Currently available publications are:

• Introductory Handbook of Ukrainian Philately by Ingert Kuzych
• Ukrainian DP Camp, POW Camp, Government in Exile, and National Council Issues (Second Edition) by Borys Fessak
• Handbook of Modern Ukrainian Philately by George D. Fedyk and Ingert J. Kuzych
• The Provisional Postage Stamps of Ukraine, 1992-1995 by Hryhoriy Lobko
• Ukrainian Philatelist Index, 1951-1996 compiled by I. Kuzych

Ordering Information

Shipping and handling charges for orders to US destinations are $5 for the first book and $2 for each additional book. For air mail to Canada and overseas, add 75% to the total cost (note there is no overseas surface mail). Please pay in US currency, with checks drawn on US banks, or with postal money orders payable to:

For your convenience, you may also pay using PayPal.  Please add 5% handling fee to the total cost and send payment to treasurer@upns.org.

Introductory Handbook of Ukrainian Philately

Ukrainian Philatelic Resources is proud to announce its latest publication, an Introductory Handbook of Ukrainian Philately. This profusely illustrated, 170-page volume – aimed primarily at the beginning to intermediate collector – was produced in response to continuing interest in Eastern European collecting in general and Ukrainian philately in particular. This volume admirably succeeds in its aim of giving readers a solid grounding in all of the major facets of Ukrainian stamp collecting.

A Run-Down of the Handbook

Chapters One of the most diverse and fascinating areas of Eastern European philately is that of Ukraine in its many incarnations. As the second largest country in Europe – and one endowed with abundant natural resources – it underwent an extraordinarily turbulent 20th century at the hands of its many covetous neighbors.

The Handbook addresses the variety of Ukrainian philatelic releases in two major sections. Part One, entitled “A Survey of Classic Ukrainian Philately,” is composed of eight chapters and includes the various postal issues up to about 1950. Covered here are the very first types of stamps produced for Ukrainian territories, the zemstvo issues of the Russian Empire, which were used in 40 locales throughout central and eastern Ukraine. Then there were the stamps of Ukraine’s initial period of autonomy from 1917 to 1920, when after centuries of occupation, an Independent Ukraine was briefly able to regain its freedom from Soviet Russia. Once conquered by the Red Armies, Soviet Ukraine issued its own stamps for awhile (1920-1923) before being fully absorbed into the USSR.

Also issuing stamps was Western Ukraine (1918-1919), which broke free from the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I and held out for almost nine months before being overrun by Poland. Another slice of Ukraine became part of Czechoslovakia at the close of the First World War and it prepared its own stamps as Carpatho-Ukraine at its independence in March of 1939, and again in 1945 after being freed from Hungarian occupation.

Following the Second World War, interned Ukrainian soldiers and refugees set about producing distinctive POW and DP camp stamps that functioned to move mails within these sprawling settlements. Many Ukrainian organizations also printed special seals (labels or cinderella stamps) to raise funds.

Part Two of this volume, entitled “A Survey of Modern Ukrainian Philately and Other Collecting Fields,” contains four chapters. When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, the newly independent republics set about producing provisional postage stamps until facilities could be brought online to print their own postal products. Ukraine was no exception, and during a three-year period (1992-1995) produced an incredible variety of provisionals that have been very well documented. Subsequently, contemporary Ukraine has issued exquisite postage stamps that are on par with some of the loveliest in the world.

Additional subjects covered in this section are Ukrainian topics on foreign stamps and Ukrainian post cards. Every chapter in this Handbook also contains an extensive bibliography to allow for follow up research by the avid reader or researcher.

The third Part of the book includes three appendices covering philatelic terminology, the Ukrainian alphabet, and a roll call of outstanding past and present Ukraine philatelists along with their areas of specialization. In addition, a number of historical maps help depict the extent of the various Ukrainian entities.

The Handbook is a complete revision and expansion of an earlier version from 1993 that had been out of print for some time.

The main author of this unique Handbook is Ingert Kuzych, former president of the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society (UPNS). He was assisted by half a dozen other UPNS members who contributed to a number of the chapters.

Introductory Handbook of Ukrainian Philately by Ingert Kuzych (x + 160 pages, 8.5” x 11” format, ISBN 1-889581-15-1) $18 US. Ordering information.

