On April 12, 2022, the National Post Company of Ukraine ‘Ukrposhta’ stamps featuring the Russian cruiser Moskva. The next day, as a result of a brilliant attack by the Ukrainian military, the flagship of the Russian fleet was hit by missiles and soon sank. And now the prophetic stamps are in crazy demand. Today they can be found on eBay at prices starting at $1,000 apiece, with an original price of just under $5.
- The prices vary greatly. The most expensive lot costs $2,000, and the cheapest one is available for $149. There are also listings for $300, $500, and $800.
- Most lots consist of a set of six marks. There are also many merchandise items with the Russian warship, including T-shirts and cups.
- In Ukraine, stamps are on sale at prices ranging from $0,8 for one little stamp and $1.5 for the bigger one. And sets of six stamps cost $5 and $9.8, respectively. But people can’t just buy them. They are sold out as soon as they appear on post office shelves.
- The envelopes with signatures of Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta, and Roman Gribov, a Ukrainian soldier and author of the now legendary quote “Russian warship go *** yourself,” are more expensive. There are lots for $1,975, $1,825, and $1,700, and auctions are not over yet.
What the stamp is all about
- The collection named ‘Russian warship go *** yourself‘ is dedicated to the legendary phrase of the Ukrainian soldier from Zmiinyi Island (Snake Island) Roman Gribov, who refused to surrender to the crew of the warship Moskva on February 24, the very first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.
- The stamps became insanely popular in Ukraine after the flagship ingloriously sank on April 14. People lined up for them in kilometer-long lines.
- According to the CEO of Ukrposhta, Igor Smelyansky, the National Post Company of Ukraine already sold about 700,000 stamps, and starting from April 20, the sale in the post offices was stopped. Those who ordered stamps online in the first days will get them via the new online store, which will be launched on Thursday. Another 100,000 stamps will be available to everyone on Friday. After that, the sale will stop.
- Smelyansky says that despite the insane demand, there will be no additional stamp print run, but the ‘Russian warship’ series will be continued with various items and will be available online.
