page_title: Postage stamps of the Soviet Union
section_title: Rarities
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps of the Soviet Union / Rarities
caption_attribution_description: English: Cherrystone Auctions note: "SOVIET UNION 1932 - the unique souvenr sheet of four 1932 All Soviet Philatelic Exhibition in Moscow, souvenir sheet of four on thick card, with the unique three line personalized overprint "To the best shock worker of the All Russian Philatelic Society - President of the Moscow Philatelic Organization E.M. Nurkas", unused without gum as issued, v.f., signed "Shtern". While 25 souvenir sheets were overprinted with the two line "To the best shock worker of the All Russian Philatelic Society", three were additionally personalized with a three line overprint. One was given to the notorious Genrikh Yagoda (head of the NKVD), and one each to the presidents of Moscow (Nurkas) and Leningrad Philatelic Organizations/Societies. The latter, as well as Yagoda were executed on Stalin's orders, with only Mr. Nurkas (and his souvenir sheet) surviving. During the purges, Mr. Nurkas was imprisoned and traded the sheet with another inmate, a physician who miraculously survived Stalin's Gulags and World War II. An important piece of history and perhaps the greatest rarity. Price Realized: $675,000.00." Русский: Редкий сувенирный блок с надпечаткой «Лучшему ударнику Всероссийского общества филателистов» (1924): 1-я Всесоюзная филателистическая выставка в Москве. Фот. на бум. с в.з. 8. (575, 576) и фот. на толст. бум. (577). Лин.12½ (575, 576) и б.з. (0577). Худ. В. Завьялов.
context_page_description: Stamps of the Soviet Union were issued in the period 1923 to 1991. They were labeled with the inscription Russian: "Почта СССР". In the thematics, Soviet stamps reflected to a large extent the history, politics, economics and culture of this world's first socialist state.
  Notable designers of Soviet postage stamps were Ivan Dubasov and Vasily Zavyalov. By the mid 1970s, over 4,000 stamps came out in the USSR. In 1970, the Catalogue of Postage Stamps of the USSR, 1918–1969 was published in Moscow, the yearly supplements being produced afterwards. The history and design of Soviet postage stamps were elucidated in the annual publication Soviet Collector and the monthly magazine Filateliya SSSR.
context_section_description: A unique complete pane of 25 early Soviet Union stamps is known as Soviet Air Post "Wide 5" surcharged. The stamp itself was produced in 1924 as a surcharge of 10 kopecks on 5-ruble green type II, basic stamp wide "5".
  In 1925, a 15-kopeck yellow stamp of "Peasant" design was printed in a very small quantity within the Gold Standard issue. Named Limonka, it is considered very rare, especially if in mint condition.
  Another very rare Soviet stamp, issued in 1931, is Aspidka, especially if imperforate; 24 imperforate specimens are known. Its design was created by V. Zavyalov.
  In 1932, the All-Soviet Philatelic Exhibition was organized in Moscow. On that occasion, a souvenir sheet of four stamps known as Personalised Kartonka was produced on thick card, with three-line overprint "To the best shock worker of the All Russian Philatelic Society – President of the Moscow Philatelic Organization E.M. Nurk". It is considered rare because only 25 souvenir sheets were issued.
  A San Francisco inverted surcharge with small Cyrillic "ф" ("f") is characteristic of a rare Soviet stamp called Levanevsky with overprint. Possibly unique, it was designed by V. Zavyalov and issued in 1935.
  Due to a plate error (asymmetric star), a variety of the first Soviet numbered Tokyo Olympic souvenir sheet of 1964 is now quite rare and known as Green souvenir sheet.
caption: Personalised Kartonka "All-Soviet Philatelic Exhibition", 1932. Designed by V. Zavyalov
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