This brief article is dedicated to a series of very interesting stamps, that was purchased by me within the big collection of revenues in the 90-th. It is the series of entertainment duty stamps. Their history started at the Tsar time when the first series of VUIM stamps... >>>
Philatelists have the following hobby - collection of postcards, envelopes and other postal papers. Collectors of revenues have the same one, but subject of collecting is a set of documents: account sheets, tickets, cards, and others... >>>
It's a well-known fact that stamps are the brand of engraving art. It should be mention that many of stamps collectors collect prints of postage stamps on the envelopes and post cards. There are a lot of articles and researches in this area in the magazines and journals. But prints of postage stamps never to be compared with the prints of revenue stamps from the point of view of beauty and variety
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It seems that this is the best article of author. It has been pablished in one of the most authoritative journal for collectors - "Antiquariat" and dedicated to the most colourful revenues - stamps of WWI >>>
USSR entertaiment duty stamps: the main issue and specimens
One of first our articles was the paper about interesting and rare entertainment duty stamps. For a long time they were known as the "specimens" only, and collectors believed that set of entertainment duty stamps hadn't been issued officially. Nevertheless, the finding of 5 stamps without specimen overprints raised a new question about this issue. ()
It's very interesting - why the stamps had 2 kinds of dents (dent.11 and dent.12x12,5). Another question is the following: is some logic of this issue exists (both ordinary stamps and specimens fit in one logic)?
Specimens of entertainment duty stamps could help us. Well, what we know about them?()
1. Nominal values of known specimens.
At this moment we know the following values:
1ê. violet-black
2k. greensalad
3k. dark brown
6k. lilac
7k. black
8k. rose
9k. reddish-orange
10k. egg-yellow
15k. dark green
20k. light olive
30k. green
Note: it's possible that there exist a lot of values with the combined dents.
2.Dents of entertaiment duty stamps and others
Without overprint
Red overprint
Black overprint
1 kop.
12õ12.5
2 kop.
12õ12.5
12õ12.5
3 kop.
12õ12.5
4 kop.
12õ12.5
5 kop.
12x10.5 & 10.5x10.5
6 kop.
12õ12.5
12õ12.5
7 kop.
12õ12.5
12õ12.5
12õ12.5
8 kop.
10.5
11
9 kop.
11.25
11
10 kop.
10.5
15 kop.
11
20 kop.
11
30 kop.
10.5
Obviously that all stamps we know are following by clear logic: nominal values 1-7 kop. have dents 12x12,5 (except 5k. with the combined dents) and nominal values 8-30 kop. have dents 10.5-11,25. At this moment, the exclusions have not been found (except 5k.) This is the unusual division by dents, but it's possible that the rationale existed for this decision. In any case, it's important that system of dents is not occasional.
Note that all existed values (both ordinary stamps and specimens) have been printed on the good coating paper without watermark. At that time usual paper with watermark "carpet" having been used intensively. White coating paper was more expensive than usual one, and such a paper would not have become waste for probes.
Finally, the last fact is all specimens have the clear abklyach on the back side.
()
3. Conclusion
It seems that issue of the last entertainment duty stamps has been good prepared and performed by strong planning. The stamps have been issued on white coated paper (without watermark) with two kinds of dents (12x12,5 and 11). Division is between values 1-7 kop. and 8-30 kop.
Most part of sheets stamps has got the overprint SPECIMEN in red colors. Some sheets stamps have got the overprint in black color.
As a hypothesis we can also assume that some stamps in sheet didn't have the overprint (due to technical error or deliberately). That gives us some ordinary stamps. Another idea is that the sheets stamps without overprint have been demolished officially, and only a few stamps have been saved for a reason.
