1857, 10k. dark brown/light blue, plate II, good to large margins all around, tied by framed two-line "VILNO MARCH 1858" (Dobin 05.1.12) to a small piece, fine, certificate Ceremuga (2002)

1858, 10k. brown/light blue tied by circular dotted "2" MOSCOW to a folded letter to Latvia, with adjacent arrival framed "POLUCHENO 14 AUG. 1858", on reverse departure two-line "MOSCOW AUG. 7" and transit cds. "MITAVA AUG. 12 1858"; one short perf., otherwise fine

1858 10k. brown/blue, tied by clear Polish concentric circles "282" KIBARTY, with adjacent cds. "KIBARTY 10-4" to a folded entire to St Petersburg, reverse arrival cds. "ST PETERSBURG 31 MARCH 1863 III" and blue cds. "GRANDE SOCIETE DES CHEMINS DE FER RUSSES"; the stamp was previously cancelled and later cleaned to be re-used, cover with vertical archival fold and adhesive defective, still a fine example of a Polish postal fraud in early Imperial Russia 

1899, Provisional Label, 1k., 2k., 3k., 4k, 5k. and 35k. Arms tied with cds "ROSTOV ON DON" to an international registered envelope to Germany, alongside the scarce 1899 provisional label from Rostov; attractive six colours franking and scarce label

1918, Provisional Government, 50k. imperforate, tied with cds "ELISAVETGRAD 20 08 18" to the reverse of an envelope to Novograd-Volinsk, alongside receiver handstamp 26 August, also 50k. with 7r. both imperforate and 1918 5k. Saving stamps tied with cds "BUZULUK 1 3 19" to a fragment of a money transfer (ex Fabergé); very fine and unusual usages of the 50k. Arms imperforate

1922, Hunger Aid 250r. on 35k. with double surcharge in yellow and carmine, mint never hinged, some blunt perfs, two perf tips tiny toned, otherwise fine, a scarce stamp with only 100 printed, certificate Dr. Leupold AIEP (2022) (Standard 27Tr)

1857/1917 and 1922-2017, in the beginning used later increasingly unused collection, from Mi.-No. 1 used, mostly good condition

1917/19, Imperforate Arms, small specialist selection starting with 1917 1r. gutter block with center misplaced, 1919 1r. bloc of ten background misplaced on horizontally laid losanges paper, and 1917 10r. four copies postally used including two with plate damaged frame at upper right corner, very fine (Mi.-Nr. 77Dy, 77Bxb, 81Bxb)

IMPERIAL FISCALS: 1880/87, 1r., 3r. and 5r. Tribunal Court in three sheetlets of 25, mint never hinged (only in sheet border), also a complete vertical strip of six of the 30k. Baku District Court, scarce thus; very fine

IMPERIAL FISCALS: 1887/1900, specialist group of 30 stamps, including 1889 Simbirsk Court Fee 10k., Piatigorsk (2), Kislovodsk (2) one, 1895 3r. and 5r. Tobacco, Peasant Tax strip of 5 different values from 2 k. to 20k., 1887 Tribunal with three values in blocs of four MNH, 1899 St Petersburg residence for men (7), also a complete undivided sheet of six stamped papers for currency transactions; condition varies with a couple with faults, still a very fine and scarce assembly (a few ex Fabergé)

IMPERIAL FISCALS: 1890s, over 100 Baku Court District fiscal stamps used, many on fragment, expertly described, also a scarce group of Transcaucasia 1923 federation fiscals (11); mostly very fine (some ex Fabergé)

IMPERIAL FISCALS: 1892/1922, a specialist group of over 50 fiscal stamps, including some used on fragments and documents, one cigarette green fiscal stamp, a mint tete-beche bloc, some 1890s Baku district court used, also five South Russia fiscals (1r. to 5r.) and a Soviet usage in 1922; mostly very fine

1797/1935, nearly 80 covers, cards and postal stationary as well as documents with fiscal stamps, from pre-philately with R-letters, transit stamps, censors and interesting frankings

1830/68, group of about fifteen stampless folded entires and early postal stationery envelopes, used in Lithuania, good range of postmarks, better items including Postal Stationery Eagle 10k. grey-black, small format envelope (143x85mm), indicium teared upon opening, used with cds. "POLOTSK 23 AUG 1868", reverse arrival red handstamp "VILNO", signed Mikulski; fair to good strikes, overall condition fine to very fine

