1896 3k black on rose, top sheet margin single, upper right corner bent over, tied by violet pmk on back of cover from Novomoskovsk to Kharkov, with Imperial 7k dark blue, rounded by crayon, stamp was discovered to have been previously used and not recognized, with penalty Postage Due "Doplatit" and "14" in manuscript, presumably paid in cash, with Kharkov arrival pmk on back. A fascinating example of attempted postal fraud actually discovered by the postal authorities, well known Novomoskovsk correspondence (similar to Faberge, page 209) (CS1) (Image)

Est.US$1,500

1896 (9 Mar) combination cover to Kharkov, franked on back with local 3k black and rose, variety imperf. at top, canceled by faint violet "Zemskaya Pochta" handstamp, with Imperial 7k added on front, tied by Novomoskovsk cds, with Kharkov arrival (11 Mar) pmk on back, fine. One of only 9 (!) covers recorded from this Zemstvo, ex-Nikitin (CS1) (Image)

Est.US$2,000