Help With Russia (?) Overprint

Some Russian territory ?



Also a mark on the back. Owners mark ? Common to do this ?

In the Scott catalog, South Russia #20(1918).

I haven't looked up the mark, but I see no obvious need for this stamp to be expertized. So I would guess it is either an owner's mark, or somebody is "practicing".

The mark (RS or SR in circle) does correspond to one listed in the filatelia database and found on Ukrainian stamps. However, the origin/owner of the mark is unknown. I will play around with your mark a little later and see how well it matches. As I mentioned, seems strange to have an expertizer mark on what appears to be a common stamp.

OK, I finished checking the mark, and it looks like a good match.



Therefore it is a known mark. However, the owner of the mark is unknown -- so we really don't know if it is an expertizer mark.

The overprint seems to be a different font than what's illustrated in Scott, i.e., the upstroke on the base of the 2, etc. Maybe in a highly specialized catalog, this variety is rare and requires expertizing.

Not the best image, but here is the overprint from Lyapin:



It at least gives the idea of shapes of the numbers.

Doug2222, good eye! The upstroke does look different from what is in the Scott catalog. I learned the hard way over the years that unfortunately, the Scott catalog often has flawed/unreliable reproductions of the finer details of older overprints. I looked at my Michel but that spot just happens to be too blurred out in my Michel to tell for sure. Still, good eye.

Cjd, I was looking at my Lyapin and couldn't find it. It does seem to show an extended upstroke. What page number of which edition did you find it? Not that it would matter since I can't read Russian. Thanks in advance for your reply.

khj, they are under Kuban army (Kuban government), on page 92 in the 2008 edition.



It's okay, the page numbers are in English.

Thanks Cjd! My edition is different year, but you gave me the right information to find it. I forgot the obvious -- look for the stamp based on chronological order!

My Lyapin does mention some stamp and overprint varieties, but no overprint varieties mentioned for 25k on 1k.

Maybe another catalog...

Stallzer will tell you, I am always looking for a way to turn dross into gold. Almost learned the technique from Al the Chemist, but there was a page of foolscap missing.

And I'm all in favor of turning things to Gold :) I'm just stumped as to why a common stamp would receive an expertisers mark. Maybe I've found my retirement..............doubt it but until I find otherwise, it's fun to think about :)

Just want to re-emphasize. We do NOT know that it is an expertizer's mark. It is a known mark in terms of it having been seen on Ukrainian stamps. It is on the list at Filatelia, but the maker/owner of the mark is unknown. Therefore, it may not be an expertizer's mark, but it could merely be an owner/dealer's mark.

I suspect it is an owners mark but........ Deep down I think it's the rarest expertisers mark in the world and I've found one of only 2 known copies left in existence and it should be in a Seigel catalog coming to you soon :)

Or it's just an ordinary minimum value stamp...........

You're missing the boat, stallzer. Siegel is not the answer. Your best bet is 'Rare, rare, rare...one of a kind?' on ebay.