1850/1917, excellent group of over fifty (50) covers and cards, starting with some stampless mail, unused postal stationeries, censored mail, fine postmarks such as a ship mail card from the Nizhny-Rybinsk line, money letters, parcel cards, wrappers, a couple of foreign incoming mail; fine lot

1852/1916, more than 50 postal documents, among them many postal receipts, from different post offices with interesting postmarks, mostly in good condition

1862/1917, small group of over 15 covers and cards (or front), including some MOUNT ATHOS correspondance, also 3k. Arms solo franking tied with cds "VARSAW 8 SEPT. 1889" to front of a local city envelope; condition varies from poor to very fine

1876/79, Correspondance to MOUNT ATHOS, fine group of ten money letters all addressed to ODESSA for further transmission to some monasteries on the Greek island, good range of single handstamps, also two 1894 archive halves of certificates (defect) issued by the Andreevski skete on Mount Athos and two cash requisitions (1886 and a Soviet 1936 one); fine to very fine

1878/1915, group of over sixty (60) postal stationery cards, envelopes, parcel cards and money orders, used in Lithuania, good range of postmarks including "KOVNO", "BERZHBOLOV", "PODYRODZE", etc., scarce 1914 Postal Savings Book from "BEYSAGOLANOV", also three incoming cards from France, Austria and Bavaria, mostly very fine

1888/1935, six covers and one card, including two 1880s envelopes from Dzhulfa to Tabriz Persia (ex Ashford), 1899 provisional registration label from Smolensk, 1905 postcard to Riga sent via steamship line, 1935 Soviet cover from Moscow with Philatelic Exchange stamp on reverse, also Zemstvo Zenkov a very fine pair lower sheet margin (Schmidt 36I)

1890/1932, group of 12 covers and cards, many with special features, a.o. unknown R-cards and interesting postmarks, good condition

1899, Provisional Labels, specialist group of eight covers, all bearing the scarce provisional registration labels produced only in 1899, and including Smolensk, Berdichev, Vitebsk, Chernigov, Pskov, Velizhi, Velikie Luki and Kronstadt; very fine. 

FIELD POST OFFICES: 1904/17, 1904 card struck with the 241th Infantry cachet (Japanese War), 1916 card tied with FPO 53 handstamp and 20k. tied with superb strikes of the FPO 3 cds; very fine interesting group

1909/16, Excellent assembly of five covers and cards with special postmarks, including a scarce TELEGRAPH postmark fom Ekaterinburg, St Petersburg OFFICE FOR GOVERNMENT AND DIPLOMATIC correspondance receiver, a Romanov cover with 1914 Mute postmark, a KIZIL-ARVAT postmark from Zakasp. oblast; very fine  

1914/17 holding of over 60 used postal stationary and covers, including many better, also interesting censorship cancellations as well as camp cancellations, various condition

PROPAGANDA CARDS WWI: 1914/18 (ca.), group of 10 unused anti-German propaganda cards, interesting texts such as "Poor Wilhelm, the English have left you completely without ports!", "the Russians are advancing on all fronts...", etc.; mostly very fine

1915/16, holding of c. 40 covers and cards, including registered covers, war aid stamps, censorship mail, etc., mostly good condition

1918/21, Interesting assembly, starting with three cards and two envelopes sent during the civil war, including 1920 Free Post period registered envelope, a scarce 1918 registered postcard tied "MOSCOW" sent to Riga during the German occupation of the city, also Batum British Occupation last issue overprinted in transfer blocks of six (54), 1922 Mountain Republic (5), Far east Republic Chita 7 kopek rouletted variety imperforated between vertically (three strips mint original gum), some Russian Turkestan 1920s fiscals, also a few doubtful items identified as such 

"1028" STATION ZLOCHEV dotted postmark on 1866 10k. brown/blue on horizontally laid paper on envelope to Kalisz, on reverse framed "ST. ZLOCHEV KALI. G. 29 JANUARY 1875" and arrival cds. "30 JAN. 1875"; vertical fold on the right side and minor cover imperfections, otherwise fine and very scarce  

1899, Postal stationery Advertising letter 7 k. with additional franking 3 k. red cancelled with cds. "RIGA 31.III.1899" to Laibach with arrival mark, inside with illustration of an ibex, fine

