Estonia
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Royal Swedish Post
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Imperial Russian Post
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German occupation / Ob. Ost
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Independent Republic of Estonia
Introduction
The Republic of Estonia celebrates its founding day on February 24, 1918, but was initially unable to come into being because its territory was occupied by German troops at the same time (see the German Occupation / Ober Ost collection period).
It was only with the defeat of Germany at the end of the First World War and the armistice of November 11, 1918 that German troops began to withdraw from the Baltic region from north to south.
In Estonia, the first Ober Ost country post office to close was the one in Paldiski (Baltic port) on 15.11.1918 and the last one in Valga (Walk) on 19.12.1918.
On November 15, 1918, the first Estonian post office opened in Rakwere (Rakvere, Wesenberg), so this day is considered the birthday of the Estonian Post, even though it would take until the end of November for the first regular stamp to be issued in Tallinn (Reval).
The retreating German troops were followed by Russian Bolshevik forces from the east , so that the young republic had to defend itself against numerous external and internal enemies until the peace treaty of Tartu (Dorpat) on February 2, 1920. Emergency measures of all kinds, provisional stamps, censorships and field post were created during the war of liberation.
Nevertheless, with the convening of the National Assembly in April 1919, the enactment of a Basic Law, the first nationwide elections and the passage of the Land Reform Act in 1920, it was possible to relatively quickly stabilise the new bourgeois republic.
Crucial for the provision of postal services to the population was the "Law on Postal Agencies" adopted by Parliament on March 21, 1922, as well as the "Postal Agencies" set up from 1926 onwards in farms, restaurants, dairies and schools. While the number of post offices remained fairly stable between 1920 and 1939, the number of postal agencies increased significantly; the number of auxiliary postal offices, however, literally exploded:
Year:
1927
1933
1939
Post offices
121
119
122
Postal agencies
474
585
600
Auxiliary postal facilities
n.a.
2,732
2,965
Estonia was the only one of the three Baltic republics to succeed in establishing liberal and constitutional structures immediately after its creation.
The comparatively robust economic development made a significant contribution to this. Thus, on the 10th anniversary of the Republic, the inflationary mark currency could be exchanged for the Estonian kroon at 100 senti on the gold standard..
With the outbreak of the world economic crisis, Estonia also found itself in politically and economically troubled waters from 1930 onwards. On May 12, 1934, the "State Elder" Konstantin Päts declared a State of Emergency and dissolved parliament in anticipation of a feared coup d'état by fascist forces.
Konstantin Päts ruled the Republic authoritatively as President until the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union as a result of the Hitler-Stalin Pact in 1940/41.
In postal terms, two events are significant in this phase: With the spelling reform of January 1, 1934, numerous place names changed both in their spelling and in their naming. This led to the creation of numerous new postmarks. The same thing happened with the great municipal reform of April 1, 1939.
Selected stamps and complete pieces
Rouble currency (1918)
Local issue Rakwere (Rakvere, Wesenberg) 1918
The first Estonian post office opened in Rakwere (Rakvere, Wesenberg) on November 15, 1918 and emitted a series of provisional issues the following day. They used Russian postal stationery and cut-outs of eagle drawing from 1891 and Tsar Peter drawing from 1913. The editions of these so-called "local issues" were tiny: Michel Nos. 1-4: 173, 402, 137 and 26 pieces. They are therefore great rarities. They remained valid only until 27 November 1918, because in the meantime there existed regular stamps.
Flower pattern, the first
On November 24, 1918, the first regular stamp of the young republic was issued, first at the counter of the main post office in Tallinn (Reval) and then nationwide. The stamp in the simple floral design was issued imperforated, in lithographic printing and in rouble currency, although it was sold in marks and pennies (marka and penni) from January 1, 1919. The same applied to the 15 kopeck stamp issued on November 30, 1918.
As a result of the World War, the currencies of the various occupying powers were still circulating in Estonia and were only gradually exchanged for Estonian marks and pennies (Marka & Penni).
Marka currency (1919-1927)
Flower pattern, the second
As in Germany, Finland or Poland, the inflation of the mark currency progressed rapidly in Estonia. As early as January 18, 1919, supplementary values of 35 and 70 pennies became necessary for the postage that had risen since January 1.
The design in the flower pattern remained the same, only the currency inscription was removed.
Eesti Post – Overprints 1919
On 7 May 1919, provisional stamps appeared for the second and last time, this time exclusively at the main post office in Tallinn (Reval): A total of 18 different Russian stamps with denominations between 1 kopek and 10 roubles, imperforated as well as perforated, received the handstamp overprint "Eesti Post" and were sold in denominations 1:1 against marka and penni. The issue was later declared valid for postage nationwide until September 30, 1919.
