posted 09-23-2017 09:26 AM               

Space Cover #435: Moon or Mars Lander?

This 15 year anniversary cachet for Sputnik 1 was released on April 4, 1972, which is printed on the reverse of the postal stationery on which it appears. Under the design of the cachet "Mapc-3" ("Mars 3) is clearly printed. The very same lander that is shown on the stamp which is tied to the cover with an October 4, 1972 cancel is very similar to the artwork shown on the stationery.

The Scott's Catalog does not picture this stamp but in cross referencing it to the H.R. Pfau Catalog, "SOVIET UNION 1 – ASTROPHILATELIE", it is pictured as the fourth stamp in a set of six stamps released in concert with a cancel from Kaluga on October 4, 1972. However, there is not an actual release date shown there for some reason. That is also the date and place of the cancellation on this cover. However, the Scott's catalog shows it as being released on September 14 1972.

The Lollini catalog shows only the first stamp in the six stamp set, and that is a Sputnik 1 stamp. It does not list the subject of the other five stamps which include the launching of Vostok 2, the Space Walk of Leonov, this stamp which is "Lunokhod on the Moon", the fifth stamp which is "Venera (Venus) 7 descending to Venus, and "Mars and descending to Mars" (by parachute).

I found it interesting that the same design which is shown on this cover shows the Lunokhod lander on the moon to be Mars 3 on Mars. That lander was actually a pennant... The stamp design was attributed to Alexei Leonov, who also has signed this cover.

posted 09-26-2017 12:09 AM            

I always wished I could get a few sets on blank covers to place add-on cachets but that never seems to exist with Russian stamps.

posted 09-26-2017 02:43 PM               

The most unusual thing about this series was a mix of reality and fantasy (in proportion of 2:1) that was quite innovative for the Soviet stamps but not the first one ever – literally Tsiolkovsky stamp issued in 1957 can be considered the first one. By the way this was not the first cooperative work of Sokolov and Leonov as they already issued a space picture book “Stars, Wait For Us!" in 1967 while the text has been written by Yuri Gagarin plus a couple of other books followed in 1970 and 1971.

The stamps were so successful that the series was named the best technology philatelic issue of 1972. As usual each stamp issue have been accompanied by the dedicated pictorial stamped cover (rus XMK). This was not a regular FDC so the stamp should be applied for the cover to complete the three-way commemoration (cachet-stamp-cancellation).

You can see images on my webpage.