1830 (Oct. 8): Entire letter from St. Petersburg to the Jewellery J. F. Bautte in Geneva, no despatch datestamp, transit "P. MEMEL 24 OCT." and "R" meaning Russland added in Berlin, reverse with GENEVE 4 9bre 1830" arrival datestamp. The letter was written by Maria Nesselrode (1786-1849), who served as lady in waiting to empress Elizabeth Alexeievna. She was a leading socialite in St. Petersburg society and court life, hosted an influential salon, had high positions within philanthropy, and was described as politically active through her spouse. She was married to Count Karl Robert Nesselrode, for forty years foreign minister and a leading European conservative statesman of the Holy Alliance. The text says ".. l'Imperatrice a trouvê la petite montre si jolie, qu'elle m'a chargê ...". (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image)

1833/37: Group of three entire letters sent from Odessa and St. Petersburg, respectively to the Jewellery J. F. Bautte in Geneva, despatch datestamps on reverse and front, "R" meaning Russland and "Russie." added in Berlin, reverse with GENEVE arrival datestamps. An interesting correspondence showing the good reputation of Swiss jewellery and watch making in Russia, the senders being part of the Russian high society with General Lev Naryshkin (1785-1846), Baron Louis Borchard de Heeckeren, the Dutch ambassador in St. Petersburg, and Count Alexander Grigorovich Kushelov-Bezborodko (1800-1855). (Image 1) (Image)

1866: Stampless envelope vom Arkhangel to Odessa, sent as value letter with Arkhangelsk cds (Oct 29, 1866) on reverse and sealed with wax seal of the value letter department, sent to the reponsible of the Russian Andrejevskij Skite at Mount Athos in Odessa with "POLUTSHENO 18 NOYA" framed arrival datestamp on front. Postage calculation on reverse, which had to be paid in cash as usual for value letters before 1904, a common way for Russian believers to send money to the monasteries at Mount Athos while avoiding Ottoman postal services. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image)

1875: Russia 7 k. grey & carmine used on 1879 cover to Metelino, Turkey tied by 'Postal Wagon No. 67' datestamp in black with information strike at right. Underpaid as franked only at internal rate and charged Postage Due upon receipt in Metelino with Turkey Dulos 1875 20 pa. green and 1 pi. yellow tied by hexagonal framed METELIN handstamp in black (Coles & Walker fig. 31). Reverse with Odessa transit cds (April 15), Russian P.O. in Constantinople cds in black and returned back to Ottoman Office in Constantinople (Sept 1) with cds in blue. An unusual cover. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image)

1904: War Orphans Fund, lot 24 used/unused stamps, also with rare perfs., in addition for normal or registered covers incl. three set covers.

1930: Registered cover to Prague and readdressed to Berlin, franked by 1927 7 k. carmine, 1929 Industry 28 k. blackish purple and 1930 Zeppelin 80 k. carmine, perf. 12½, tied by Moscow cds's (10.IX) in black with registration in yellow at right. Reverse with Prague, Friedrichshafen and Berlin cds's.rn (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image)

1857/1970: Important stock several thousand stamps used/unused or in mint condition, incl. some better values, plenty of full sets, partly heavy duplication, good conditon and hosued in eight stockbooks, all arranged in a Banana box.

Zemstvo Rural Posts 1867/1914c.: The magnificent three volume collection of primarily unused stamps and some postal stationery, arranged in alphabetical format of issuing Zemstvo rather than Government from Alatyr to Zolotonosha, presented throughout with the forgeries of the issues showing the comparisons between the genuine and the faked, with Alexandria from 1869 10 k. blue and 1870 10 k. on chamois, Ananiev from 1875 5 k. blue, Ardatov from 1878 5 k. red, Arzamas from 1877, Atkarsk from 1872 2 k. black, Balashov with pair of 1880 4 k., Belebey from 1890 with fine range to 1908, Berdiansk with 1870 10 k. (2) and Colour Trials (3), Bobrov with 1879 3 k. green (Type III), Bogorodsk with fine range from 1869 imperf. and perf., and 1871 10 k. red envelope, Borisogliebsk with blue wafer types (8), Borovichy from 1869, Bulgulma from 1882, Buguruslan from 1879 2 k., Byelozersk from 1868, Byezhetsk from 1872, Cherdyn and Cherepovets ranges, Cherkassy 1879 5 k. (2), Chern 1873 3 k. black in block of six, Dankov from 1873, Demiansk from 1868 3 k., Dmitriev 1871 3 k., Fatezh 1873 envelopes in blue (4 k.) and in red (6 k.), Gadiasch with good range, Glazov from 1875 3 k. in pair, Griazovets with 1886 4 k. strip of six, 1890 tête-bêche pairs, Ismail 1881 15 k. and 1882 10 and 20 k. postal stationery charity envelopes, Kasimov from 1875 3 k., Kazan with 6 k. blue stationery envelope, Kharkov with range of imperf. and perf. types, Kherson from 1867 10 k., Kirilov from 1871 2 k., Kolomna from 1871 5 k., Krapivna with 1871 2 k., Kotelnich from 1871 issue with stubs, Krasny with '1812' types incl. varieties, Kremenchug with 1907/15 3 k. imperf. block of four, Kungur from 1890, Lebedin and Lokhvitsa with fine ranges, Luga with 1886 3 k. orange envelope, Mariupol from 1871 5 k. black, Morshank and Nikolsk with fine ranges, Novaya Ladoga with 1867 5 k. and 25 k., Osa with good range and some used, Ostashkov from 1878 3 k., Pereslav from 1874 3 k., Piriatin 1868 3 k., Podolsk and Poltava with fine ranges, Pskov with stationery cards, Rzhev from 1869 2 k. and 3 k. stationery envelopes (2), Shadrinsk from 1871, Shatsk with 1884 3 k. tête-bêche, Shchigry 1882 3 k., Staraya Russa 1881 5 k. blue with double print, Tikhvin from 1871 (5 k.) red (ex Williams brothers), Tiraspol 1873 5 k., Totma 4 k. and 7 k. postal stationery envelopes, Tula 1873 embossed env. with blue 5 k. handstamp, 1876 envelope with negative handstamp in black, 1888 issue in multiples, Tver with good range of handstamped types, Ustsysolsk with 1871 3 k. red envelope, Volchansk from 1868 with stationery envelopes (2), range of Wenden with varieties, Yassy issues, Yekaterinoslav 1873 5 k. green, Zadonsk and Zienkov with good ranges etc. Condition variable but generally fine (over 2'300 different stamps), an exceptional and scarce collection, seldom encountered so complete. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image 3) (Image 4) (Image 5) (Image 6) (Image 7) (Image 8) (Image 9) (Image 10) (Image 11) (Image 12) (Image 13) (Image 14) (Image 15) (Image 16) (Image 17) (Image 18) (Image 19) (Image 20) (Image 21) (Image 22) (Image 23) (Image 24) (Image 25) (Image 26) (Image 27) (Image 28) (Image 29) (Image 30) (Image 31) (Image)

Offices in China 1920 (March 31): Cover from Harbin to Vladivostock struck on front with superb strike of KHARBIN-PRISTAN / POST. OTDYELEN datestamp of Harbin Pier Office (Tchilinghirian fig 607), franked on reverse with Arms issue 15 k. blue & red brown (4) and 70 k. orange & red-brown (2) all tied by Kharbin Pier datestamps with unusual "Opened By Censor" Reseal tape alongside and arrival cds (April 6): A few imperfections but scarce. (Image 1) (Image 2) (Image)