Friday, November 6, 2015

A complicated Crimean cover

I find the Civil War postal history of the Crimea fascinating. All three years (1918, 1919 and 1920) offer their own challenges to the collector, but it is 1920 that's probably the most challenging because material is so scarce. We know the final Wrangel administration raised the postal rates drastically, to 5R, with 5R for registration, and thanks to Pavel "Duck" Pavlov, we finally have complete information on these final White rates and know they were effective May 1st, 1920 to October 9th at the latest.
Which brings me to this cover, a registered letter sent from Evpatoriya on August 7, 1920 to Sevastopol' where it arrived on August 11. Franked at 10R (correct rate) and with impeccable (though sadly lightly struck) postmark of Evpatoriya and Sevastopol', it looks genuine, and has a censor marking on the back as well, that you typically see on Crimean covers of this period.
Of course, the franking raises eyebrows. One perforated and one unperforated stamp? Too good to be true? But I can't fault the cover...
It was Pavel Pavlov who put the pieces together. First, note that the cover is addressed to Aleksandr Nikolaevich Sredinsky, and the name Sredinsky should ring all kinds of bells. He was the evil genius behind the "Russian Refugee Post" nonsense as well as the final Crimean "issue", the 100R/1k surcharge that was prepared but never issued (but marketed vigorously by S.). I will not reveal his findings here, since they are so interesting they deserve a long article of their own, but these stamps were not distributed to Evpatoriya at all. The only person who could have access to them was Sredinsky. So it looks like this cover was sent by Sredinsky or one of his minions. Philatelically inspired then, but still legitimate.
I don't know of any other frankings like that, but feel free to surprise me!

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