Patriotism in Paper: Stamps and Paper Currency from the First Armenian Republic (1918-1920)
On May 28, 1918, during the final days of World War I, Armenia became an independent state for the first time in more than 500 years. The Armenian civilian community of Turkey had been virtually annihilated by command of the Turkish government in the first genocide of the 20th century. Nevertheless, by late 1917, the allied powers (Great Britain, France, and Russia) had brought Ottoman Turkey to the brink of defeat.
In 1917, a revolution in Russia brought the Communists to power, and Russian troops withdrew from the battlefield. Turkey, which had been nearly defeated and almost totally exhausted, was now able to mount a Pan-Turanist invasion of the Caucasus. Turkish armies, with the clear objective of destroying the Armenian communities in the Caucasus, advanced eastward with their forces aimed at Alexandrapol (now Gyumri).
In the spring of 1918, Turkish forces began a three-pronged attack on Yerevan. At three crucial battles at the end of May, at Sardarapat, Bash Aparan, and Karakilisseh, Armenian troops, although outnumbered, turned back the Turkish invaders. On May 28, the Armenian National Council, meeting in Tiflis, declared the independence of Caucasian Armenia.
Soon after Armenia became independent, it was necessary to create the machinery of government. As a consequence of the Armenian Genocide, thousands of destitute refugees and orphans who needed to be housed, clothed, and fed, had crowded into the small country. A parliament had to be established, a flag and national symbols were needed. Education and culture, and enlisting the support of the Armenian Diaspora, were also concerns of the new government. In an era when communication and transportation were very difficult, establishment of a national currency and implementing postal communications were significant challenges.
At first, the money in circulation included any Russian bank notes or coins that remained, as well as paper notes printed by the Transcaucasian Commisariat. Coins, however, especially gold and silver, quickly disappeared from circulation. In 1919, the Armenian Finance Ministry as well as local city governments issued many varieties of paper currency, some with Russian and others with Armenian legends. Mail was sent using Russian postage stamps that had been overprinted with the Armenian letters ՀՀ (standing for Haiasdani Hanrapetutiun) to validate them for local use.
Dr. Paul and Mrs. Victoria Bedoukian & Arshag Fetvadjian
Despite adverse economic conditions, plans were made by the government to produce paper money and postage stamps with Armenian national themes. Three denominations of paper currency and 10 denominations of postage stamps were prepared and printed in Europe. The Armenian Museum of America has a large collection of Armenian stamps and money, donated by the late Dr. Paul and Mrs. Victoria Bedoukian of Connecticut, pictured here. Dr. Bedoukian was a prominent collector and researcher and the Museum is in great debt to his generosity. Just a few examples from his extensive collection are presented in this virtual exhibition.
Please click through the slideshow to see just a few samples from our collection of approximately 1,000 stamps, as guest-curated by Dr. Levon Saryan. Dr. Saryan is a member of our Board of Trustees and of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences.
Photography by George Bouret
Please hover cursor over images as you click through for caption.
Artistic 1919 Bank Notes of the Republic of Armenia
Three artistically designed banknotes dated 1919 are tangible reminders of the first Republic of Armenia. The notes were printed in three denominations, 50, 100, and 250 rubles. The famous Armenian artist Arshag Fetvadjian, pictured here, was responsible for creation of the artistic designs and supervision of the printing. It is believed that the finished notes reached Armenia in late 1920 and were placed into circulation just before Armenia was Sovietized. According to eyewitness reports the Fetvadjian notes continued to circulate into 1921.
Each note is printed in three languages (Armenian, Russian, and French) using multicolor intaglio on watermarked paper. The three notes have unique designs and differ from each other in dimensions but have many common features. Each note carries a serial number consisting of an Armenian capital letter and six digits repeated on the left and right sides of the face of each note. The name of the country and the denomination appears on the face in three languages.
