POSTAL RATES

Uniform postal rates started on 14 November 1783, coupled on distance.

1830
With the Edict of 4 June 1830 there is ordered that the rate had to be calculated on the basis of the distance between two Government-cities. The rates from Livonia ate known, but from Estonia or Lithuania I have not found information.
The rates depends also on the weight. The lot" was the unit of weight (12,794 gramme). This unit of weight came from the German, 'Loth' en the name in Russian was also lot".
For the benefit of the inhabitants of Livonia the 'Befehl Seiner Kaiselichen Majestät...' [Order of His Imperial Majesty....' from 1830 was translated in German by the 'Regierungs-translateur' [Government-translator] and here we find also the exact distances and amounts The German text you can find in photo-mechanical reprint in Philatelia Baltica.
Per lot'' and distances in versts (1067 meter):
To 250 versts: 20 k. per lot" for letters (for parcels per 'Pfund')
To 500 versts: 30 k.
To 750 versts: 40 k.
To 1000 versts: 50 k.
To 1250 versts: 60 k.
To 1500 versts: 70 k.
To 1750 versts: 80 k.
To 2000 versts: 90 k.
To 2250 versts: 94 k.
To 2500 versts: 96 k.
To 2750 versts: 98 k.
To 3000 versts and higher: 100 k. (1 rubel)
The amounts are in coppermoney and banknotes.

All letters within a Government had the same tariff: 20 kop. a lot" (quantity of 12,794 gramme).

1840, 1 January
With the Imperial Edict of 6 December 1839 new, lower, to pay in silver currency, tariffs were introduced 1 January 1840
Per lot" and distances in versts (1067 meter):
- 300 versts: 5 kop.
300 - 800 versts: 10 kop.
800 - 1100 vests: 15 kop.
1100-1800 versts:20 kop.
1800- : 25 kop.
Letters within a government: 5 kop.

1844, 1 January
Ordered in 1843, but real 1 January 1844, new uniform postal rates are introduced in whole Russia.
Letter of 1 lot": 10 kop. in whole Russia
Letters abroad get the same tariff on 1 November 1843 (10 kop. per lot), but this was as far as the border.
This uniform tariff is maintained to 1875.
After introduction of postage stamps (1857) international letters had to be paid in cash. With the Edict of 13 April 1863 postage stamps were allowed also for international letters, bur only for not-insured letters and printed matters.
In this period, so before the U.P.U.-treaty of 1875, the rate differs by destination. Woollam mentions in his article some letters from 1865:
to Constantinople: 20kop., 30 kop.
to Switserland: 27 kop.
to France: 37 kop., 74 kop.
to Greece: 30 kop. with postage due
The Post-treaty between Prussia and Russia of 1 January 1866, has also great influence on the tariffs. Woollam mentions also some letters from 1866:
to France 30 kop., 28 kop.
to Germany: 40 kop.
naar Italy: 28 kop. (not enough)
naar Great-Britain: 26 kop., 25 kop.
So it remained very complicated.

1872, 1 January
The tariff for letters within Russia remained the same, but for the most kinds of post new ratres came into being, as for postcards, which also were introduced the same day.
Letters inland 10 k. per lot"

1873: Letter from Vilnius to Mariampole with the inland tariff of 10 k.
The cancellation is a special railway-postmark, as we have somewhere else on this site.
Real size of the bmp-scan: 15,083 x 8,952 cm.
All pictures on this page: scanned about 150 dpi (real size in most printers) and saved as bmp. Then converted into gif-format and resized 50%.
Real size of the bmp-scan is not the same as size of the letter

Letters local (St. Petersburg and Moscow 5 k. per letter (to 15 March 1909)
Letters local (other cities) 3 k. per letter
Postcards inland 5 k.
Postcards local 3 k.
Register 10 k. per item


1875, 19 June
With signing of the U.P.U.-treaty (27 September 1874) the members, also Russia, bound oneself to lay down postal rates for inland mail on 25 French Centimes. Deviation was possible: between 20 Centimes (5 kop.) and up to 32 Centimes (8 kop.). Every country was obliged to introduce the tariffs on 19 June 1875:
Letters inland and abroad 8 k. per lot (15 gram)
Postcards inland and abroad 4 k.
Register 10 k. for 1 item

1878: Poscard from Birsen to Prussia with the abroad-tariff 4k.
The postmark is a 'stop-postmark', from which I like to know more!
Real size of the bmp-scan: 13,900 x 10,336 cm


1879, 20 May
At the U.P.U.-congress in Paris (20 May 1878) one decided to uniform tariffs, from which no divergence was possible. For letters this became 25 Centimes (7 kop.), to introduce per 20 May 1879.
In Philatelia Baltica we find a reprint of the 'Post-Regeln' ['Postal Regelations'] (Riga, 1879), in which the exact regulations are mentioned. For inland letters the tariff became 7 kop. per lot". For letters abroad the tariff became also 7 kop., but per 1 1/6 lot" or 15 gramme.
Letters inland and abroad 7 k. per lot" (15 gramme)

1891: Letter from Vilnius to Riga, so with the inland-tariff of 7 k.
For inland letters this tariff (of 20 May 1879) should remain to 1914.


1879: Letter from Kaunas (KOBHO = Kowno = Kaunas) to Klingenthal with the abroad-tariff 7k. (the same as the inland-tariff)
This postal rate, from 20 May 1879, should change for abroad again on 8 March 1889.
Real size of the bmp-scan: 15,657 x 8,850 cm

Other tariffs 20 May 1879: Postcards inland and abroad 3 k.
Register 7 k. for 1 item

1908: Card from Vilnius to Kaunas with rhe inland-rate: 3 k.
The cancellation is of Vilnius-Voksal, but no railway-postmark.
Real size of the bmp-scan: 14,491 x 9,830 cm.
Strange is the next card from 1909:

1909: Card from Vilnius to Kaunas, inland thus, and prepaid with 3k. Yet a postage due postmark, why is not clear for me. Maybe because the othjer side of the card is totally is desribed?


1885: Postcard from Vilnius to Berlin, with the abroad-rate 3 k.
Real size of the bmp-scan:13,106 x 9,948 cm.

In 1882 the U.P.U. decided that every country has to use stamps with a separate colour for the different kinds of mail. Proposal was: blue for normal letters, red for postcards and green for printed matter.