Tannu Tuva Collectors' Society, Inc.   Tannu Tuva Collectors' Society, Inc.
          APS Affiliate #235

COVERS of TUVA

Tuva's postally-used envelopes are highly-sought by philatelists.

There is some controversy over the mails from Tuva in the 1930's. Many collectors believe that duplicate Tuvan postmarks were kept in the office of the Soviet Philatelic Assn. in Moscow, so that when they despatched parcels of Tuva stamps to their wholesalers in the West, a variety of Tuva stamps could be affixed to these envelopes, and cancelled with datestamps of either Kizil or Turan.

Large cover to Swiss wholesalers.
Such envelopes possibly were filled with many sheets of the 1936 Jubilee stamps.
A 1937 large cover from Kizil to Switzerland. The cancellation is Kizil, "c", which is presumed to be used in Moscow.
Mail from Tuva itself at this period usually has Kizil "b" for cancellation.

There is even more controversy over the mails from Tuva in the 1990's. Many of the recent stamp issues (issued in dubious circumstances), are inexplicably found on covers, and give all the appearance of being normal mail. But a media investigation determined that the situation was murkier.
To read a report by Les Winick from "The Philatelic Exporter" about this, click here.

This cover from Kizil, March 25, 1995
to Ukraine, is backstamped at Kiev, April 12, 1995,
for an apparent journey of 18 days.
To see the reverse of this cover with the arrival datestamp of Kiev, click here.

 


Kizil b cancel on cover to England, 1937.
Click this cover to see a larger and clearer version.
1937 cover to England with Kizil "b" datestamp – used in Kizil only.

1929, registered letter from Tuva from Otto Manchen-Helfen to his wife in Vienna.
1929, registered letter from Tuva from Otto Manchen-Helfen to his wife in Vienna.

In 1929, the Austrian anthropologist Otto Mänchen-Helfen visited Tuva. These two registered letters were sent to his wife in Vienna. Click each to see a larger photo. The cover on the left appears to have the Kizil, Touwa cancel, and the cancels on the envelope at the right appear to be the bilingual Tuvan & Mongolian datestamp of Kizil. Read more about the book he wrote about Tuva.

 

Commercial cover from Kizil to Moscow with the very rare 35k surcharge on fiscal, 1933.
Click this cover to see a larger and clearer photo.
(ex Harmers, London, auction, December 21 1994.
1933, commercial cover from Kizil to Moscow
with the very rare 35k on 15k fiscal surcharge.

The OKTE overprints are seldom found, but are similar to
Express Delivery service.  If you pay the postage plus an extra tax in OKTE stamps, you
are rushed through the Post Office and you don't have to wait in a queue.

(ex Harmers, London, auction, December 21 1994.)
1935 registered cover to Great Britain.

A nice 1927 cover from Kyzyl to Moscow.
Click this cover to see a larger version.
1927 cover from Kyzyl to the All-Russian Philatelic Assn in Moscow.
Many covers were prepared by this Club, and are among our main sources for early Tuva mail.

See more Tuva covers. Chairman Kermit

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