On 18 november 1918 in Riga Latvia proclaimed the independence. On 26 december 1918 the German Fieldpost leaves the main post-office in Riga and the Latvian Post can start, but on 3 january until 22 may 1919 Riga is occupied by the Soviet troops.
First postage stamps of Latvia
 Original print size of this image: 8,238 x 2,870 cm (is something more as the postal item) This picture: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out - noted the actual print size-, resized 50 % of this image and saved as jpg. The other side: 
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On 9 september 1918 the Latvian postal authorities give an order for the printing of 3.000.000 stamps. The value must be 5 kapeiki. In total 11.956 sheets of 228 stamps were printed: 2.725.968 postage stamps. The first stamps were delivered on 17 dember 1918. on the main-postoffice of Riga. Some consider 27 december -the main postoffice of Riga under control of Latvia- as the first day of issue of the first Latvian stamp. The stamps were printed by printing house Schnakenburg in Riga, later -end 1919- the Latvian state-printing house. Here Mi. 1: imperforate: three ears of corn in a ring, surrounded by the rising sun and three stars: the three provinces of Latvia, Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale. Some people see left and right ar its base leaves or little forest, but according Deryck Goodridge (see article here below) you must see it -and I like more this interpretation- as tiny hands welcoming the sun. Ansis Zihrulis (Ansis Cirulis) is the designer. More about him: After the war in Latvia there was lack of paper, so the stamps were printed on the back of German military maps. Collectors can specialize in plate errors, but also in types of maps. |
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In the beginning the sheets were imperforate, later with perforation 11½. Hrere you see apart of a sheet of the perforated Mi.2. Totally 2.725.928 stamps were printed, 11.956 sheets of 228 stamps, but it is not clear how much were imperforated and perforated. Probably more sheets were imperforated then perforated. There are used two lithographic stones for the printing and on the sheets you can find this indicated with Roman numeral I and II in the lower sheet margin. For preparing the printing stones, or plate, one 'mother s'tone' with 5 x 5 designs is used. The arrangement with the 'mother-stone'on plate I and II differs in tha last two rows. Both plates produced the staps in 12 rows of 19 columns: 228 stamps in a sheet. Details of the exact arrangement of plate I and II is described in 'Lettland : Handbuch Philatelie und Postgeschichte' (see below). This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out - noted the actual print size-, resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg. |  |
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The fields on 'mother-stone' With this stone are prepared the two plates: 12 rows with 19 staps in a row, 228 fields together. Some variations come by using this mother-stone transferred in the plate on the same positions in the sheet. Identification of fourteen of these variations -six on both plates and eight only on plate I - are in detail describes in the book 'Lettland : Handbuch Philatelie und Postgeschichte' (see literature below). |
The 'mother-stone' transferred on Plate I:
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The 'mother-stone' transferred on Plate II:
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Back of the part-sheet above: at the top, resized 50 %:
More pictures of this part-sheet: More about the first Latvian stamp: on the site of Bill Apsit.
He is also author of articles on this subject in Het Baltische Gebied:
Other literature:
Townpost-office Riga 1
 Original print size of this image: 14,918 x 10,905 cm (is something more as the postal item) This picture and all pictures below on this page, if not mentioned otherwise: scanned about 300 dpi. Then set right and cut out - noted the actual print size-, resized 25 % of this image and saved as jpg. | In the 19th century in some cities 'townposts' were established for delivering the post within the city. Later these independent townpost is in Russia integrated in the Imperial Post. Before the appearance of the townpost the people had to collect their post on the main post-office. The name 'townpostoffices', as part of the Imperial Post, remains. The card here has a postmark of townpost-office RĪGA 1. The postmark, resized 50 %:  |
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Photo -from the article mentioned below- of the townpostoffice Rīga-1. Already in tsaristic times townpostoffice Riga 1 served the 'Petersburger Vorstadt' (from the center to the north). Short after the Latvian independence all post was regulated from the main postoffice. On 26 May 1923 (maybe already 2 June 1921) the townpostoffice Rīga 1 is opened again. In the postmarks are used the serials A, B, C and D. Literature about this subject: |  |
Continued: machine postmarks