Some of these stamps have extremely low print quantities, which can easily compete with those of the Blue Mauritius. The market prices suggest that counterfeiters had their eye on this issue early on. Therefore: Please acquire only BPP-inspected stamps!
Viking ship 1919/22
With the motif of the "Viking Ship" stamp issue in the denominations of 1, 5, 15 and 25 marks from July 28, 1919, the Estonian Post Office achieved a great success. They became icons of the mark currency era and are still a popular motif today.
Image:
Inscribed (fieldpost) letter of a soldier of the Northwest Army with stamp "Viking Ship" Mi-No. 13x, 50+50 Penni = 1 Mark, Northwest Army, (Pleskau)–Narwa–Tallinn–Diessen 1919.From the time of handover to the Estonian Post Office in Narva, their field mail had to be franked.
During the War of Independence Estonian censorship postmarks were used for mailings abroad, here a postmark from Tallinn in triangular form.
S.K. = Sõja kontroll = war control = censorship
Ice flight 1920
In the winter of 1920, the ice on the Baltic Sea became so severe from mid-January that shipping had to be closed down. Enemy troops were stationed in the east and south of the country; Estonia was cut off from the outside world. In this situation, the governments of Estonia and Finland decided to establish an air link between their capitals, which was also opened up for the transport of private correspondence as far as possible.
Towards the end of this period, an airmail surcharge stamp with a face value of 5 marka appeared on March 13, 1920, covering the additional airmail charge for a letter of 15 grams each. Because of its late appearance, the stamp could only be used for the last ice flight from Tallinn to Helsinki on March15: the third oldest official postal airmail in the world was born!
Airmail 1923/25
From the summer of 1921, Estonia's capital was regularly connected to Europe's developing airmail network, without national airmail rates. It took until October 1, 1923 for the Estonian Postal Administration to decide to establish an airmail connection from Tallinn via Riga to Königsberg and to issue new airmail stamps. To do this, they overprinted the remaining unsold stocks of the 1920 airmail supplementary stamp with 5, 10, 15, 20 and 45 marka and the year "1923".
Stamps Mi No. 41–45B, archival covers of the UPU, sent to the Postal Administration of Madagascar and marked there with an "ownership stamp" (click to view a high-resolution scan).
400 stamps of the value rate of 10 Marka and 2,000 stamps of the value rate of 20 Marka were not only issued imperforated, but also perforated on October 8.Since this poor line perforation 11 ½ was done in the printing office of the newspaper "Päevaleht" (="Daily Paper"), the stamps have entered the literature under this name – and the other stamps of the issue remained imperforated.
From February 12, 1924 the final airmail set then became available in the same value levels, perforated and imperforated, and again in the distinctive triangular format.Image:
Airmail cover 18 –19.5.1927 with airmail additional stamps Mi 48A+50A (5+15 Mk) and dispatch cancel Tallinn-Aeronaut.As of April 16, 1928, the payment of airmail fees by means of additional airmail stamps was cancelled. From then on, airmail fees were paid with general postage stamps or were completely omitted.
Weaver & Smith 1922/28
The postage stamps with the motifs of weaver and smith accompanied Estonian postal customers from February 18, 1922 until 1928. They remained valid beyond the currency reform of 1928 until December 31, 1940.
The values of ½, 1, 2, 2½, 5, 9 and 10 Marka were first issued imperforated, then all values from 1923 only perforated.
Postal stationery 1923/29
The motif of the weaver was also used for Estonia's first postal stationery from February 23, 1923, initially without overprint, then with a new value overprint in "Marka" and finally – after the currency reform in 1928 – with the overprint in the new currency denomination "Senti".
An example of the collecting field "interesting text / philatelic content":
Reply postal stationery P6 with unanswered question part (left) for " swapping to Michel" and still attached answer part (right), from Pernau to Colmar / France.
The signature: worthy of a notary!
Charity stamps with surcharge 1920/27
All surcharges of Estonian charity issues in the period of the Marka currency between 1920 and 1927 went without exception to the victims of the wars since 1914, especially to those of the War of Independence in 1918–20. Already in June 1920, the first charity stamps for the benefit of war-disabled appeared in the denominations of 35 and 70 pennies with surcharges of 10 and 15 pennies. In November of the same year, these stamps were overprinted with the new values of 1 and 2 Marka.
In August 1921, another charity issue for the benefit of the Red Cross appeared in the denominations of 2½ marks + 1 mark surcharge and 5 + 2 marks surcharge; imperforated, partially perforated and perforated. These stamps were issued in October 1923 with the overprint "Aita hädalist." ("Help the injured") and sold at the same price.
