Touva Airmails With Zeps - Wheres Touva Is Sc's

Going through about 50 or so envelopes from various countries and came across Touva. Never heard of it before and can't find it under T's in Scotts so I'm guessing its a stae from another country. None the less nice looking stamps and anything with good ole zepplins is worth a post.

Try Tannu Tuva.

[edit: and yes, definitely worth a post. Not a lot of the stamps ever made it there, apparently, which diminishes them in the eyes of some collectors. Still, interesting.]

Learning very quickly with all this WW material that catalog values don't do alot of these justice. Some amazing artwork and engraving and although list at 20 cents seems they should have more merit on design/ difficulty printing and alike. Also think most overprints should get a few points for effort. I know volume is a major issue but geesh 20 cents (and that accounts for dealer handling is really lowballin alot of stamps.

These "stamps" were the brainchild of Bela Sekula, a promotor of philatelic "rarities", who in 1934 convinced the Tuvan and Soviet authorities to manufacture exotic stamps to sell to collectors. They were in fact "designed in Moscow, printed in Moscow, franked in Moscow and sold abroad by a Moscow state trading firm to earn hard currency for Moscow." Nor were all the images on the stamps accurate representations of Tuvan life. One of the stamps, for example, depicted a "camel racing locomotives along Tuva's nonexistent railway".

I too like the issues from Tannu Tuva

Lockemup-- Are you interested in the ones I have? Have so many ww to get through and 95% are for sale.

Guys I have a Scotts 2008 So-Z catalog...the Tannu Tuva zeps are now being listed in scotts...although I think undervalued..when I was a kid the approval houses used to send them as gifts if you made a purchase..they are taken more seriously nowadays..the horseman and zeps catalog 2 dollars each in used condition !! in the book Tannu Tuva is between Tanganyika and Tanzania !!

There are people who collect Tuva actively and there may even be a society..check with the American Topical Association !!

The history is complicated for Tannu Tuva, but during Philatelic times, starting in 1840 was apart of China and had been since 1756. It remained apart of China until 12/1/1911 when Mongolia declared independent from China. Tannu Tuva was separate of Mongolia and was left isolated. In January 1912 the Clan Chiefs formed a council declaring independence under Russian protection. However, no formal central government was established. In February a formal request was made to Russia to be a protectorate was declined.
Then Mongolia was declared a Russian Protectorate on Nov. 31, 1912 that would last until Nov. 5, 1917.
While an independent protectorate Mongolia declared Tannu Tuva is Mongolian Territory in March of 1913. The next year on April 17 Russia finally declares a protectorate over Tannu Tuva and separate from Mongolia.
On March 16, 1918 Tannu Tuva recognizes the Soviet Russian government as the sole Russian government.
From July 5, 1918 until July 15, 1919 was occupied by Kolchak's White Russian army and around Sept-Oct of 1918 portions of Tannu Tuva were occupied by the Chinese in the southwest, Mongolia occupied the south while Kolchak's Army continued to occupied the north then of course reoccupied all of Tannu Tuva afterward.
In July 1919 the Soviet Red Army moves in and occupies Tannu Tuva until February 19, 1920 when Tannu Tuva is returned to China which lasts until June 1921 when the Chinese government did not reassign a new governor to the Tannu Tuva. Then on August 14, 1921 Tannu Tuva declares independence as the People's Republic of Tannu Tuva under Russian protection. Russian also declares that the ethnic Russians living within Tannu Tuva as a part of a new Russian Soviet Autonomous Territory. Then on Sept. 9, Russia declared an end of the protectorate. Independence recognized by Mongolia in 1926, later that year on Nov. 24, the country's name officially Tuvinian People's Republic. Finally during WW2, Oct 11, 1944, Tannu Tuva was incorporate into the USSR.

I hope this is clear as mud. LOL

Now if that history doesn't up catalog value nothing will. Imagine the residents didn't know which way to turn who to trust and even once you showed allegiance you'd have to likely change gears to stay safe. Must of ent through alot on flags back then.

Nitrolures I would be interested. But right now I am very low budget as just bought the wife a new house, and am on da bone. Is there any specific area you collect that I may have that you may want. Do you perhaps need any britania rules the waves issues or GBR 286-289 used set (I have 5 or 6)