Shahy series of stamps

First stamps of Ukraine Shahy series of five stamps 1918

Ukrainian philately dates back to the declaration of independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic. It was at the time of state-building that the need for its own currency and postage arose. Although the UPR's active existence lasted only 5 years, it was enough to create a strong foundation for today's independent Ukraine.

The founding of Ukrainian philately

It should be noted that the first stamp issues that can be considered Ukrainian date back to before the formation of the UPR. However, they cannot be called official because they lack state affiliation.

The prerequisite for Ukraine's separation from the Russian Empire was the October Revolution, which provided for the change of the tsarist regime and the Bolsheviks' coming to power. This made it possible to set conditions for the formation of a Ukrainian autonomous republic within the new Russian state. The changes provided for the creation of new state emblems, including those for postage.

However, the new Bolshevik regime ignored the demands of the Central Rada and the signing of the relevant Universal. It expressed its displeasure by attempting to overthrow the Ukrainian government by force. Having failed in their attempts, the Bolsheviks launched a campaign to occupy Ukrainian cities, which escalated into the Ukrainian-Soviet war. The Ukrainian government signed a new Universal, which proclaimed the independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Both the autonomous and independent UPR had to create their own state emblems. This led to the need to develop projects of new postage stamps for their subsequent introduction into circulation. Until then, the existing stocks of all-Russian stamps were considered valid.

Designing the first stamps

The first sketches for the autonomous UPR were received on the basis of a competition held in late 1917 and had a universal design. That is, one cliché sample was used for different denominations. But with the signing of the Universal Declaration of Independence, the design had to be redesigned. This was due to the change of the executive body and the signing of the law on the introduction of a new currency.

Given the course of the Russian-Bolshevik occupation, the time for holding competitions and discussing stamp designs was limited. Therefore, the decision was to turn directly to the artists. The future rector of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts, graphic artist Heorhii Narbut, led the creation of the first stamps. He was assisted by his follower Antin Sereda.

postal item 1918

Description of the shah-stamps by G. Narbut and A. Sereda

It should be noted that the design of the first stamps and preparations for their issue were faster than the issue of change coins. Therefore, the authorities decided to issue credit tickets first. This is how the first stamps-money appeared, which served as a bargaining chip. They were identical to the developed stamp, but had an overprint on the back in the form of a rectangular frame with the coat of arms and the inscription "Walks on a par with a ringing coin".

Prior to the printing of the first stamps, H. Narbut and A. Sereda submitted proposals for design changes to distinguish the postage stamp from the money stamps. Artists proposed portraits of Hryhorii Skovoroda, Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi, and Petro Doroshenko. However, due to the lack of time to create new clichés, it was decided to issue stamps based on the existing design of the series. To distinguish them from each other, a different paper, color shades and the absence of jagged edges were used.

Stamps of 10 and 20 shahs

Sketches for the smallest denomination stamps were designed by A. Sereda. In philately, it is commonly believed that if several artists work on a series of stamps, the authorship is given to the one who designs the smallest denominations. However, it is known that A. Sereda was a follower and student of H. Narbut.

·        Trident is a stamp with a denomination of 10 steps, which opens a five-value series. The stamp has a classic vertical orientation. The name of the Ukrainian People's Republic is on the top. The bottom shows the denomination in the right and left corners with the name of the currency in between. The center depicts a trident against the background of the sun, which directs its rays toward the earth. On the right and left sides is a Ukrainian ornament in the form of flowers.

·        The Kosar has a similar layout with the name of the republic on the top and the denomination of 20 shahs on the bottom. In the center is a portrait of a peasant who is depicted with his left side facing the viewer. He is wearing a shirt and a hat with a woven ear of grain, holding a scythe with his left hand on his shoulder. His belonging to the Ukrainian family is confirmed by his loose mustache. There is a place for a trident near his face.

Both stamps are presented in brown, but 10 shahs are in a light brown shade. The font style of the numerals is similar to that used on the 1992 kopecks of independent Ukraine.

Stamps of 30, 40, and 50 shahs denomination

The design developed by G. Narbut is conceptually similar to the lower denomination stamps, but the artist's style has more details. Among the features are the use of other smaller fonts. Also, attention to ornamental decoration and an attempt to add volume to the image.

·         Ukrainka is a stamp with a denomination of 30 shahs, based on a portrait of a Ukrainian girl depicted in the center.  She is facing the viewer with the left side of her face and a wreath of flowers on her head. The portrait is described by an octagon, the upper part of the faces of which has two tridents on the left and right. The lower faces are decorated with ornaments. The upper part of the stamp bears the denomination in the left and right corners, as well as the name of the currency between them. The bottom indicates that the stamp belongs to the Ukrainian People's Republic.

·         Trident is a stamp with a denomination of 40 shahs, which is based on a three-dimensional trident in the center. It is inscribed in an oval with a white background. The periphery of the oval is decorated with a floral ornament. The upper part of the stamp bears the inscription Ukrainian People's Republic. In the lower-left corner is the denomination of 40 shahs, and in the right corner are two crossed postal horns.

·         The half-penny is the largest stamp in the series, with a 50-shah denomination in the center, framed by an oval wreath of floral ornaments. The bottom of the stamp indicates the affiliation with the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Each stamp differs in color. Blue ink and its darker shades were used to make the 30 shahs. The 40 stamps were printed with green ink and the 50 stamps with red ink.

sheet of stamps with a denomination of 30 shahy