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 >>>
Recently I have purchased a set of stamps on eBay. Those were the well-known ODVF* stamps with the plot where a peasant sows seeds-airplanes. I just remembered that two dozens years ago, when I paid look on these stamps, I was amazed by similarity of the "sower" and L.D.Trotskiy. Why, why, and why? Lets try to remember any postal stamp with the face of the disgraced leader. No such stamps. But within the non-postal stamps there exist a lot of such plots. By the way, the ODVF stamps are not the only where face of L.D.Trotskiy are printed. ()
In fact, the reason of Trotskiy's face occurance is enough simple. It was Trotskiy who initiated the ODVF foundation (after - Aviachem, Osoaviachem ... DOSAAF**) and was ideological inspirer of it. Read the extraction from writer Golovanov's novel "Korolev":
"He was man who asked popularity, especially within youth, Trotskiy propagandized the idea of Society of Air Force friends and authorized the great wave of publications in press. The slogan "Let wings!" was the main slogan of 1923. Within 12 months the number of society members arose from 16 thousands to 1 022 000 members. ODVF cells have been organizing everywhere, even at Soviet ambassies. Aeroclubs, aerotrainings, aeroexpositions, aeropresentations - there was no a town where money for new aircrafts were not collected and was no the city without aicrafts production. The correspondents donated money for plane "Rabcor", chemistry trade union initiated construction of dirigible balloon "Red rubber chemist". In towns and villages aviators transported the feared peasants, the agitators made presentations on fairs. It was proclaimed that the number of ODVF members would be three millions to the summer of 1925. We could understand the significance of the new society by the fact that all important party and state leaders were the members of ODVF soviet: Bubnov, Voroshilov, Kalinin, Kamenev, Mikoyan, Ordjonikidze, Podvoiskiy, Rykov, Stalin, Trotskiy, Frunze, Aihe, Yakir."
Naturally, some local head decided to immortalize the Trotskiy's idea in the plot of stamps. Of cause, printing of direct portrait of party leader was really risky, so painter gave similarity to the peasant represented on the stamp.
By the way, its not a common fact - at that time Troskiy and his friends have found commercial (1923 was the year of "new economic policy") "Russian society of civil air forces", in short - "Dobrolet". Some time after this socity became state ownership and got the well-known name "Aeroflot" finally (1932). But that was not the end of story - now this is the usual company with the 51% state part. ()
The stamps or posters with the name "Dobrolet" are rare as compare to ODVF ones. The reason is the following: "Dobrolet" was the commercial enterprise, but ODVF was supported from state budget and private funds. There issued a lot of lotteries, stamps, etc. for the ODVF purposes. Besides, there were a great army of ordinar ODVF members (with the corresponding member fees).
Anyway, revenue collectors are very thankful for historically interesting and colorful collecting material with a part decorated by body of "sawer"-peasant-Trotskiy.
* - ODVF is the Society of Air Forces friends
** - DOSAAF is the the Voluntary Society for Assistance to Army, Aviation, and Fleet.
