95. Birthday Lenin

North Vietnam, 95. Birthday Lenin, April 22nd, 1965, Michel Nr. 361-362; Two stamps with the nominals of 8 xu and 12 xu were issued perforated 11.0.

Here is the mint perforated set:

These stamps were not intentionally released im-perforated however, a handful of imperforate proofs have come to market. Rare!

These imperforate phase prints missing all of the black color are ex Klewitz. Very rare!

Here is an imperforate trial proof that is printed on both sides. The front shows the grey color, while the reverse shows the dark brown color.

Air mail letter sent by a member of the Czech Embassy to Czechoslovakia in 1965 featuring the 8xu Lenin stamp, the 2xu Mountain Province stamp and the 50xu Moon Landing stamp for an overall postage of 60xu.

Mixed franking of the 8xu Lenin stamp together with the 10xu Nghe An and 1D Woschod stamp for an overall postage of 1.18D. The letter was routed from Hanoi to Paris, France and mailed in 1966.

Mixed currency franking using the 2,000D Handicraft stamp that was still denominated in Old Dong (which were devalued by 1,000:1 on March 1st, 1959 and hence only worth 2D at the time of mailing) plus a range of other NVN stamps for a postage of 3.28D. Canada was still a rare destination in the mid 1960’s.

Letter sent to Klewitz in May of 1966. It features the set in pairs plus one of the 12 xu pagoda stamps for an overall postage of 52 xu. That was just a whisker above the required postage of 50 xu for a standard letter to West Germany.

Mixed franking of the 12xu Anniversary of the Revolution stamps (3) together with the 2xu Cultural Development and 8xu Birthday of Lenin stamps paying an overall postage of 46xu on an international air mail printed matter sent from Hanoi to East Germany in February of 1967.

Rare single franking of the 12xu value on a postcard to East Germany from 1965. The sender must have been unaware that the postcard rate to fellow socialist countries was only 6xu so mistakenly used the 12 xu letter rate instead.

Rare single franking of the 12xu stamp on a letter to Moscow, Soviet Union. Moscow airport hand stamp on front. Moscow arrival cancel on the reverse.

Rare express mail letter featuring one of the 8 xu stamps on a letter to Klewitz in January of 1968. The overall postage amounted to 1.10 Dong which was slightly above the required standard express mail letter toWest Germany (1.00 Dong). Fulda arrival cancel o the reverse.