LITHUANIA : SOVIET PERIOD : POSTMARKS

SKUODAS

Envelope with the postmark of СКУОДАС [SKUODAS], the Lithuanian Skuodas.

Before 1918: ШКУДЫ [SHKUDY], the transcription of this, 'Shkudy', looks somewhat like the Polish name, 'Szkudy'. The old German name was 'Schoden'.

The postmark: resized 50%.

TAURAGĖ

Cover, sent from Tauragė. The Russian indication of this place is ТАУРАГЕ. But this is the indication in Soviet times, a transcription of the Lithuanian name. In tsaristic times it was more like the German indication: ТАУРОГЕНЪ [TAUROGEN], an important border-place.

Original print size of this image: 15,756 x 11,388 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark: resized 50 %.

TRAKAI

On the backside of a cover from Elektrėnai we see the machine postmark of Trakai, in Russian ТРАКАЙ [TRAKAI].
The postmark: resized 50 %.

UPNINKAI

Envelope with the postmark of УПНИНКАЙ [UPNINKAI], the Lithuanian Upninkai.

The postmark, resized 50%.

Upninkai is situated in central Lithuania, district Jonava.

UTENA

Cover, issued by the LTSR in 1988. On the backside the arrival-postmark of Kaunas-40.

Cover with a machine-postmark of Utena, also with the Russian indication УТЕНА [UTENA].
Original print size of this image: 16,290 x 11,515 cm (is something more as the postal item)
The postmark: resized 50 %.

Utena is located in north-east Lithuania. The town is the administrative centre of Utena district.

VABALNINKAS

Card from Vabalninkas, and the postmark has also the Russian indication ВАБАЛЬНИНКАС [VABALNINKAS].
Vabalninkas is a ciry in northern Lithuania, in the Biržai district municipality.

Original print size of this image: 14,182 x 9,153 cm (is something more as the postal item)
The postmark, resized 50 %:

The picture is a photo, I suppose from the environs. When someone knows more: email me.

On the card you see also the handstamp 'МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЕ (MEZADUNARODNOE), that means 'International '(mail). David Skipton has written an article about this and means that is was used as control-mark for mail to foreigh countries. In his theory is proposed that the damages and nicks of the postmark was used to identify the censor. P.J. Campbell goes further on this way. Olav Petri gives some indications (in HBG, article in Dutch) to support the theory: the handstamp is also used for mail coming into the Sovjet Union and it is not used after 1998. The last is an indication that the handstamp had not a postal meaning and from this time not was needed for controlling the mail.

Literature about 'МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЕ:

The "MEZhDUNARODNOE" Markings / by David M. Skipton. - In: Rossica 1995 ; no. 125. - p. 6-18
'МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЕ Revisited / by P.J. Campbell. - In: Rossica 1997 ; no. 128-129. - p/ 134-154
Een onschuldig lijkend stempel met een vreemde geschiedenis, alias een filatelistische hulpkreet / Olav Petri. - In: Het Baltische Gebied 2007 ; 50. - p. 22-23

VILNIUS

Card with an arrival-postmark of Vilnius.

Original print size of this image: 14,994 x 10,727 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark: resized 50 %.

The machine postmark -and place of departure- is not so clear: БЛАСТНОИ [BLASTNOI]??
The picture-side of the card -postal stationery- is clearly from the Soviet period!

A postmark of Vilnius, Type 2b, also with the Russian indication: ВИЛЬНЮС [VILNIYUS]

Original print size of this image: 15,782 x 11,083 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark: resized 50 %.

ОПП [OPP]-postmark of Vilnius.

The cover is issued by the LTSR.

Original print size of this image: 15,782 x 11,312 cm (is something more as the postal item)
In the postmark we see ОПП [OPP] ,
short for ОТДЕЛЕНИЯ [OTDELENIYA] ПЕРЕВОЗКИ [PEREVOZKI] ПОЧТЫ [POCHTY], this means Department for Post-handling. The Lithuanian abbreviation is PPS.
The postmark: resized 50 %.

Cover with a machine-postmark of Vilnius.

Original print size of this image: 15,579 x 11,692 cm (is something more as the postal item)

In the postmark we see Vilnius CSP. The Russian indication for this is ПЖДП [PZHDP], short for ПРИЖЕЛЕЗНО ДОРОЖНЫЕ [PRIZHELEZNO DOROZHNYE] ПОЧТАМТЫ [POCHTAMTY], Postoffice by the railway-line, a combination of ОПП [OPP] and citypost-junction
The postmark: resized 50 %.

Another cover with the postmark Vilnius CSP

Original print size of this image: 16,214 x 11,642 cm (is something more as the postal item)
The postmark: resized 50 %.

On the backside Kaunas Cechas-2. see Kaunas about this kind of postmarks.

Cover with the first commemorative cancel used in this period in Lithuania: 13-7-1957 Vilnius, 1st Youth Festival of Lithuanian SSR.

Original print size of this image: 15,858 x 10,854 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark: resized 50 %.

The cover, with the statue of general Chernyakhovsky -now back to Russia-, is issued by the LTSR.

Cover with the third commemorative cancel: 23-2-1958 Vilnius, First Philatelic Exhibition.

Original print size of this image: 15,909 x 11,210 cm (is something more as the postal item)

The postmark: resized 50 %.

More about -now disappeared- statues of Vilnius in the Soviet period : see
Vilnius during Sovied period: statues and more.