Postage stamps of the Soviet Union

The first postage stamps of the newly proclaimed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were designed by Georgy Pashkov and issued in August 1923 in relation to the First All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition. File:The Soviet Union 1923 CPA 95 stamp (1st agriculture and craftsmanship exhibition, Moscow. Reaper with a sickle and a sheaf).jpg|Reaper, 1 rouble File:The Soviet Union 1923 CPA 96 stamp (1st agriculture and craftsmanship exhibition, Moscow. Sower with a sowing basket).jpg|Sower, 2 roubles File:The Soviet Union 1923 CPA 97 stamp (1st agriculture and craftsmanship exhibition, Moscow. Ford tractor Fordson Model F).jpg|Tractor, 5 roubles File:The Soviet Union 1923 CPA 98 stamp (1st agriculture and craftsmanship exhibition, Moscow. General view of the exhibition).jpg|Exhibition general view,7 roubles == Definitive issues ==

The first series of the USSR definitive stamps known as the Gold Standard issue appeared in October 1923. Their design proposed by Ivan Shadr included the busts of the worker, Red Army soldier and peasant. The Party slogans and resolutions on Soviet stamps changed over time. Earlier stamp themes in the 1920s reflected, though indirectly, the spirit of New Economic Policy. Since 1929, stamps had been used for a clear declaration of the changed economic policies. When Joseph Stalin initiated industrialisation, a special set of stamps was issued to support this effort. For example, the 10-kopecks stamp showed a series of tractors, saying "Let us increase the harvest by 35%". An inscription on the 20-kopecks stamp called for "More metal, more machines!". The 28-kopecks stamp pictured a blast furnace, a chart for iron-ore production and the slogan "Iron, 8 million tons". File:Stamp Soviet Union 1929 347.jpg|"For the lower cost of goods sold, for work discipline, for the better quality of a product" File:Stamp Soviet Union 1929 348.jpg|"Let us increase the harvest by 35%" File:Stamp Soviet Union 1929 349.jpg|"More metal, more machines!" File:Stamp Soviet Union 1929 350.jpg|"Iron, 8 million tons" After the Great Patriotic War, the government used stamps to call for economic reconstruction and mobilisation. A 1946 stamp issue summoned: "Give the country annually 127 million tons of grain", "60 million tons of oil", "60 million tons of steel", "500 million tons of coal", and "50 million tons of cast iron". File:The Soviet Union 1946 CPA 1082 stamp (Fourth Five-Year Plan. Give the country each year 127 million tons of grain. Combine harvester and wheat sheaf) large resolution.jpg|"Give the country annually 127 million tons of grain", 1946 File:The Soviet Union 1962 CPA 2779 stamp (Decisions of the 22nd Communist Party Congress. Dairy-farming. Milkmaid, etc.).jpg|"By 1980 livestock, cattle and chickens will be significantly increased. Production of meat will grow almost 4 times,milk almost 3 times", 1962 Short heroic slogans of the Stalin period calling for economic mobilization were substituted on Soviet stamps in the post-Stalin years. Party platforms with rather lengthy excerpts from Party documents and congresses' resolutions appeared on stamps at that time. Such was, for instance, the series of "Decisions of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—into Life" that was designed by Vasily Zavyalov and A. Shmidshtein, and issued in 1962. In later years, the style of stamp messages continued, differing from those of the Stalin times. They were no longer brief imperative commands but rather promises and explanations by the Party to Soviet society. For example, on a 1971 souvenir sheet from the 24th Party Congress series designed by Yu. Levinovsky and A. Shmidshtein, there was an inscription saying that "the main problem is to provide a significant increase of the material and cultural level of life of the people on the basis of high rates of development of socialist production, an increase of its effectiveness, scientific-technical progress, and an acceleration of the growth of the productiveness of labor". Such messages were typical of stamps for the Brezhnev and post-Brezhnev period until the changes occurred under Mikhail Gorbachev. New slogans, "perestroika", "uskoreniye", "demokratizatsiya", and "glasnost", were coined and appeared on the postage stamps of the USSR. File:Stamp of USSR 1918.jpg|1956 Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR File:1980. XXII Летние Олимпийские игры. Бег.jpg |1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow File:1981. Чемпионат мира по хоккею с мячом.jpg|1981 Bandy World Championship in Khabarovsk File:The Soviet Union 1988 CPA 5923 stamp with label (1988 World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men. Skater. Emblem. Alma-Ata ice rink, Medeo).jpg|1988 World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Men in Alma-Ata (now "Almaty") == Rarities ==

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-rouble 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. File:The Soviet Union 1925 CPA 136 stamp (1st standard issue of Soviet Union. 3rd issue. Peasant).jpg|Limonka, 1925,15 kopecks File:USSR stamp Aspidka 1931 50k.jpg|Aspidka, 1931, 50 kopecks, perforated Another very rare Soviet stamp, issued in 1931, is Aspidka, especially if imperforate; 24 imperforate specimens are known. Its design was created by Vasily 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 Vasily Zavyalov and issued in 1935. File:Stamp of USSR 514(t).jpg|Levanevsky with overprint, 1935, 1 rouble on 10 kopecks File:The Soviet Union 1964 CPA 3085I souvenir sheet (1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo. Woman gymnast and stadium) small resolution.jpg|Green souvenir sheet, 1964, 1 rouble File:The Soviet Union 1964 CPA 3085 proof souvenir sheet (1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo. Woman gymnast and stadium) large resolution 2.jpg|Russian Tokyo 1964. Trial edition - Goznak factory File:The Soviet Union 1964 CPA 3086 proof souvenir sheet (1964 Summer Olympics, Tokyo. Woman gymnast and stadium) large resolution.jpg|tokyo olympiad 1964 attempt to colour red embossed sign goznak 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. The Russian Goznak stamp factory has released several sheets of the Tokyo 1964 trial stamps, they are very rare and there are few left. == Stamp thematics and other aspects ==

of 1971 Soviet Union stamps covered a great variety of themes. The thematics mirrored various aspects of Soviet history, politics, economics, and culture. These included: • the accomplishments of the Great October Socialist Revolution, • achievements of industry, agriculture, science, and culture, • various anniversary celebrations. == See also ==