On September 26, 1904, the Zemstvo Assembly approved new Postal Regulations, according to which “correspondence received by the zemstvo post is paid in favor of the zemstvo by a postal fee, by means of special postal stamps prepared by the zemstvo board in four denominations: 1, 2, 4, and 5 kopecks.”
It was decided to introduce the Regulations on January 1, 1905. The new 5-kopeck stamps were intended to pay for registered letters, the postage for which had previously been 4 kopecks. The board’s report for 1904 states: “For the printing of zemstvo postage stamps: 1 kopeck — 20,400 pcs., 2 kopecks — 52,200 pcs., 4 kopecks — 11,500 pcs., 5 kopecks — 19,000 pcs., total 103,100 pcs.; paid 96 rubles 06 kopecks, and for shipping 1 ruble 85 kopecks.”