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TRAINS on POSTAL STATIONERY RUSSIAN REPUBLICS (fantasies)

The items shown below, some of which are listed in the 1992 and 1993 editions of the ATA Handbook, would, if authentic postal issues, mark a major departure for the Federated Russian Republics, which up until now have all used the stamps and postal stationery of Russia. For the entities below to issue postal paper is somewhat as if, say, the state of Ohio were to issue stamps. I suspect these are bogus issues like all the fanciful overprints that flooded philatelic markets in the mid-1990's (see examples below), from places like the Urals Republic, Gagausian Republic, Vostok Republic, Ingushia, Altai, Komi, etc. Some of the overprints were even in English, which should have tipped us off, and they were all obviously from the same source (if things were so chaotic that such overprints had to be created, how could the issuers have cooperated so well?), but they were attractive and exotic, so we all bought at least a few. A quick search of the Internet yielded several web pages that list both KABARDINO BALKARIA and NORTH OSSETIA as bogus stamp entities, so for now these will NOT be on my Want List, but I would appreciate further information about them, and if anyone can provide authentication for them, I will be glad to publish that here. KD: Agreed, I believe they are very doubtful. (See scans he provided, below.) So who cares? What difference does it make, if the stamps (or cards) are real postal issues, or something printed privately that looks like a real issue? That's up to you. If the price is right, and I like something, I buy it. I do like to know what it really is, so that if someone asks me "you do realize this is a fantasy issue?" I can reply casually "Oh sure - isn't it cute, though?"
Scans of items listed at right:	One feature of these items that screams "FAKE" is the inscriptions on all of them in English. That's about as plausible as a US stamp inscribed in Russian. ATA HB entries: (The sequence of the items has been changed to match the scans) RUSSIA, KABARDINO BALKARIA 2001 - A set of 12 2r50 postcards featuring steam locomotives Note: Some of these designs have been taken from The Great Book of Trains, by Hollingsworth and Cook Items in first image at left: (a) Printed stamp indicium, Belgium SNCB Class 12 No. 12003 4-4-2, 1939; cachet Germany Class (P8) DB Class 38.382 4-6-0 (b) Printed stamp indicium, Czechoslovakia State Railways Class 498.1 4-8-2, 1954; cachet Germany Class (P8) DB Class 01.169 4-6-2 (c) Printed stamp indicium, Italian State Railways Class 685 2-6-2, 1912; cachet, GB BR Lord Nelson Class 4-6-2 (d) Printed stamp indicium, Switzerland Federal Railways Class A3/5 No. 705 4-6-0, 1913; cachet GB BR Class A4 Pacific 4-6-2 Items in second image at left: (a) Printed stamp indicium, France SNCF Class 141R.86 2-8-2, 1945; cachet GB GWR Castle Class 7018 (b) Printed stamp indicium, France SNCF inscribed Class 241C 4-8-2, 1925/32; cachet GB GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 (ce) Printed stamp indicium, GB BR Merchant Navy Class, "General Steam Navigation" 4-6-2 No. 35011, 1941; cachet GB King Arthur Class 4-6-0 No. 30784 (d) Printed stamp indicium, Czechoslovakia State Railways Class 498.1 4-8-2, 1954; cachet Germany Class (P8) DB Class 01.169 4-6-2 (Duplicate image - same as top right in image one) Items in third image at left: (a) Printed stamp indicium, Austrian State Railways inscribed Class 310 but actually Class 210 No. 010132 2-6-4, 1908; cachet France, SNCF Class 232.U.1 4-6-4 (b) Printed stamp indicium, Paris-Orleans Railway Class 4500 No. 4506 4-6-2, 1907; cachet Germany DB Class 44 2-10-0 (c) Printed stamp indicium, Spain RENFE 5½ ft. gauge Class A 242 4-8-4, 1956; cachet GB LNER Class A3 Pacific 4-6-2 (d) Printed stamp indicium, France, SNCF Class 231C 4-6-2, 1912; cachet Germany, DB Class 01.10 4-6-2 Not pictured: (a) Details unreported RUSSIA, NORTH OSSETIA 2000 - Set of four 2.00R Postal Stationery cards depicting locomotives on the imprinted stamp indicia: Items in fourth image at left: (a) German State Railways 1927 Class 86 No. 457, an outside-cylindered 2-8-2 side-tank locomotive on the indicium & card, inscribed "Delerium furiosum." (b) Austria Federal Railways 1927 Class 77 No. 254 4-6-2 tank locomotive on the indicium with German Kreigslok 2-10-0 locomotives illustrated on the card, inscribed "Inheritors of the Titans." (c) German DB 1951 Class 23 No. 105 locomotive by Henschel on the indicium & card, inscribed "Nostalgia in the West." (d) UK Great Central Railway Robinson 2-8-0 of 1911 (used extensively in World War I by the War Department in Europe) on the indicium & a drawing of an unidentified 4-4-0 type inscribed "Riski Rails."
Examples of bogus overprints mentioned above:

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