Twenty-First Nationwide Charity Issue.
Postal-charity stamps for the benefit of soldiers and their families. Artist Richard Germanovich Zarrin (Zarrinsh) was the author of the designs for almost all Russian banknotes of the early 20th century and the first Soviet postage stamp.
On September 2, 1914, the head of the Main Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs (GUPiT), V. Pokhvisnev, submitted a report to the Minister of Internal Affairs in which he noted that the Imperial Women’s Patriotic Society had already issued during the war with Japan “patriotic postage stamps, the proceeds from which went to benefit the orphans of the active army.” Having listed the conditions under which they had been issued and certain changes in the present day, the head of GUPiT concluded: “...taking into account that the right to issue patriotic stamps had once already been granted to the Imperial Women’s Patriotic Society, I would consider it proper... to permit the issue of the said stamps, granting this right to the Society again now as well.” Minister N. Maklakov agreed with this proposal.
The stamp artwork was developed with the participation of EZGB.
On September 18, 1914, the Main Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs informed in advance the postal and postal-telegraph offices of the empire about the release of “patriotic” stamps in denominations of 1, 3, 7, and 10 kopecks, and reported that:
- the retail price of the stamps was set with a surcharge over the face value of 1 kopeck for each stamp;
- postal and telegraph fees which, under the rules in force, are paid with stamps may be paid with patriotic stamps, with their face value, not their retail price, being taken into account;
- the purchase of patriotic stamps and the payment of postal items with them is not mandatory for anyone and is left to the discretion of senders.
The stamps of the Imperial Women’s Patriotic Society were officially used as postage stamps during 1914–1917. During this period, they could be used to pay for all types of postal correspondence.
The sale of patriotic stamps was ordered to cease on November 19, 1917 (order of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs No. 62338 of August 19, 1917).
However, these stamps remained in postal circulation for quite a long time thereafter.