On November 19, 1927, a charity edition was issued with five values and a 100% surcharge for the benefit of the Estonian War of Independence Memorial Committee. Due to the currency reform at the turn of the year and poor sales, the postal validity of this issue ended on January 18, 1928.Genuinely used and on cover this issue therefore belongs to the rarities of Estonian stamp issues before 1928.
Kroon currency (1928-1940)
With the economic consolidation of the 1920s, Estonia also changed its currency at the turn of 1927/28 from the paper standard in marks and pennies (Marka & Penni) to the gold standard in Estonian kroons and cents (Krooni & Senti).
The conversion was carried out at a ratio of 100:1, so that the permanent issues valid until then retained their postal validity until they were sold out, but at the longest until 31.12.1940 (1 Mark = 1 Cent). The same applied to all postage stamps issued from 1928 onwards in denominations from 1 cent to 3 kroner.
10 years of independence 1918–1928
The first issue in the new currency appeared on February 24, 1928 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the independence gained in 1918.The stamps in the denominations of 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 senti appeared as new issues with overprint, but in the motifs of the previous issue "weaver and smith"..
Postage stamps Heraldic lions 1928/40
The Estonian national coat of arms shows three lions striding to the left and looking at the viewer. The Post Office used this heraldically striking motif for the Republic's self-portrayal on its postal stamps in the new currency.
Between September 24, 1928 and April 1, 1935, 15 postage stamps were issued in denominations ranging from 1 cent to 80 cents, before this series was replaced from 1936 by the one with the portrait of President Konstantin Päts.
In parallel, between 1928 and 1940, all postal stationery appeared with the motif of the heraldic lions (postcards, commemorative postcards, envelopes ordered by a public authority, semi-official card letters ordered by a welfare organisation, picture postcards) as well as, not to forget, in 1930 Estonia's only booklet of postage stamps of the interwar period with a face value of 2.10 kroons. Of the 9,890 copies sold by the end of 1940, only a few complete booklets are likely to have survived to the present day.
Charity issues with surcharge 1931/40
Between 1931 and 1940, the Estonian Post emitted seven charity issues with surcharges for the benefit of charitable institutions. In 1931 and 1933, one issue each was issued with four values supporting the Red Cross and the Tuberculosis Relief Organisation.
From 1936 to 1940, a charity issue with surcharges in favour of the community aid "Ühisabi" was published every year.
In 1938 and 1939, one souvenir sheet each was issued in stamp drawing.
Special editions 1932/40
The Estonian Post issued just six special issues in the nine years leading up to the Second World War:
In 1932, the 300th anniversary of the University of Tartu (Dorpat) was commemorated with four values, followed in 1933 by three values to celebrate the 10th Singers' Festival.
In 1936, the four-value special issue on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Brigitte Monastery in Pirita near Tallinn followed, and in 1938 also the issue on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the " Scholared Estonian Society", the values of which were also combined in one souvenir sheet.
The range of special issues was completed in 1939 by four values on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the spa town of Pärnu (Pernau), which were also issued as individual stamps and combined in a souvenir sheet, and in 1940 by the special issue on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the appearance of the first stamp.
Postage stamps Konstantin Päts 1936/40
Like no other, he determined the face of Estonia between the world wars: Konstantin Päts (1874–1956). Whether as Minister (Interior and Defence), Prime Minister, State Eldest (Riigiwanem, five times between 1921 and 1934), State Protector (Riigihoidja, 1934–1938), State President (1938–1940) or prisoner of Stalin (1940–1956), his image shaped and still shapes that of the "first" Estonian Republic.
14 values in 17 colours of the definitive series with his portrait marked the face of Estonian mail between 1936 and 1940. More than 106 million copies were printed.
Private Card Letters (Paro Letters)
The Red Cross paid the postal fee of 10 senti per letter directly and in advance to the state treasury. This fee and the printing costs were presumably financed by the advertising income. The post offices in fact sold the postal stationery as a private item at the counter for only 5 senti – a profit for the customers, since they received a value imprint worth 10 senti and the envelope for it. The amount of 5 senti per envelope was donated to a fund for the support of suffering postmen.
A total of 29,424 card covers were sold, so that only a few of the mathematically possible 1,050 complete series remain today.
Card cover 1938 sent domestically from Viru - Jaagupi to Tallinn.
Interesting the contemporary advertising, partly with European self-confidence:
Left: "Regular flights to the whole of Europe, in summer and winter".
Right: "Largest selection, International and national quality, furs, sale en bulk and en detail".
Bottom left: "An advertisement appearing in the Paro arrives, because it reaches the people".
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Soviet occupation
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German occupation / Ostland
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Camp Mail / Estonians in Exile
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Independent Republic of Estonia (restored)
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Private Mail in Estonia
