1857 10k brown & blue, margins all around, deep colors, tied by "9" in oval of dots on complete FL from Taurogen (23 Sep 1858) to Mitau, boxed departure datestamp and "Poluchenon" (received) markings on back, filing folds away from the stamp, v.f. and attractive Russia Number One on cover, signed Bloch (Cat No. 1) (Image)

Est.$3,000

1858 10k brown & blue, seven used examples, various paper and shade varieties, different postmarks, fine-v.f. (Cat No. 2) (Image)

Est.$250

1858 10k brown and blue, beautiful deep color, tied by "393" numeral in dots cancel on outer FL from Dorpat to Riga, with corresponding departure (29 Nov 1858) circular postmark and "Polucheno" arrival datestamp (Cat No. 2) (Image)

Est.$250

1858 20k lilac & green, perforated proof on unwatermarked paper, unused without gum, v.f. (Cat No. 3P) (Image)

Est.$500

1869 (22 Jan) outer FL from Taganrog, franked with 10k and 20k (unwatermarked), tied by cds and sent to Greece, taxed 45L on arrival in Corfu, with the addition of 5L (margins just in at right) and 40L (margins all around), departure, Petraeus transit and Kerkura arrival pmks, filing fold through 40L, otherwise fine and colorful letter from Russia to Greece (Image)

Est.$750

1884 3.50r and 7r Arms, Posthorns without Thunderbolts, vertically laid paper, fresh, v.f., the former signed Bloch, cat. $2000 (Cat No. 39-40) (Image)

Cat. $2000, Est.$1,000

1884 3.50r black & gray (vertically laid paper), used, well centered, with perforations intact, tiny flaws (as often), fresh and fine stamp, signed Diena, etc., cat. $625 (Cat No. 39) (Image)

Cat. $625, Est.$250

1913 Romanov Tercentenary, 5r Nicholas II, complete sheet of 50, marginal tears and perf. separations, mostly intact, stamps n.h., post office fresh, v.f., without the usual buckling and wrinkles. A rare multiple (Cat No. 104) (Image)

Est.$2,000

1919 (5 Apr) registered cover from Moscow to Petrograd, paying 3r with five imperforate blocks of 4x10k dark blue, used in combination with pair of perforated 50k, fine and scarce usage, with arrival (8 April) pmk on back (Cat No. 124) (Image)

Est.$500

1923 10r gray, imperforate sheetlet of 25, with intact inscription at bottom, n.h., usual gum wrinkles, v.f. (Cat No. 241d) (Image)

Est.$500

1924 15k lemon, five used examples, various postmarks, fine-v.f., cat. $825 (Cat No. 287) (Image)

Cat. $825, Est.$400

1925 Definitives (watermarked), 4k black (two) invalidated perforated and gummed trial color proofs, also 8k olive (typographed), fine (Image)

Est.$150

1926 Lenin, 2r black violet, perf. 12 1/2, fresh color, h.r., fine (Cat No. 343a) (Image)

Est.$150

1927 8k on 3k (lithographed), 8k on 8k green (typographed), each with surcharge inverted, l.h., fine and scarce (Image)

Est.$1,000

1938 Red Army, 80k variety imperf. at bottom, n.h., fingerprints on gum, v.f. (Zagorsky 495Pb) (Cat No. 634var) (Image)

Est.$750

1949 Lenin Mausoleum, imperf. souvenir sheet of four, cancelled to order with bi-lingual "Riga" cancel, n.h., with slight gum wrinkles and adhesions, v.f., rare, cat. $3000 (Cat No. 1327a,vasr) (Image)

Cat. $3000, Est.$1,000

1958 Mendeleyev Congress, overprint on 40k Butlerov, n.h., v.f. (Image)

Est.$750

1923 (Jan) registered cover from Moscow to New York, franked on both sides with 26 stamps (paying total of 684r or 6r84k, underpaying the current 7r rate, a very small amount which was apparently overlooked by the postal clerk), including 45r (two), plus a variety of existing issues (mostly valued in 1922 rubles, as no stamps had yet been issued in 1923 rubles), with two complete sets of the Fifth Anniversary of the Revolution, non-denominated charity issue (including the scarce airplane), also regular issues, star surcharges, 100,000r on 250r (two) and 250r on 35k Philatelic Tax stamp, fine cover, with arrival (29 Jan) postmarks (Cat No. C1) (Image)

Est.$1,000

1926 (28 Aug) registered cover from Moscow to Switzerland, franked with three different surcharges including 10k (narrow "0" variety), 5k on 1k Foreign Exchange tax stamp on back, v.f., with Lysin arrival pmk. Although airmail stamps were not officially authorized for use on non-airmail covers until September 6, 1926, this cover, processed through the Philatelic Bureau, was obviously permitted to pass a week earlier (Cat No. C6,7var,8) (Image)

Est.$1,000

1926 (2 Sep) cover from Nizhny Novgorod, registered from Moscow to Austria, franked with a combination of Air Post, Definitives and Commemorative stamp, paying 38k (the correct foreign registered letter rate was 28k, hence this letter was probably overweight), with 5k on 1k Foreign Exchange tax stamp on back, contents indicated "2017" in pen, filing folds away from the stamps, fine (Cat No. C7) (Image)

Est.$250

1930 (27 Oct) registered and flown cover from Leningrad to Germany, where 2m and 4m Zeppelin adhesives were added and cancelled by "Dornier Flugschiff 30 Jan 31 D29" strike, with additional boxed cachet, bearing Rio de Janeiro (22.6.31) and additional "DoX Primero Voo Europa-America do Sul Estados Unidos" diamond shape handstamp, v.f. (Image)

Est.$500

1931 (19 Sep), "Europa", registered and flown cover from Leningrad to Oakland, variously franked (5 stamps) in combination with United States (5c Beacon, single on front and horizontal pair on back of the cover), cancelled "U.S. Ger Sea Post S.S. Europa" (Sep 21), Berlin transit and special red cachet (applied on both sides), fine and scarce Russia-USA Catapult combination (Image)

Est.$750

1933 (29 June), "Bremen", envelope sent Registered from Leningrad to New York, variously franked (3 stamps) in combination with Germany (6 stamps), special cachet in green, Berlin June 30 and New York July 9 arrival datestamps on reverse, fine (Image)

Est.$400

1933 (24 Sep), "Bremen", cover sent Registered to USA, variously franked (6 stamps) in combination with Germany (7, three on reverse, actually comprising of single, two tete-beche pairs, one horizontal gutter pair), Berlin transit cachet in red, special cachet in black and New York Oct 2- 3 datestamps, fine and attractive Russian-German combination for cover flown from Leningrad, via Berlin and Koln, then forwarded via the S/S "Bremen" and catapult flight to New York (Image)

Est.$400

1932 Mattern & Griffin Round-the-World flight, cover franked with U.S., German and Russian adhesives, bearing appropriate postmarks and autographed by both fliers, some light cover stains as often, otherwise v.f. The U.S. pilot Jimmy Mattern, with Lt. Griffin attempted to beat the "round-the-world" record, held at the time by Post and Gatty. After flying from New York via Harbour Grace, they landed in Berlin and later reached Moscow. Their plane crashed on the way to Siberia. Only 10 covers were carried (Cat No. AAMC TO 1167) (Image)

Est.$750