The first Armenian stamps were Czarist

When the first Armenian Republic was proclaimed in 1918 the country didn’t have its own stamps. There were Russian stamps in the Post Office storage facilities however and they were placed into circulation. In order to give these stamps more of an Armenian feel, they were ink stamped with the Armenian letter “H”.  By 1921 these Russian stamps had been exhausted and it was necessary to print new ones. It is said that a ‘Soviet theme’ began to appear in Armenian philatelic history.

There are stamp collectors in Armenia who have unique and valuable collections. The painter Artashes Tarumyan has a collection he calls ‘the First Republic’ that he started to amass back in 1967. He’s often petitioned the government to open up a museum in order to display the unique collection but he’s never received a response. Naturally, he’s not prepared to donate the collection to the government free of charge as he’s devoted much time and money to it, but he realizes its national importance and doesn’t want to keep it at home.

Mr. Tarumyan states that, “Many believe that my collection is fake, but   I’ve used money from the sales of my paintings to add to my collection. Would it make sense for me to use the proceeds from my paintings to purchase fake stamps?”

On the surface it would seem that such a hobby is a simple one but it has forced the collector to travel thousands of kilometers to personally take possession of one stamp.

In the world of stamp collecting, Mr. Tarumyan is recognized as an expert in Armenian stamps. In many countries he is asked for his expert opinion since, just as in the case of paper currency, there are quite a lot of forgeries when it comes to stamps.

Mr. Tarumyan states that, “For a time I didn’t sell stamps sent through the mail and I started to buy forgeries just as a comparative reference. There’s a group of forgers in Moscow and also in Yerevan.”

In 2004 he published the first catalogue of Armenian stamps entitled “ARTAR”. In the catalogue there are prints of all Armenian stamps dating back to 1918 including notes about their available quantities and values on the open market. The values are approximate, since its not accepted norm in the philatelic world to divulge a stamp’s actual value. There are some Armenian stamps in the collection starting with market values of $3 and others that can fetch prices as high as $400.

A revised, more exhaustive version of the catalogue will soon be published. The author has traveled to the far corners of the globe to visit 258 collectors that possess Armenian stamps. Interestingly enough, some 200 of them were Jewish.

“I have all the Armenian stamps in my collection, or at least I have seen them. I go crazy when I come across a stamp that I never knew about. All this means that Armenian philately is a rich field but that it hasn’t been completely researched.”

Soviet stamps with Armenian themes

During the Soviet era stamps weren't printed in Armenia. Only Moscow reserved the right to print stamps. However, occasionally, the themes of these stamps included the art of the various republics, including Armenia, famous personages, emblems, nature and other symbols. Such stamps are collectively known as «Armenica».

During the Soviet era, the use of stamps to raise money for various drives, like assistance to orphans, was first implemented in Armenia.

Philatelist Yuri Kupalyan notes that, «For example, they would print the words 'Armenian children relief' and raise the cost of the stamp by a few kopeks. For example, on a 4 kopek stamp would be stamped (+2).  The monies raised as a result would be then sent to the appropriate agencies. I remember how my father would stamp those +2's on the stamps.» (Photo 5) These stamps are rare and quite valuable. Such collection drives don't take place in Armenia today.

Mr. Kupalyan states that, «Only some 100 stamp collectors are left from our proud and great past. There's less of an interest in stamp collecting in Armenia as well. I think that it’s because people have more sources for information and entertainment than before. In our day, stamps served as a second source of information on paper after books. Stamps possess great power, but it's been devaluated in this era of expanded information technologies.» As he says this Mr. Kupalyan points to a large box containing some 50 medals and certificates he's received from the various stamp competitions he's entered over the years.

Even today his exhaustive collections continues to win many international competitions. He's received an invitation to participate in an upcoming competition in Beijing but neither he nor the Philatelic Union of Armenia can afford to cover the travel costs. Mr. Kupalyan confesses that he's never counted all the stamps in his collection but he can describe each one for you. The number of stamp themes is endless, ranging from insects to outer space.

Stamp collecting reached its height during the Soviet era and then faded. Only two stamp competitions have been held in Armenia since independence, once in 2001 and the other in 2007.

The Philatelic Union of Armenian has some 300 members. Union President Hovik Musaelyan states that only 100 attend meetings, exhibitions and pay their membership dues.