Z is for Zemstvos
Local stamps can make for a very interesting collecting subject, especially when they were used to fulfil a commercial function, and Russia’s pre-revolution Zemstvo issues are an intriguing sideline.
The Zemstvo was a form of local government within European Russia between 1864 and the
Russian revolution of 1917. It was responsible for functions such as education, medical services, public transportation and agronomy. It also had responsibility for the postal services between outlying rural villages and the nearest Imperial postal town.
Initially the Zemstvo Post operated without official approval, then in 1870 it was legalised and operated alongside the Imperial Post, the postal authorities realising that it fulfilled a vital chain in the communications network.
Vetlonga, in the province of Kostroma, was the first location to use the Zemstvo Post, but specially printed postage stamps were not used until September 1865 in the town of Shlisselburg, in the jurisdiction of St. Petersburg. A 5k black on green was issued but was in use for only a short period as the service was suppressed in 1866.
It has been estimated that, theoretically, a collection of 10,000 different items, including varieties, could be formed of Zemstvo issues. It must be stated that many of them, especially those of the 1890s, were produced with a view to philatelic revenue rather than practical necessity. Some were very elaborate; those of Tikhvin in Novgorod province included gold and silver metallic inks and even designs which were partially hand-painted.
However, many of the Zemstvos are rare. The issues of Kotelnich were printed with a counterfoil to the left of the stamp, which was retained by the post office after the right hand portion had been attached to the envelope. The 1869 3k black on yellow is known only as the counterfoil; no copy exists of the right hand portion.
Literature on these scarce issues is itself scarce. The standard catalogue is the 1925 Catalogue of the Russian Rural Postage Stamps by FG Chuchin. John Barefoot re-published it as Russia Zemstvos in 1984, in a limited edition of 500 (IBSN 0906845289).
One of the best collections ever to come onto the market was that formed by Agathon Fabergé, which was auctioned in 1940. His son, Oleg, retained the rarest items from his father’s collection and he exhibited these in the Court of Honour at the 1988 Finlandia international stamp exhibition. A book about this exhibit was published in a limited edition of 600 and was retailed at £120. Oleg’s collection was auctioned in Switzerland in 1999 for S.FR. 2.5m, and the auction catalogue, together with the realisation list, is indispensable for valuing Zemstvo collections.