CRIMEA


The peace with Germany was tense, as both sides were preparing for the military conflict,and abruptly ended when the Axis forces led by Germany swept across the Soviet border on 22 June 1941.

SOVIET UNION : AFTER WORLD WAR II

From 1945 onwards, the autonomous status was revoked: the Crimean ASSR became the Crimean Oblast of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on June 30, 1945.
In 1954, Khrushchev transferred Crimea from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. We see this reflected in the postmarks.

Cover with a postmark Simferopol of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.


The postmark clearly states СИМФЕРОПОЛЬ УКР. ССР [SIMFEROPOL UKR. SSR].

The Soviet Union issued the first illustrated postcard as postal stationery on October 20, 1924. Many more would follow: approximately 20,000 between 1924 and 1992. Of course, there are also many of these cards with Crimea as a theme. The cards from the 1950s give a somewhat nostalgic impression. Here is a card from 1954 with an impression of Yalta.

Postal stationery, Issued on 25/VIII 1954.

A stamp from the 8th series of permanent postage stamps was used for the stamp: the Spassky Tower of the Kremlin. This type of stamp was used for the group of postcards (postal stationery) Michel P212-P225. The remaining cards with the Spassky Tower were overprinted during the monetary reform (1 -1 - 1961). 10 old kopecks are then 1 new kopeck. The translation of the printed text: 'From January 1, 1961, the price of the card with stamp is 4 Kop. In the Michel, the overprinted cards with the Spassky Tower have the numbers P260-P265 and P269.
Details and cataloging of these cards, see article in Dutch: Postwaardestukken uit de Sovjetperiode : ansichtkaarten / Jan Kaptein. – In: HBG 2012 ; 60. – p. 4-25.


A cover / wrapper with a pack of 10 cards, postal stationery.
Also includes this postcard – postal stationery – with an image of the Vorontsov Palace in Crimea. This postcard is included in the package: 10 cards with images of Crimea, which were sold as a whole in a cover. Crimea was a real tourist destination and therefore eligible for the issuance of such a package.
The card with an image of the Vorontsov Palace: near the town of Alupka. The palace was built between 1828 and 1848 for Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov. It cost no less than 9 million silver rubles. The building is now a tourist attraction: a mix of styles. The card shows the southern facade: oriental. The northern facade is a variation on the English Renaissance. The English architect, Edward Blore, later became best known for completing Buckingham Palace in London.

Mikhail Vorontsov (1782-1856) was appointed Viceroy of Novorossiya in May 1823 and in 1824 he bought Alupka. He became Governor General of Novorossiya and the palace became his summer residence. His father was Catherine the Great's ambassador in London and Mikhail was educated in London. His sister was married to an English aristocrat. It is therefore not surprising that he chose an English architect Edward Blore to complete his new palace.


The address side with the imprinted stamp.


The impressed stamp is from the 11th series of permanent postage stamps, with the year 1966. For postcards and regular (non-airmail) postcards, a stamp from this series is used with the image of a girl and a boy (3 kopecks). The stamp is used on postcards in three ways: without a frame, with a frame, with 'printed' perforation (as here). Two types can be distinguished in the stamp image: type I (letterpress, hatching on the right shoulder in triangle) and type II (offset, hatching only 0.5 mm). On this card: type II. The cards in this period (24 series) can be divided into two groups: without postcode field (P. 321-354) and with postcode field (P 360-397). The cards with a postal code field occur with address lines without dividing line, lines separate from dividing line and lines attached to dividing line. The card here has the lines separate from the dividing line: P. 378-386, with type stamp II (offset) P379-386.
The postal code fields can also be distinguished into different types: in short, fun puzzle work with these cards. Here we see type IIIA: starting mark of two bars at the same height as the other bars, a longer text of five words under the zip code field, thicker corners of the input fields. The text – “Postcode of the post office of the destination” – has been shifted slightly to the left: P 379-382. With © and year of publication we limit it to P 381-382.

Furthermore, the printing data states the sales price for 4 copies: P. 381. Furthermore, the printing order ??? 76 and 4-digit number with ? for the publication number: subtype IV.


The Soviet Union also issued many envelopes as postal stationery, also with motifs from Crimea. I personally really like the envelopes from the fifties, they have something nostalgic.


The printing information is usually stated on the back. This postal stationery is issued 1959, 24 February.


Many postcards were also issued in the Soviet period with illustrations and special imprinted stamps. The postcard below was issued on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). A whole series of postcards was issued on this occasion.


This card is issued May 5, 1975, Mi. PSo 25. On the imprinted stamp the image of an order with the inscription Hero City Sevastopol on the left. With an occasional postmark from the Sevastopol post office.


Sevastopol remained an important naval port for the Soviet Union.
This postage stamp, Mi. 5277, was issued June 14, 1983 on the occasion of 200 years of the city of Sevastopol: a warship from 1783 and 1983.