1_January 6, 2002 - The Ukrainian Weekly

4 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2002
No. 1
FOC US ON PHILATELY
PHI
by Ingert Kuzych and Lubomyr Hugel
This article is dedicated to my late
friend Lubomyr Hugel, who left behind
an unfinished draft of an article on
Ukraine’s very first stamp issue. I have
incorporated some of his text into this
month’s submission. – I.K.
Creating the stamps
Shortly after Ukraine declared its
independence on January 22, 1918,
prominent artists Antin Sereda and
Heorhii Narbut were assigned an exciting
yet daunting task – to design the first
stamps of the newly independent republic.
The two men proved up to the challenge
and together created a five-stamp
set that appropriately represented
Ukraine and that saw extensive use over
the next several years.
The men worked in haste, and their
designs were already put to use on April
18 to print the first “stamps” onto card
stock, not onto paper. The reason for this
alteration was that these first “stamps”
were in reality money-tokens. Although
they resembled regular stamps and were
perforated, the heavier card stock
enhanced the durability of these tokens.
They were used in place of coins, since a
metal shortage prevented the Ukrainian
government from creating any smallchange
currency (Figure 1). Carried on
the reverse of all these money-tokens
was a Ukrainian-language inscription in
black ink that read, “Circulates on par
with coins” (Figure 2).
Even though not intended for postal
use, some money-tokens were attached to
envelopes and postmarked with the collaboration
of amenable postal employees.
Because of their scarcity, such covers
usually fetch high prices.
Exactly three months later, on July 18,
1918, these same designs were printed
onto thin white paper to create Ukraine’s
first true postage stamps. This imperforate
set goes by the name of the Shahy
Issue in English, because the values run
from 10 to 50 shahy (Figure 3).
[NB: In Ukrainian, the plural of the word
“shah” is “shahy” and so the set is referred
to as the Shahy Issue.] Like the earlier
Money-Token Issue, each of the five values
of the Shahy Issue were printed in
sheets of 400 stamps, which were cut
into 100-subject panes before being distributed
to post offices. No inscription
appeared on the reverse; instead a
smooth white gum was applied.
Stamp description
The more one studies these stamps,
which at first glance give the impression
of a simple design, the more one discovers
how skillfully the artists were able to
create a well-balanced and appropriate
work of art. All five designs can be seen
to be influenced by the turn-of-the-century
Art Nouveau style, which was still
popular at this time. The first four stamps
all incorporate Ukraine’s newly adopted
emblem – the trident.
by Ingert Kuzych
Ukraine’s first stamp set: the shahy issue of 1918
FIGURE 1. The five-value shahy money-token “stamp” set.
The two low-value stamps were
designed by Antin Sereda. The yelloworange
10-shahy value depicts a rising
sun whose rays shine onto the globe.
Although impossible to accurately identify
the portion of the planet being illuminated,
we believe it is meant to represent
Ukraine. The rather elongated land surface
seems to be bisected by a southeastflowing
river reminiscent of the direction
of Ukraine’s Dnipro. The entire scene
serves as the background for a prominent
trident. A flower motif frames the left
and right sides of the image.
The brown 20-shahy stamp shows a
farmer holding a scythe. The implement
is appropriate since it was used extensively
in Ukraine to cut grains, as well as
to mow grasses for forage. Ukraine was
the largest producer of wheat in Europe
in the early part of the 20th century.
The three higher values were the work
of Heorhii Narbut. The ultramarine-color,
30-shahy value shows the profile of a
young woman wearing a wreath of flowers
(an integral part of many Ukrainian
ladies folk costumes). The image is
meant to be an allegory of Ukraine and it
is the most beloved of the Shahy Issue
designs. Interestingly, when Ukraine reestablished
its postal service in 1992, the
first definitive (standard) stamps produced
were in tribute to Mr. Narbut.
They displayed a very similar octagonal
profile image and even some of the same
corner design elements (Figure 4).
Ukraine’s trident, surrounded by a floral
wreath, is the subject of the green 40shahy
stamp. Tridents on Ukrainian territories
date back two millennia. The symbol
was adopted by the rulers of
medieval Kyivan Rus’, and it is prominently
displayed on the coins of that time
(10th-11th centuries). The trident was
twice readopted as Ukraine’s pre-eminent
national emblem in the 20th century: in
1918 and in 1992.
Besides the bold number “50” encircled
by a wreath, the red high-value stamp of
this set features a post horn, the universal
symbol of the postal service. Post horns
were often used in the 18th and 19th centuries
to signal the approach of mail-carrying
carriages to postal stations.
Shahy Issue stamps were printed in
millions of copies and are relatively common.
(A set can be had for about 75
cents.) One would not expect such ordinary
and inexpensive stamps to have been
forged, yet they were and they turn up
quite frequently in general collections and
dealers’ stocks. The easiest and quickest
way to identify forged shahy stamps is to
examine the paper. Instead of using thin,
white paper, the forger(s) printed their
stamps on thin, rather shiny, light brown,
semi-transparent paper, almost resembling
glassine paper or thin waxed paper.
Additionally, there are differences in
details that readily distinguish bogus
stamps from genuine; two shahy values
will be examined more closely. Figure 5
shows a forged 20-shahy value and contrasts
it with a legitimate stamp. The
elongated mustache that tapers downward
and touches the shading of the jaw
line immediately identifies the forgery.
On the other hand, bona fide stamps
show a distinct white space between a
curled-up mustache and jaw shading.
In Figure 6, the bogus 30-shahy
stamp displays lines of neck shading that
are irregular, and a line, about halfway
down, that protrudes noticeably to the
left. A genuine Shahy Issue specimen
shows shading lines that are quite regular
and produce a straight, vertical edge.
Conclusion
Along with trident-overprinted
Russian stamps (the subject of a future
article), the shahy stamps served as the
workhorse of the mail system throughout
Ukraine’s turbulent years of independence
(1918-1920). Because of their
unpretentiousness, these stamps are usually
taken for granted or even ignored
(amazingly, very few articles or studies
have been written about the Shahy
Issue). It is our hope that this situation
will soon change and that these stamps
(and the related money-tokens) will
FIGURE 3. The five stamps of the Shahy Issue.
acquire the prominence they deserve as
some of Ukraine’s first manifestations of
independence and of national character.
Ingert Kuzych may be contacted at P.O.
Box 3, Springfield, VA 22150 or at his email
address: ingert@starpower.net.
FIGURE 2. The inscription on the
reverse of the money-tokens reads:
“Circulates on par with coins.”
FIGURE 4. First day cover from May 16, 1992, shows Ukraine’s new definitive stamp
set, modeled after the 30-shahy value from 1918.
FIGURE 5. Forged and genuine 20-shahy stamps; note differences in the mustache.
FIGURE 6. Forged and genuine 30-shahy stamps; note differences in the neck shading.