On display are marks of postal payment of the Russian Empire up to 1917, and of the Zemstvo Post in particular, of the Provisional Government of 1917, and of the Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1923.

The exposition begins with so to say “pre-stamp” letters of the Russian Empire times, the earliest in the collection is the one sent from St.-Petersburg to Nijny-Novgorod in 1743 (Figure 1). These are followed by some letters illustrating evolution of the postmarks (preceding the introduction of the postage stamps) on the covers. The so called letter with money enclosure, with the seals of sealing wax affixed at the corners, and postal receipts confirming the submission of those letters given to their senders at the Post Office can tell a lot to the interested visitor or collector (Figure 2).

The first Russian marks of postal payment, postal stationary envelopes with circular-shape postmarks, had been introduced in December 1845 by the St.-Petersburg City Post. On display are those that had passed through the posts and those that had not. The presented in the exposition letter sheet with the cut of postal stationary envelope of the 1846 issue, which has passed through the St.-Petersburg City Post, is a great rarity (Figure 3).

In the showcases there are some very interesting unique preparatory materials for issue of the first Russian postage stamps, printed essays of a circular shape stamps that had been planned for introduction in 1856 but were never issued for postal circulation (Figures 4.1 and 4.2).

Experimental drawings and drafts done by F.M. Kepler, Senior Engraver of the State Expedition for Printing of Securities explicitly show his search for shape, dimensions and proper design of the future postage stamp. Also on display is his preliminary project of stamp of a rectangular shape, which had been approved by the Postal Department on 21st October 1856 as a basic design for the first Russian postage stamp that became a real masterpiece of the postage stamp artistic design (Figure 5).

The Museum also keeps the so called “Russian pair” of the first postage stamp of the Russian Empire, the only known copy of the corner pair of the mint stamps with the broad margins and original gum that has become a sort of a symbolic representation of the Museum’s riches. There is no other such a pair in so perfect condition in the whole world (Figure 6).

Postal stationary envelopes, forms of postal money orders (with imprinted stamps), wrappers, postcards, letter cards and closed letters were regularly issued in Russia of the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th centuries concurrently with the postage stamps. All stamped matter produced by the postal authorities of that time is represented on the exposition as preparatory materials to its issue. There are some documents of a special historical value, because some of them had been approved by the eminent Russian statesmen. Good examples of these are a number of samples of standard postage stamps mounted on passe-partout bearing autographic signature of P.A. Stolypin, who had approved them for issue (Figure 7).

Specimens, proofs, essays and approved projects represent history of preparation of the only commemorative series of the Imperial postage stamps, that of the 1913 Romanov Tercentenary issue. Designs for stamps of this series had been created by such excellent artists as I. Bilibin, E. Lancerey, R. Zarrinsh, and their mastership was already a sufficient guarantee of their works’ privity to graphic art.

Some original drawings of 1910-1914 by M. Dobuzshinsky, G. Narbut, R. Zarrinsh for unissued stamps the “Allegory of Russia” are documentary testimony of the well-known artists of the “World of Art” group interest in the art of postage stamp design (Figure 8).

A distinct place in the Russian philately is occupied by the closed charity letters with advertisement which the Empress Maria Fyodorovna Philanthropic Foundation had been issuing in favour of orphan-asylums from October 1898 to November 1901. The presented on the exposition twenty-four such letters from the State Collection (among them are five proof sheets and two projects) are true rarities (Figure 9).

The Zemstvo postage stamps and postal stationary matter that had been issued from 1866 to 1917 in one hundred and sixty-four “uezds” (districts) of the Russian Empire constitute a unique section in the world’s philately. The name “Zemstvo issues” had been given to the issues of the local posts of towns and districts (for delivery only within the respective uezd) in Russia beyond the scope of the Imperial postal services; a “Zemstvo” used to be an administration of the local self-government. The State Collection of the Marks of Postal Payment owns the richest collection of the zemstvo postage stamps, and it presents on the exposition only rarities. The 1870 stamp of the first issue of the Tambov Uezd Zemstvo is the most miniature and very rare (Figure 10). One of the stamps issued by the Kotelnich Uezd of the Vyatskaya gubernya (province) Zemstvo is considered to be one of the world’s scarcest. Nowadays only a one half of this postage stamp is known, and it belongs to the State Collection (Figure 11).

Presented in the exposition preparatory materials for the Provisional Government (March — November 1917) postage stamps issues have been virtually unknown for the public. Such masters of graphic art as Rikhard Zarrinsh and Sergey Chekhonin had taken part in these projects, and splendid Ivan Bilibin’s drawing (with the Russia’s coat of arms adopted by the Provisional Government) prepared as an original design for a stamp issue opens this section of the exposition (Figure 12).

Various essays were executed by such masters of postage stamp miniature like V. Koupreyanov, G. Reindorf, E. Lancerey, M. Antonov and others in the stormy years of frequent changes in the postal rates in the young Soviet Russia. One can see in the exposition an original drawing by Natan Altman which stands out among other originals for stamps issue presented for the open competition in honour of the 5^th Anniversary of the October Revolution (Figure 13).

The celebrated “Red Army Soldier” of the 1922-23 standard issue is a well known world’s rarity. It is a sheet of twenty-five imperforated orange stamps; the twelfth stamp has the denomination of 70 roubles, not of 100 roubles as all the others (Figure 14).

All in all, the Treasury of Russian Philately presents about a thousand and three hundred exhibits: postage stamps and postal stationary matter, covers and entires, original artists’ drawings and designs for stamps, essays, some of them approved for issue, some not, various projects, drafts, proofs, colour trials and specimens, as well as letters which have travelled through the posts. All these materials are exhibited on special plates in glass showcases, wall-mounted frames, and holders.

All interested postage stamp collectors and connoisseurs of philately may well familiarise themselves with the history of Russian marks of postal payment by means of the Museum’s philatelic fund materials introduced in the exposition.

In 2000 the A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications joined the Elite Philately Club of Monte Carlo (Club de Monte-Carlo de l'élite de la philatélie), whose members include 17 postal museums and world-renowned collectors from 24 countries.