This cover is sent from Liepā to Amsterdam, 25 January 1941. For franking a postage stamp of the first LPSR-issue is used. A series of 13 stamps were issued, depicting the arms of Soviet Latvia and inscribed “Latvijas // PSR” (Mi. 292-304, issued 21 October/4 December 1940).
The postmark is a bilingual Soviet-postmark, here with serial letter A. Another Soviet postmark like this is known with serial letter B, see:
- Stempels van de Sovjetrepubliek Letland, 1940-1941, 1944-1991 / A. Birznieks In: HBG 1992 ; 21. – p. 46-68. – [About: postmarks of Soviet-republic Letland, with pictures of the postmarks]
17 June Latvia is occupied by the Red Army. Already on 18 July Andrej Visjinski, confidant of Stalin, arrived in Riga. Latvia was under his leadership sovietized rapidly. large and midzize companiews were nationalized: on 3 August 1940 already 804 companies with more than ten workers.In February 1941 also little companies were nationalized: June 1941 only 5 % of the production was by private companies.
Above the indication of the company is placed a stamp ‘Nacionalizēta”, nationalized.
- De Sovjetisering van Letland 1940-1941 / Ruud van Wijnen In: HBG 2007 ; 51. – p. 32-42. – [About: covers on which you can see the Sovietization of Latvia]
Also is indicated Z 30, Zensor, censor 30.
It was permitted to use the old Latvian stamps upto 20 april 1941, except the ‘Ulmanis-stamps’. From 21 October 1940 we see the LPSR-stamps and from 15 december also stamps of the Soviet Union are used. So mexid franking is possible. For some covers with mixed franking see:
Enerzijds en anderzijds, de laatste en de eerste. Of: op de randen van plaats en tijd, deel 3, 1940-1941 / Ruud van Wijnen In: HBG 2015 ; 67. – p. 36-44. – [About: first and last date, part 3: 1940-1941 last Latvian post, first Soviet, last Soviet, first German]
On 15 December 1940 the postal rates abroad were adaped to the rates of the Soviet Union: for a letter the rate changed from 35 s to 50 s.(as on this cover to Amsterdam).
The inland rates were adapted on 20 January 1941, inland was now the Soviet Union.