Ukrainian DP Camp, POW Camp, Government in Exile, and National Council Issues (Second Edition)

This splendid new catalog chronicles all of the four stamp-issuing entities of the Ukrainian Diaspora whose stamps were legally used to deliver mail. Some of the information in this volume has appeared in other (mostly Ukrainian) publications. This book, however, updates and expands existing information and admirably fills a long-neglected void.

The first edition, published in 1992, sold well and Mr. Fessak's opus has been unavailable for a number of years now. Continued requests and inquiries from not only US collectors, but from abroad, became the catalyst to undertake a new updated version. This second edition corrects several minor errors discovered in the earlier version and incorporates new material not previously known or only recently discovered. As in the first edition, all stamps are illustrated and all pertinent information - issue date(s), designer(s), color(s), perforation data, and subject description - is included.

The four parts of this catalog are each introduced with a historical background explaining why and how these unique postal materials came to be produced. The first part of the catalog covers the 18 stamps issued by the Ukrainian Government in Exile between the years 1923 and 1939. The second part describes the 29 stamps and single souvenir sheet prepared at the Ukrainian POW camp in Rimini, Italy in 1946-47. Also covered in this section are stamp essays, postal cards, and postal markings (cancellations and identifications).

The third part lists all 66 DP camp stamps (and four souvenir sheets) issued in the four Ukrainian DP camps that prepared such postage: Regensburg, Bayreuth, Neu-Ulm, and Ulm/Donau. Also included in the complete write-up are the many stamp color varieties, camp cancellations, and special souvenir folders. In addition, the little-known camp of Ellwangen-Jagst is described. Although no stamps were issued at this smaller camp of some 2,000 people, a special handstamp was used to mark incoming and outgoing mail and this is also illustrated and described.

The final part presents the 49 postage stamps, 11 revenue stamps, and four souvenir sheets of the Ukrainian National Council (UNC) between 1948 and 1976. The UNC was an umbrella association that consolidated the many Ukrainian political organizations in Europe (outside of the Soviet Union) after World War II. Included in this section are descriptions of the watermarks that appear on certain stamps, special UNC envelopes and postal cards, postal markings used by UNC "Postal Stations" in various cities, and postal tariffs.

Ukrainian DP Camp, POW Camp, Government in Exile, and National Council Issues (Second Edition) by Borys Fessak (x +80 pages, 8.5" x 11" format) $15.00 US. Ordering information.

Handbook of Modern Ukrainian Philately, A Catalog of Stamps, Stationery, and Cancellations, 1991-2000

The Ukrainian firm "Marka Ukrainy" has been issuing stamps, postal cards, pre-stamped envelopes, special cancellations and all sorts of additional products for more than a decade now, making it hard to keep up with everything. Wouldn't it be great if there was one catalog that listed all of the philatelic materials produced in Ukraine since independence?!

Well, such a catalog now exists and it is the result of two dedicated philatelists working (literally) on opposite ends of the earth. George Fedyk (from Australia) and Ingert Kuzych (from the US) have spent much of their free time over the past few of years compiling the Handbook of Modern Ukrainian Philately, which is the most complete volume on modern Ukrainian philately ever produced. Everything has been included and just about everything has been illustrated (some 700 illustrations grace this tome). And the best part is, it's all in English!

The authors have gone out of their way to make this Handbook extremely user friendly, beginning from the very first pages with a brief Introduction to Ukraine. Right up front, a Quick Reference Guide gives basic information on all of Ukraine's stamps, first day covers, and first day postmarks in a comprehensive seven-page table. This saves the user from having to look through the main body of the book to search for basic facts.

When he or she does go looking for more info, however, the user will come across complete and thorough descriptions of all of the types of philatelic products produced in Ukraine. These items are easy to locate because they are all grouped in appropriate Parts marked off by colored inserts.

Part I covers all postage stamps, both regular issues and regional issues created from remaining Soviet stamps in 1992 by overprinting with tridents. The descriptions include all available information for every issue. In addition to the regular facts such as date of release, designer(s), colors, paper type, perforations, quantities produced, and printing format, additional information on major varieties is presented as well as descriptions for the fluorescence patterns exhibited by the stamps or souvenir sheets under UV light. This latter characteristic is a unique attribute of Ukrainian stamps and sheets. Moreover, the subjects depicted on the philatelic issues are concisely but completely described.

