Presentation: Ukrainian Provisionals 1992 to 1995

This is a ‘voiced-over powerpoint’ presentation that is about 2½-hours. Each given slide is different in length as the result of content explanation.

Why the Need for these Provisionals? Primary reasons: a) inadequate supply of national issues due to lack of facilities; strategic USSR assets were ‘centralized’; thus, no modern and secure mint and print facilities in Ukraine; b) inadequate distribution network to all post offices; system had been Russia-centred for several decades; it now had to be reconfigured to Ukraine; Secondary reasons: c) the need to repatriate what had been a russified system; d) inflation-hyperinflation; at the very first minute of 02 January 1992, Ukrainian denomination was 8-to-1; but on 05 December 1993 it was 12,600-to-1, and by 09 December 1994 110,000-to-1. Yikes, and given this ‘trend’, there was a dramatic effect on the postal system and all of its ‘adjuncts’! However such variables, otherwise deleterious, resulted in an interestingly complex postage system and stamp production routine during this period.

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

The recent discovery of some out-of-print back issues of Ukrainian Philatelist has enabled the virtual reconstruction of a 25-year run (1986-2010) of the journal (nos. 49-104). (Only two issues from the late 1990s (nos. 79 and 81) are missing.) That’s 54 issues plus several supplements, which accounts for over 70% of all the pages in Ukrainian Philatelist during its first six decades (1951-2010)! (Many of the early issues of Ukrainian Philatelist from 1951 to 1985 were very slim and generally written in Ukrainian.)

This is a tremendous opportunity for a Ukrainian philatelic researcher.

The price for this set is only $150us (that’s less than $3/issue) plus $25 shipping to a US destination (arrangements can be made to ship abroad, but postage would be considerably higher). Only one set is available on a first come, first served basis.

Contact: Ingert Kuzych, Ukrainian Philatelic Resources, P.O. Box 3, Springfield, VA 22150 USA or at: ingert@starpower.net

Ukraine’s Provisional Kyiv-Lviv-Chernihiv

Provisionals were a way that Ukraine supplemented an inadequate supply of national issues during 1992-1994. All of the provisionals stamp sets were in fact created locally (oblast, city). However, three of the overprinted sets achieved ‘national status’ almost as soon as they were issued, these being overprints of Kyiv, Lviv, and Chernihiv, aka the KLCs.

When Canadian Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj attended Ukrainpex 2007, he indicated that he was involved with Kyiv’s Borysfen print shop. The Borysfen print shop in 1992 was responsible for the completion of the original overprinted sets for Kyiv, Lviv, and Chernihiv. The presses originally came from Canada and Wrzesnewskyj had made videos of the journey to get them into Ukraine. There they were first used in their Kyiv ‘underground’ bunker to produce Ukrainian pro-independence and pro-democracy leaflets and posters. As it turns out, the naming of the print shop is attributed to the mother of the young man doing the overprints, being a "fan" or as they say in Ukraine "fen" of Borys.

Minerals of Ukraine

On December 23, 2009 a postage block of six stamps No. 80 “Minerals of Ukraine” was issued:

No. 1020 "Quartz", Face value – 1,50 UAH;
No. 1021 "Native Sulphur", Face value – 1,90 UAH;
No. 1022 "Topaz", Face value – 2,00 UAH;
No. 1023 "Beryl", Face value – 2,20 UAH;
No. 1024 "Tiger’s-eye", Face value – 3,30 UAH;
No. 1025 "a-kertschenite", Face value – 4,85 UAH.

Size of block – 132х86 mm
Size of stamp – 47х47х47 mm
Protection of stamps in the block: light elements of stones luminesce under UV-light.
Protection of the block: microprint: "Л. Мельнік".
Perforation – 11 1/2.
Selvages of the block are artistically decorated. Texts on the selvages:
"Мінерали України", "Кварц (гірський кришталь, мармароський діамант) SiO2 Карпати", "Сірка самородна S Прикарпаття", "Топаз Al2(F'OH)2 [SiO4] Волинь", "Берил Be3Al2[Si6O18] Волинь", "Око тигрове (кварц з амфібол-азбестом, сидеритом і магнетитом) переважно SiO2 Криворіжжя", "a-kерченіт Fe32+Fe63+(OH)6[PO4]6•18H2O Крим".
Barcode – 4823027128627.
Quantity – 100,000.
Designer of the block – Larysa Melnik.
Block is multicolored; printing process – offset, relief stamping and embossing by film with holographic effect.
Block is printed on SE “Integrated Printing Plant “Ukraina” for production of securities”.

Canadian Mint issues Ukrainian Pysanka egg-shaped silver coin

The Royal Canadian Mint issued on February 2, 2016 a 1 oz. Fine Silver Coloured Coin "Traditional Ukrainian Pysanka" with a low mintage of 4,000. This is the first-ever egg-shaped coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint.  Preorders were brisk and the coin sold out before the release date.  

Designed by Canadian artist Ann Morash, this coin captures the intricate beauty of a pysanka. Every element on this Ukrainian Easter egg is rich with symbolic meaning, including the individual colours: yellow stands for youth and purity; red represents the joy and passion in life; green is the colour of spring, which brings hope and renewal; and black suggests the darkest time before dawn, and the idea of eternity.

Ukrainian Song

Marka Ukrainy stamp issues for  September 5, 2008

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Date of issue	September 5, 2008
Series	Ukrainian Song
Name	Chumak Songs
Denomination	1 UAH
Layout	Pane of 8 stamps
Product No	948 (1.00 UAH)
Order	8-3645 07.07.2008
Design	Mykolai Kochubei
Quantity	200,000
Dimensions	30 mm x 40.5 mm (vertical)
Perforations	comb - 13 1/4
Protection	microtext “М. Кочубей” (M. Kochubei); State emblem of Ukraine, word “Ukraine” luminesce under UV light
Description	Sheet selvages bear decorative design; ”; text on sheet selvages: “У ніч темную та й до білої днини Ішли чумаченьки з України. Та й ішли чумаченьки, чумаченьки з України, Та й стали спочити край долини”