Russian Empire, 1857
A double-headed eagle in a blue oval inside a brown frame.
Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
ПОЧТОВАЯ МАРКА (postage stamp) around the double-headed eagle: the Russian Empire.
- 1ПОЧТОВАЯ МАРКА
- 210 КОП. ЗА ЛОТЪ
- Inscription
- ПОЧТОВАЯ МАРКА · 10 КОП. ЗА ЛОТЪ
- Meaning
- “Postage stamp, 10 kopeks per lot”: a lot was a weight of about 12.8 grams. No country name.
- Issued by
- Russian Empire
- Today
- Russia and its neighbours
- Year
- 1857. On sale from 10 December 1857 (Julian calendar); used from 1 January 1858.
- Made by
- Franz (Feodor) Kepler (design and engraving)
One fact
Russia’s first stamp was designed and engraved by Franz Kepler; the emperor ordered them called “postage stamps”.
Source and public-domain rule
Russian official signs of postage. A sign of postal payment of the Russian state, published 1857. Under Russian law, state symbols and signs (flags, coats of arms, orders, money and the like) are not objects of copyright, and the postal law defines postage stamps as state signs of postal payment. Wikimedia Commons applies the same reading to stamps of the Russian Empire, the RSFSR and the Soviet Union, to which Russia is the legal successor. Applies only to issuers ru and su. Legal sources: Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Art. 1259(6)(2), Federal Law 176-FZ “On Postal Communications”, Art. 2, Wikimedia Commons stamp guidance (community summary, read through a mirror).
Scan: Russia first stamp 1857 10k.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 1057834061), licence templates {{PD-RusEmpire}}. Downloaded 2026-10-19, sha256 5fafc6d7b65a…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-19 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a human rights review is pending. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
