REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA 1918-1940

Estonia, part from the map in the Times Atlas 1922.



Detail of the map:Tallinn in the north-west of Estonia and environs

The declaration of independence of Estonia is dated February 14, 1918. November 10, 1918 Jaan Paska, State Minister, commissioned Hindrek Rikkand to set up a management of the post. Also he was commissioned to take over the main post office in Tallinn from the Germans.


Estonia nr. 1
(jpg-picture resized 50 %)


On November 13, 1918, eight older postal workers formed the management of Eesti Post: the start of the Estonian Post. November 19 the main post office was in operation. There were no stamps, but people had of course to paid: this was noted on the item. Old Russian date-stamps were used or provisional rubber stamps.
Hindrek Rikkand and Eduard Laaban came on november 18 to Bernhard Mäns Printing house: was it possible to print here the first Estonian postage stamp? The leader of the printing office, Rudolf Zero, convinced them that lithography was more suitable for the printing of postage stamps (instead typography) and composed a little original printing-form fot the first stamp. The conclusion was also that it was better to go to an lithography-printing office for the printing: Georg Böau Reljeef-ja Kivitrükikoda in Nômme.


THe first stamps were printed in the period 22-28 November in Nomme and were first sold on subday 24 november in Tallinn and around Tallinn. The sheets: 4 x 100 stamps, lithography, the forerunner of offset printing. Estonia number 1 is a 5 kopek. postage stamp. From July 1, 1926, not longer valid for franking.

• first printing november 22-28, 1918: 514.00 postage stamps
• second printing december 11-17, 1918: 509.000 postage stamps
• third printing march 5-6, 1919: 304.500 postage stamps
• fourth printing april 2-4, 1919: 614.500 postage stamps

Total is 1.942.000 postge stamps.

The first postage stamp of Estonia is also forged by Jaan Lubi from Viljandi. He has produced forgeries of almost all early stamps of Estonia. Erik Sjôgren has described the forgeries of Jaan Lubi.
More information about this subject:

• Estland nr 1, de postzegel die Estland op de kaart van Europa plaatste / Elmar Ojaste ; vert. uit het Zweeds Fred Geers. - In: Het Baltische Gebied 2000 ; 36. - p. 8-11. - [=Estonia nr 1 the stamp which set Estonia on the map of Europe. - Article in Dutch language]. - Transl. from: Estland nr 1 : Frimärket som placerade Estland pä Europas karta. - In: Filatelisten : Svensk Filatelistik Tidskrift 1999 ; 10. - p. 617-619

In the Handbook 'EESTI' you can find a good classification of the Estonian cancellations. The main types are the provisional cancellations (1918-1920) and the double circle postmarks (1919-1944).

The provisional cancellations		According EESTI
main type	stamps former Russian period	A
main type	manuscript	B
main type	locally presumanly	C
	single line, capital first letter	C1
main type	uniform presumably, single or two or three line	D

The double circle postmarks (1919-1944)		According EESTI
main type	former Russian date-stamps: month in arabic numeral	A
	former Russian date-stamps: month in arabic numeral, between circles also two crosses	A1
	former Russian date-stamps: month in arabic numeral, between circles also six pointed starlets	A3
main type	Estonian double circle date-stamps, month in Roman numerals	B
	Estonian double circle date-stamps, month in Roman numerals, also Maltese crosses between circles	B4
main type	Estonian circle date-stamps, introduced the end of 1937, month in Roman numeralbetween circles code letter and two pentagons	C

Roller cancellers		According EESTI
..	subtypes	D1-D9
	rectangular date-stamp, month in Roman numeral, wavy lines	D5
	circular date-stamp, month in Roman numeral, wavy lines	D8

Machine cancellations (only in Tallinn)		According EESTI
..	subtypes	E1-E4
	wavy lines, time shown by 24-hours system	E2