1724-1843 (The Memel Rates: Mail to and from Russia up to 1843) - from at least as early as 1695 onwards, the vast majority of mail to and from Russia traveled through the Prussian city of Memel. While a formal Russo-Prussian treaty was not signed until 1821, Prussia accepted prepaid mail from and to Russia and settled the corresponding charges at the border. This process continued peacefully for over a century without a formal postal treaty in place. Offered here is an award-winning five-frame collection (World Stamp Exhibition St. Petersburg 2007, gold medal recipient), with 83 folded letters and covers (there are an additional 80 covers, partly described but not mounted). Each cover has been extensively researched and is thoroughly described, with respect to origin, destination, postal tariff, transit and due markings for items from Russia to foreign destinations (two frames), as well as incoming mail into the country (two frames). The earliest letter is from Narva (1724) via Memel and Emmerich to Amsterdam. There are Napoleonic letters, mail from and to Portugal, England, France, Netherlands, as well as "undercover" mail, sent via private agents, using alternative routes, etc. An important collection, expertly written up, still with room for expansion for a student of Russian and European Postal History, ex-Ivo-Steijn

Est.US$15,000