Philatelic historical research

As a collector of Russian Civil War material I am often confronted with the need to do research. Where and when were these stamps issued? Where were they used? Which postal rates were in force at the time? These are very basic questions that really require answers before you can really form an opinion about any item of postal history that comes your way.

In the absence of a handy archive of government publications (of which more later), there are roughly two methods of proceeding.

The first is what I call the empirical method: just gather as much information on used stamps and covers as you can, and hope that after a long time some patterns start to emerge. These days this approach is actually easier than it used to be. When I first started out investigating postal rates in Siberia, fellow collectors like Dr. Howard Weinert were kind enough to send me photocopies of all relevant items in their collections. Some dealers and auctions also added to the stack and I still have a giant pile of photocopies and clippings sitting in a drawer somewhere.

The coming of the internet has made all this a lot easier. Online auctions are a paradise for the data-hunter, but wariness is needed, as there is a lot of forged material out there that can screw up your dataset. Although when the patterns do start to emerge, forged material usually stands out like a sore thumb and  that can cause you to take a second look at that one cover that doesn't seem to fit any pattern.

The second approach is what I would call the historical approach. Study the history of the period and hope for some revelation to come to you while you're reading. I've never had much success with this approach myself.

It is worth stressing that both approaches give you at best "working hypotheses" as to what's going on. The only definitive answers come from primary sources: government archives or government publications. About 20 years ago, during the post-1991 thaw, it suddenly became possible to see the contents of some Russian archives online. It was a delightful discovery to find that the archive of Kolchak's government - including that of the postal administration! - had been quietly slumbering in  the State Archive of the Russian Federation. A kindly soul then provided me, years later, with photocopies of the circulars on postal rates. Hurrah! Problem solved.

The Big Numbers of Ukrainian stationery

In the former Soviet Union the use of postal stationery was far more ingrained than in the West. When, after decades of stability, prices and rates started going up, immense stocks of postal stationery had to be uprated or revalued by means of an overprint of some kind, as uprating with stamps was too cumbersome. In this way, a vast, decentralized program of overprinting stationery issues started, which only accelerated after Ukrainian independence in January 1992, when the Ukrainian economy went through an extended period of high inflation.

The number of different issues can only be guessed at. In two years 25 provinces, each with on average 20 issuing localities, went through 7 rate changes. In one city, Dnepropetrovsk, over 500 identifiable stationery issues came into being during this period, and this was no exception. 250,000 stationery issues for Ukraine as a whole seems about the right order of magnitude.

Think about that! Obviously. nobody will ever form a "complete" collection of this field. Nobody will ever write a definitive handbook for these issues. And yet again, this stuff is fairly cheap! What more could any philatelist with a sense of adventure want?

Fun with the 'Stans

Trevor Pateman's recent thoughts about post-Soviet Turkmenistan made me realize what an absolute blank spot on the map, philatelically, most of the post-Soviet republics are. Do a Google search for Azerbaijani stamps (let alone postal history) and you realize that there's almost nothing out there.
And the 5 Central Asian republics are the worst. Listings of the stamp issues can be found (for example the old WSRP website) but that's it. Postal history? Rates? Postmarks? Hah!
Spurred on by Trevor's blog I took a look at Turkmenistan. The country has mostly been in the news because of the baroque personality cult around its late president, Turkmenbashi (formerly Saparmurat Niyazov, who passed away, unlamented by many, in 2006). But a little digging shows you how much things have changed since 1991.

The old Soviet oblasti (provinces) have now been replaced by Turkish-sounding welayatlar, and placename changes are rife. Some are simple Turkmenizations (e.g. Ashgabat instead of Ashkabad, Turkmenabad instead of Chardzhui), or personality-cult madness (Krasnovodsk is now Turkmenbashi!). But the total effect is something that's very alien to us old Russia-collectors. One of the 5 welayatlar is the westernmost one, Balkan. Balkan? Yes, Balkan. The capital is, not unreasonably, Balkanabat which used to be called Nebit-Dag but not very often since this dreary stop on the Transcaspian railways wasn't built until 1933. So Krasnovodsk Oblast' and its capital Krasnovodsk are now Balkan Welayat with capital Balkanabat. And by the way, the latest postmarks I've seen actually mention the welayat in the postmark.

Stamp issues...Turkmenistan seems to have produced two types of stamp issues: definitive issues of truly epic ugliness, and mad personality-cult issues. Souvenir sheets with the face of Turkmenbashi were printed in formats that nearly exceeded the average album page size! Postal rates are unknown territory.

While getting material from Turkmenistan isn't exactly easy, there are a few new issue dealers out there who will get it for you (no doubt with expressions of great puzzlement) if you ask. My old friend Gurgen Vardanian (VarGur Stamps) in Lithuania is one of them. Non-philatelic covers have to be hunted down painstakingly in various online auctions. But everything's cheap! What more can a collector ask?