Russian perfin stamps - company security issues (PERforated INitial)
Russian perfins are considerably rarer and less widely documented than those of many Western European
countries, which makes them an intriguing area of philatelic study. Perfins in Russia were used mainly
during the early Soviet period and by various organisations, institutions and state-controlled
industries. The punched designs range from simple initials to more complex patterns, reflecting the
administrative structure of the time.
This collection presents a selection of Russian perfins gathered from different periods, displaying a
broad range of stamps, printings and values. Because Russian perfins were produced in smaller numbers
and often under changing political or economic conditions, many of these patterns are of particular
interest to specialised collectors.
Each item provides insight into how security measures were applied to postage during a period of
significant national change. The collection is a helpful resource for researchers and enthusiasts
exploring the lesser-known field of Russian postal security markings.
MOSKOVSKIY POCHTAMT 5th EXPEDITION
- Money transfer destroyer Various perforators were used to annul stamps on Money Transfer Forms sent to central storage after payment. Where these cards had stam ps both sides, a frequent occurrence 1917-1923, the stamps on the back are perforated in reverse.
- This official perfin was used in the Post Office of Saint Petersburg. The perfin shows three parallel lines of holes. The top line has three holes, the bottom lines has also three holes and the line between those lines has five holes. So the total of holes of this perfin is eleven holes. You can only see this perfin complete on two stamps together or through a MTF or parcel card.
- This one has been postmarked and 'killed' by postal authorities, to avoid reuse. We find this kind of punched holes very often on money transfer cards, especially on stamps with high values,e.g. 35 Kop., 70 Kop., 1 Rub.
- Some Post Offices used single or double hand punches as in Fig. 2 above to annul MTF's and Parcel Cards before sending to central storage. A careful look at such MTF's enables one to work out the distance between punch holes when a two hole punch was used.
ODESSKAYA POCHTOVAYA KONTORA
- Russian perfin "&" opposite struck from "Odessa Pocht Kontor" OPK "&" PKO as stamp was perforated from both sides.
- Punched Russian stamps have been removed from money transfer order cards: these cards were defaced after the stamps, indicating the payment of the charge for transferring the money, have bee affixed". The following literature is given: British Journal of Russian Philately 31, BJRP Vol. 49, pp. 32/3, article by B. Pritt, and Filatelaya SSR Feb. 1973, article by V. Aleksandrov