On November 15, 1845, the Postal Department, headed by General of Infantry V. F. Adlerberg (1791–1884), issued Circular Order No. 11825 introducing stamped envelopes for the St. Petersburg city post; the sale of stamped envelopes for the city post was carried out at the two city-post offices that existed at that time. The rate for sending correspondence in stamped envelopes was set at 6 kopeks (5 kopeks for the letter and 1 kopek for the envelope). At the same time, correspondence sent in an ordinary envelope was paid for in cash according to the existing rate of 10 kopeks per lot. Letters for the city post were also accepted at small shops and in stores on the city’s main streets.
From 1846, the city post’s operations were extended to nearby summer cottage areas during the “dacha season,” from May 1 to October 1, while in the remaining time the usual rate for ordinary out-of-town private correspondence was maintained. City-post letters were not permitted to be dropped into boxes for out-of-town correspondence; city letters that ended up in such boxes (green in color) remained unsent. The stamped envelopes of the St. Petersburg city post were later also accepted by the city posts of Moscow and Kazan, where in 1869 they were replaced by stamped envelopes of a nationwide standard city-post design, and also in Warsaw, where in December 1858 they were replaced by a temporary provisional issue of the Main Postal Treasury of the Kingdom of Poland.
The envelopes were made from grayish-white or yellowish thick paper without a watermark; the flap had no adhesive. The envelopes were folded by hand, so the actual dimensions may differ by 1–3 mm. The stamp was applied using a hand press. The stamp, consisting of the state coat of arms with postal horns at the bottom, 28.5 mm in diameter, in dark blue or blue, was placed on the folded envelope, which resulted in various variants of its position relative to the flap. Envelopes are known on which, in addition to the colored stamp, there are also colorless impressions of the stamp, slightly shifted relative to the main one. In total, three issues of stamped envelopes of the St. Petersburg city post were produced.
St. Petersburg envelopes had a blue stamp; for Moscow, the stamps were printed in red ink. Today, “stamped envelopes” are quite rare. Especially rare are the envelopes of the Moscow city post, issued in 1846 in a print run of 6,000 copies. They were stamped on a hand press with a stamp 29.5 mm in diameter. In the center is the emblem of the postal administration. The inscription around the circumference: “Moscow City Post. For a letter 5 k. s. (silver): for an envelope 1 k. s. (silver).”
The first example of an envelope with a red stamp was discovered abroad only in 1877. Collectors long refused to believe the find was genuine. Even the greatest experts in Russian philately for a long time did not recognize the “red stamped envelope” and considered it a forgery. It took considerable time and effort by Russian philatelists not only to prove the authenticity of the unusual discovery, but also to establish the reasons for its rarity. It turned out that the authorities rather quickly withdrew the envelope from circulation. At the end of 1846, the entire stock held at the Moscow Post Office was destroyed. In its place, St. Petersburg stamped envelopes were introduced; they remained in circulation until 1851, when Moscow envelopes of a second printing began to be used. The second issue of envelopes for the Moscow city post was produced in 1851–1856.
Stamped envelopes greatly облегчated the work of the city post. Cash settlements with shopkeepers were eliminated. Postal registration became simpler, record-keeping was reduced to a minimum, and efficiency increased.
The public and the business community duly appreciated the new form of sending correspondence. The popularity of “stamped envelopes” was so great that in 1848 envelopes for out-of-town correspondence were issued. The Postal Department introduced them in accordance with the postal tariffs of 1843. One envelope with a black stamp was for letters weighing 1 lot (10 kopeks silver plus 1 kopek for the envelope). A second, with a blue stamp, was for letters of 2 lots (20 kopeks silver for delivery plus 1 kopek for the envelope). And a third, with a red stamp, was for letters weighing 3 lots (30 kopeks for delivery plus 1 kopek for the envelope).
The rapid spread of envelopes led to improvements in methods of sending correspondence. Now there was no longer any need to go to the post office with each letter or to turn to a shopkeeper. In 1848, first in St. Petersburg and then in Moscow, mailboxes appeared. Unlike city-post boxes, they were installed directly on the streets.
The issuance of stamped envelopes for the nationwide post began in December 1848. On envelopes of the first period of issue (1848–1863), a round stamp 28 mm in diameter was placed on the upper flap. The envelopes were produced at the printing house of the Postal Department. Paper of various grades was used to make the envelopes, both white and in various shades (grayish, yellowish, grayish, etc.). At the same time, the paper pulp could contain fairly large particles of varying thickness, shape, and size.