Ukraine 1920 20 Hryven Trident Overprint on Russian Empire Stamp

Ukraine · 1920 · 20 Hryven

This stamp is a Russian Imperial Arms issue of 1909-1917, overprinted with a trident, the national symbol of Ukraine. The overprint, applied in Kyiv, revalued the stamp to 20 Hryven for use by the Ukrainian People's Republic. The trident overprint signifies the transition of postal authority during a period of national independence.

Issued by the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917-1921), these overprinted stamps were a practical measure to create a national postage system using existing Russian stamp stocks.