 69a 1,000,000 2,000,000 3,000,000
70 1,000,000 0 0
71 & 71a 1,000,000 1,000,000 2,000,000
Sub total 36,000,000 49,600,000 100,000,000
Total printed: 185,600,000

 

The quantities of #68, 69 and 71 include the (small) number of perforated stamps.

It is very probable that a large quantity of the third printing was destroyed when the Red Army entered Novocherkassk in December 1919.

All information on this page was generously contributed by Bill Wagner (WSRP, BSRP). He, and he alone, deserves all credit. Any errors in the presentation are solely the responsibility of the webmaster.

Get an overview of the South Russia issues around 1918 - 1920.

FI ref: 490 Page credit: JA

Page created 19 Feb 2014 Page updated 10 May 2016