Need Help Identifying Cyrillic Writing On Mystery Stamp

Hi,
I've got an older "eastern European" stamp, approximately 22x27 mm. It is set vertically, blue in color, portraying a leader with a big mustache and very large "Russian" type fur hat. The value is "20". There is Cyrillic writing surrounding the image.

I have searched thru Linns Stamp Identifier and various countries in Scott's Catalogs. I suspect it is from a Slavic country, but may well be from anywhere in that area.

The writing on the top of the stamp is "double T" OWTA. Under that is HAPOAH "reverse small r".

On the bottom, the writing is "reverse small r", "backwards n", BEHb.

On the left side is YKPATHCbKA, and on the right side is PEC "double T" Yb "upside down U", IKA.

I've wrestled with this one for 3 months off and on, and finally figured I best ask for help.

THANK YOU !!

I presume this the stamp you are looking for. An unissued Ukrainian stamp from around 1920

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l22...05mbKIvw.jpg

My GOODNESS !

How did you do that so fast? Yes, that is the stamp.

Does "unissued" mean it was never a valid postage stamp? Is it of any worth?

I have to say, the folks on this forum never cease to amaze me!

Thank you,

Mobilman44

Your large-hatted gentleman is Taras Shevchenko.

The full set of 14 is shown in an earlier thread (about half-way down the 1st page):

https://goscf.com/t/9204

The explanation follows:

"On 27 August [1919], the [Ukrainian] Government-in-Exile resolved to replace all existing postage stamps then in use on Ukrainian territories with a new definitive issue. This 14-stamp set became known as the Vienna Issue and contained values from one to 200 hryven. Designs for the 1-, 2-, 3-, 5-, 30-, 50-, 80-, and 200-hryven values were executed by the prominent Ukrainian artist Mykola Ivasiuk. The remaining value designs were based on photographs of historic places and portraits of prominent historical figures. These stamps, printed by the Austrian Military Geographic Institute of Vienna, Austria, were completed towards the close of 1920. None of the stamps from this set were ever circulated postally despite published reports claiming otherwise."

Very Interesting!

What threw me off initially is that this stamp was in a Yugoslavia section of an album I picked up at auction. I should know better than to "assume" previous owners got all the stamps in the right place. Ha, I'm learning - but slowly.

Thanks again!