1875, Coat of arms postal stationery card 4k. green with errounous inscription at bottom "?????????", used, small corner bend/crease, otherwise fine

1921, 2k.-10k. complete set in pairs together with an additional single 10k., all tied by cds. "VLADIVOSTOK 10 5 22" to a registered envelope to Germany, adjacent red transit mark via London and arrival cds. "LEIPZIG VOLKMARSDORF"; slight cover imperfections at the edge otherwise very fine

1920, interesting group of 45 stamps mint, singles postally used and on fragments; mostly very fine (ex Mi.-Nr. 1/7)

ODESSA DISINFECTION: 1851, cds "CONSTANTINOPLE" struck on reverse of a folded entire to ODESSA, endorsed "194" alongside and very faint arrival oval postmark, typical disinfection pin holes applied against diseases at ports; very fine and scarce

1912, negative seal "Chio Poste Russe Gratuit" with matching cds. "ROPiT CHIOS 7 XII 1912" on cover adressed to Athens with arrival mark, fine

1910, Kitai 1k. orange and 7k. blue tied by cds. "SHANGHAI POSTES 6 3 00" to wrapper to Wladiwostok, fine

ORGEEV DISTRICT: 1887, 3k. carmine-red, horizontal pair with fresh colors, tied by the circular Star of David district cancel "16" to an envelope for the administration for agricultural affairs in Orgeev, intact wax seal on reverse, cover roughly opened at the bottom otherwise very fine (Schmidt 18)

1852/1935 (ca.), group of over 40 covers and cards, incl. early stampless folded entires, inflation mail, Soviet Esperanto and airmail, better items like Mi. 2, teared, tied by rectangular dotted postmark "239" LIBAVA, also Mi. 57-60 unused each an overprinted character from "OBRAZETS", etc.; condition poor to very fine

1857/1980 (approx.), several hundred unused/mint never hinged and used stamps with emphasis on secondary areas, Levant, China, Zemstvo etc., including better stamps, varieties and specialities, neatly on stockcards in four Hawid boxes

1858/1988, unused and used collection in four albums, many better sets and individual stamps like Levant Mi. 1 (2), incl. Civil War issues, Post Offices Abroad, souvenir sheets, etc., some duplicates and varieties; condition poor to very fine, an interesting collection

1858/2010, mint never hinged, unused and used holding with collections, part collections and duplicates in 2 large boxes.

1869/1922, Balance of a specialized group, with mint never hinged blocs (over 15 sheet parts of the early 1908 printings), 1921 printed matter, an undelivered mail with mute cancels, a few Russia post in China overprinted used, etc.; fine to very fine

1875/1973, group "plate flaws" with nearly 40 stamps/units with focus before 1950 incl. secondary areas, all with photo proofs/photo attestations Hovest

RUSSIAN LABELS AND FISCALS: 1880/1937 (ca.) collection of over 450 Russian labels and fiscals neatly arranged in one stockbook, spanning from the Imperial to the early Soviet periods, mostly charity, airmail and official labels; fine to very fine

1915/95 (approx.), box full of duplicates on stockcards and bags, colourful mixture with old material, modern overprint issues incl. successor states.

1917, Provisional Government, specialist group of seven covers and cards, all franked with a selection of the Imperforate Arms issues, including a very early use of the 15k. imperf. (1,05r. rate, tariff of 28 Febrauary 1918), two fine strips of four of the 3k. (12k. foreign rate), a three colour franking with imperf. 1k. and 1r., and more; fine to very fine.

1918, a fine selection of three cards and one envelope, showing various postal rates and frankings from the early Soviet area, with 20k., 10k. or 70k. frankings (the later an error as no 70k. tariff was in effect) and a 24k. franked card from Rostov under Bolshevik control; interesting group

1918/91, mostly unused collection with many better items throughout including Mi.-Nr. 185-189, 453-55, 457-61, 480-82, 483-87, 489-93, 494-98, 513-22, 527 and bl. 11B, good condition

1918/21, assembly of nine covers and cards, showing a range of tariffs including a 1918 Brest-Litovsk tariff, an illustrated envelope, a scarce 1920 foreign postcard from Petrograd to Germany; very fine

1918/99, Interesting group of over 50 items, mainly covers with a strong focus on the 1922/23 inflation period, multiple frankings and rates, a few later items also included; overall very fine