davpot
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Some kind of Bank Transfer? Help?
Im kind of new to the world of Russian covers but I found this in alocal bourse. Can anyone explain what I have here? Common. thanks so Much! It
looked intriguing.
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Unhinged
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I do hope someone comments, as I'm not so sure you have something common here.
1. How long were such updated cards used? The crossing out of the old address and the new one stamped on shouldn't have gone on forever. Perhaps it
did, however. What do I know?
2. What's the story of the upside-down 6k Gerbovaya marka? What, if any, is the significance of the red ink used to hand cancel it?
3. Why was it received by someone other than the addressee? Was it a relative?
4. As I've never been good at deciphering old Russian written text, just what does that blurb of blue of say?
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jlechtanski
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The stamp on the back is a revenue -- a tax on the money transfer. The revenue depicts a sailor and is denominated 6 gold kopecs in several
languages.
The bank is Gosbank - the one and only bank in the USSR. It looks like a change to a different part of the bank. From the Moscow Office of the State
Bank of the USSR to the State Bank Board. Notice that "Moscow Office" is also crossed out on the back.
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David Jay
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As I understand it, these things arose because the ruble was not exchangeable, so money could only be sent to Soviet citizens (and many desperately
needed it to buy food and other necessities) by the mechanism documented here. The card originated in Moscow, was sent to the post office of the
recipient of the cash, and then back to Moscow. If I'm reading the dates correctly, this one was canceled on the front 2 Sept 1926 and then was back
in Moscow 19 Sept 1926. Can't read the date when it was received at the PO of the recipient. The state had lots of ways of fleecing the poor
recipient, via the exchange rate, via the postage and then also by requiring the revenue stamp. The earlier examples do not have the revenue stamp.
Whether this reflects a change in the charges, or just what stamps represented the charges, I don't know.
As to there commonness -- well there are many varieties of usages and forms, and one sometimes sees either great cancels (e.g., of the Soviet Mobile
Post offices) or presumably uncommon stamps (I have yet to find one...). However, the basic item is pretty common. About 25 yrs ago, I once about
several hundred of them for about $0.50 each, picked them, and sold them for slightly more, but well under $1.00. Wish I had kept more -- I'm sure I
missed a lot.
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vasia
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Here are some older articles of J. Lee Shneidman and Dr Ceresa from the Rossica Journal regarding the subject:
http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?&i=6141&m=hd53J
http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?m=hd66J&i=6137
http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?&i=6137&m=hd69J
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davpot
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Just a note of Great thanks to all who replied!! Kind of a cultural tale here. I feel better now when I call my own country "Amerikanski"! It seems to
me these bureaucratic frustrations have been for all time and all peoples! Hazah! for the bureaucrats!!
 Seriously, Thanks folks!
dave
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verny
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revenue varieties
These revenue stamps were issued in a least 2 different types but I have not seen much by way of analysing scarcity of useage so it is worth
identifying the type of the revenue stamp and also keeping an eye out for more examples. For obvious reasons they turn up somewhat more frequently
inside Russia than out.
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David Jay
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davpot -- I sent you U2U
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