Transcaucasian SFSR
The Transcaucasian SFSR was a short-lived Soviet republic, consisting of
Georgia,
Armenia, and
Azerbaijan, which were traditionally known as the Transcaucasian Republics in the
Soviet Union. The capital of the Republic was
Tbilisi.
The republic's roots date back to the dissolution of the
Russian Empire in 1917, during the
Russian Revolution, when the provinces of the
Caucasus seceded and attempted to form their own federal state called the
Transcaucasian Federation.
Encyclopedia
The
Transcaucasian SFSR was a short-lived Soviet republic, consisting of
Georgia,
Armenia, and
Azerbaijan, which were traditionally known as the
Transcaucasian Republics in the
Soviet Union. The capital of the Republic was
Tbilisi.
The republic's roots date back to the dissolution of the
Russian Empire in 1917, during the
Russian Revolution, when the provinces of the
Caucasus seceded and attempted to form their own federal state called the
Transcaucasian Federation. Competing national interests and war with
Turkey led to the disbanding of the republic half a year later, in April 1918.
In the following years, the three constituent territories went through the civil war with heavy involvement of the
Red Army, and emerged as Soviet Republics. In March 1922, the area was reunited as a union of Soviet republics. It was reorganized as a single republic in December of that year. In 1936, the republic was dissolved and the three countries became the Georgian,
Armenian and
Azerbaijan SSR respectively.
Stamps and postal history
Before 1923, each of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan issued its own
postage stamps. The Federation began issuing its own stamps on September 15, 1923, and superseded the separate republics' issues on October 1. The first issues consisted of some of the stamps of Russia and Armenia
overprinted with a star containing the five-letter acronym of the federation inside the points. Massive inflation having set in, this was followed by an issue of the Federation's own designs, four values of a view of
oil fields, and four with a montage of Soviet symbols over mountains and oil derricks, values ranging from 40,000 to 500,000
rubles. The 40,000r and 75,000r were then surcharged to 700,000 rubles. On October 24, the stamps were re-issued with values from 1 to 18 gold kopecks. Starting in 1924, the Federation used stamps of the
Soviet Union.
Most of the stamps of the Federation are not especially rare today, with 1998 prices in the US$1-2 range, although the overprints on Armenian stamps range up to US$200. As might be expected from a short period of usage, used stamps are less common than unused, and covers are not often seen.
See also
