Reprint?
The Alatyr uyezd zemstvo post was opened in 1867. Mail was carried from the uyezd center (the town of Alatyr, now in the Alatyr District of Chuvashia) to the volost administrations of the uyezd twice a week.
To pay for the delivery of private mail, zemstvo postage stamps with denominations of 1 and 2 kopeks were introduced. They had a rectangular frame made of typographic characters and the inscription "Alatyr Zemstvo Post".
The 1-kopeck stamp has survived in only three copies and is a rarity. At the same time, a significant number of forgeries of both stamps are in circulation.
It is known that when collectors applied to the Alatyr Zemstvo Board with a request to supply them with stamps of this uyezd, the officials of the board refused, citing the strictly local purpose of the zemstvo postage payment signs. This was probably one of the reasons why the Alatyr zemstvo stamps are extremely rare.