Part II details postal stationery items including first day covers, pre-stamped envelopes, pre-stamped postal cards, souvenir folders, souvenir cards, and stamp booklets. All available information is set forth including dates, sizes, designer(s), quantities, descriptions, and, where applicable, the unique Order Number that is assigned to every stationery item produced.

Part III describes Special Issues and includes joint issues, Europa issues, World Wildlife Fund issues, and other distinctive releases - such as maximum cards, post cards, and postal cards - prepared for certain philatelic events.

Part IV is perhaps the most impressive in the catalog, because in includes descriptions of all of the commemorative postmarks (837) produced in Ukraine during its first decade of independence. These descriptions are laid out not just chronologically, but also a second time grouped by oblast (province)! Of these postmarks, all those used as first day markings are also illustrated. All of the stamps, postal stationery products, cancellations, and special issues listed in Parts I through IV are assigned their own unique catalog numbers.

Part V is the last and it is composed of five detailed Appendices. These include an extensive listing of Thematics on Ukrainian Stamps (22 categories are set forth), a compendium of Ukrainian Stamp Series, a complete itemization of Ukrainian Postal Rates (from 1992 to 2000; 14 pages of minute but complete tables), an introduction to Ukraine's Official Transliteration System, and a glossary of Philatelic Terminology. The authors have tried not to overlook anything in their quest to make this the ultimate guidebook for Ukrainian philately.

Handbook of Modern Ukrainian Philately, A Catalog of Stamps, Stationery, and Cancellations, 1991-2000 by George D. Fedyk and Ingert J. Kuzych (vi + 230 pages, 8.5" x 11" format, ISBN 1-889581-14-3) $25.00 US. Ordering information.

The Provisional Postage Stamps of Ukraine, 1992-1995 by Heorhiy Lobko (translated by Andrew O. Martyniuk) is the most complete volume ever on the temporary and local stamps produced in Ukraine during its first years of independence (see description below). This multi-award winning publication of 272 pages and over 900 illustrations is now being offered at a substantial discount off its $32 price if ordered in conjunction with the Handbook of Modern Ukrainian Philately. The combined price for both volumes is $50. Together the two books present a complete record of Ukraine's philatelic output through its first decade of independence.

Handbook of Modern Ukrainian Philately, A Catalog of Stamps, Stationery, and Cancellations, 1991-2000 by George D. Fedyk and Ingert J. Kuzych and The Provisional Postage Stamps of Ukraine, 1992-1995 by Hryhoriy Lobko, translated by Andrew O. Martyniuk. Special combined price of $50.00 US. Ordering information.

The Provisional Postage Stamps of Ukraine, 1992-1995

is the long-awaited English translation of the authoritative catalog first published in Ukraine in 1996. This second edition is totally revised and expanded, and contains many new provisionals discovered over the past several years.

Listed in this comprehensive volume of 272 pages, accompanied by over 920 detailed illustrations, are all of those provisionals that had indisputable postal use during the three and a half years these stamps were in use in different parts of Ukraine. Prices, both mint and used, are listed for most of these items in US dollars. Also included are cash register tapes and post office forms that at various times and in various locales served as provisional postage. In addition, the author lists "TP" (taxe perque-charge collected) imprints on pieces of paper. These too functioned as provisional stamps. Rounding out the catalog are extensive tables of postal rates covering the entire period and detailed information on how to distinguish forgeries from genuine issues.

The Provisional Postage Stamps of Ukraine, 1992-1995 by Hryhoriy Lobko, translated by Andrew O. Martyniuk (xx + 252 pages, 8.5" x 11" format, ISBN 1-889581-13-5) $32.00 US. Ordering information.

Ukrainian Philatelist Index 1951-1996

provides an indexing of the hundreds of articles that have appeared in the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society's flagship publication over four and a half decades. These articles are arranged into a separate Subject Index and Author Index to facilitate the locating of information. In addition, an index of Ukrainian Philatelist's forerunner publication of the same name (which appeared in Vienna, Austria between 1925 and 1939) is also included, as is a listing of UPNS Award Winners.

Ukrainian Philatelist Index 1951-1996 compiled by Ingert Kuzych (64 pages, 8.5" x 11" format) $10.00 US. Ordering information.