FOCUS ON PHILATELY: Ukraine's first stamp set: the shahy issue of 1918 (01/06/02)

FOCUS ON PHILATELY

by Ingert Kuzych

Ukraine's first stamp set: the shahy issue of 1918

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 small-change 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.

The two low-value stamps were designed by Antin Sereda. The yellow-orange 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 southeast-flowing 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 re-established 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 40-shahy 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 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 e-mail address: [email protected].

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