The face of each note displays the facsimile signatures of Al(exander) Khatisian (Minister President) on the left, and Kr(ikor) Djaghetian (Minister of Finance) on the right, who were in office when the issue was authorized. Each note also carries a guarantee clause stating that the note is backed by the entire assets of the government, and an anti-forgery clause threatening any potential counterfeiter with punishment according to law. A French-language imprint at the bottom of each note (on both sides) indicates that the notes were printed by Waterlow & Sons Limited of London.
The notes demonstrate a high level of artistic sophistication and quality printing, especially when one considers that these were the first ever attempts to create a paper currency with Armenian national themes. The designs, skillfully rendered in miniature, were highly intricate and complex, making it virtually impossible for amateurs to counterfeit the notes.
Most of the banknotes appear to have reached Armenia and were placed into circulation. A small number were retained for use as receipts or souvenirs for fundraising. These notes are overprinted on the back in Armenian indicating that the note was given for a donation of 10 cents (US) per ruble (hence, a $5, $10, or $25 donation).
Although the receipt notes are scarce, many families in the USA, where the fundraising drives took place, retained them as mementos. Specimen notes also exist; these were prepared by Waterlow of London and may have been distributed to major banks in Europe. Typically, specimens are used within a bank as a reference to verify a suspect note’s authenticity. The specimens lack serial numbers and have been punch cancelled to prevent them from being used. They carry an imprint from Waterlow and an overprint reading “SPECIMEN.” The specimen notes are extremely rare but examples are recorded in two collections.
Stamps of the Republic of Armenia
In addition to the three banknotes, ten stamp denominations for postage use were also prepared. Five of these are low values with a vertical format (1 ruble brown, 3 ruble green, 5 ruble red, 10 ruble dark blue, and 15 ruble violet), and five are horizontal format bicolor pictorials with higher denominations (25 ruble green and sepia, 40 ruble light orange and sepia, 50 ruble dark blue and sepia, 70 ruble light violet and sepia, 100 ruble red and sepia). The five low values each measure about 26 by 32 mm; the high value pictorials are slightly larger, about 40 x 26 mm.
The five low values have a common design: an eagle with outstretched wings holding a sword upright and a severed snake in its talon, surrounded by ornamentation. Three of the larger stamps, the 25, 50 and 100 ruble varieties, depict the twin peaks of Mt. Ararat in a central oval surrounded by decorative elements. The other two (40 and 70 ruble) utilize the woman spinning theme, with the principle design again placed within a framed central oval. All ten varieties carry the country name written in Armenian (ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹԻՒՆ) and in English (ARMENIA).
Examination of these stamps demonstrates the close relationship they bear to the 1919 banknotes. Here, the artist has skillfully miniaturized the same themes used on the paper currency to create the stamps. Even the ornamentation seen on the banknotes is recapitulated in the stamp designs.
The stamps were printed in Paris at the Chassepot Printing Works in 1920, again under Fetvadjian’s supervision. According to published information, Chassepot subcontracted the engraving of the copper plates to the Institute de Gravure in Paris. The new stamps were printed in sheets of 50 stamps each. Although the stamps do not have serial numbers, researchers have found that the full sheets were labeled with sequence numbers in the corners as a means of keeping track of the number of stamps printed.
The printed stamps were shipped to Armenia but arrived too late to be placed into postal use. (Although the stamps did not carry a political message, the new Soviet government was hostile to the previous administration and refused to permit the stamps to be used for postage purposes.) Some of the stamps, however, were overprinted with the insignia of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia and used for revenue purposes. These were affixed to official documents to reflect the payment of tariffs.
In addition to the main types and denominations, the Armenian Museum of America collection includes trials and essays. These were used to test the printing equipment and experiment with various colors and color combinations. The Museum collection also includes some upside down error printings, and other oddities.
Collectors need to be aware that the Fetvadjian stamps were extensively reprinted for sale to the philatelic trade. Careful examination of the originals and reprints indicates that the originals are more carefully printed and have a thick original adhesive or gum.
