Scott No: 231-233
Serial number: C27
Values in set: 3
Date of issue: October 25, 1954
Denomination: 32 fen
Designer: Shao Bolin
Engraver: Kong Shaohui, Li Manceng, Wu Pengyue
Size of stamps:
26*38mm for Value 1;
44*25mm for Value 2;
21*46.5mm for Value 3
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition:
80(10*8) for Value 1;
77(7*11) for Value 2;
84(12*7) for Value 3
Printing process: Engraving
Printing House: Beijing People's Printing Works

C27 "Commemoration of the First Anniversary of the Death of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin" commemorative stamps were issued on October 15, 1954. The set consists of 3 stamps, printed by engraving, designed by Shao Bolin, engraved by Kong Shaohui, Li Manzeng, and Wu Pengyue, and printed by the Business Branch of the Beijing People's Printing Factory. Perforation gauge 14; Portrait of Stalin, half-length, measures 26 mm × 38 mm, 80 stamps per sheet; Portrait of Stalin measures 44 mm × 25 mm, 77 stamps per sheet; Statue of Stalin measures 21 mm × 46.5 mm, 84 stamps per sheet, with the whole set in old RMB face values; Portrait of Stalin, half-length, 800 yuan, circulation 10 million copies; Portrait of Stalin 2,000 yuan, circulation 6 million copies; Statue of Stalin 400 yuan, circulation 5 million copies, without gum throughout the set.

Theme of the Set

Stalin was an important leader of the Soviet Union and died on March 5, 1953. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set on the first anniversary of his death to honor his historical achievements in leading the Soviet Union's construction and fighting fascism and to express the Chinese people's mourning and respect, fitting the era's background of Sino-Soviet friendly cooperation and learning from the Soviet Union's construction experience in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Portrait of Stalin, Half-Length

It is a standard half-length portrait in military uniform, dignified and steady, marked with the years 1879–1953, framed by a picture-frame-style pattern border; it is the main portrait of the entire set, carrying the mourning, with a neat and solemn composition.

Portrait of Stalin

In the design Stalin stands wearing a greatcoat, with factories and chimneys in the background; the industrial scene echoes the achievements of Soviet industrialization and symbolizes the vigorous construction cause of the socialist state, implying the significance of the industrialization path for national development.

Statue of Stalin

The design is taken from a full-length standing statue of Stalin, with commemorative text carved on the pedestal, in a vertical long stamp format, restoring the solemnity of a commemorative sculpture and freezing the figure through the sculptural image; it is suited to commemorative mourning and is a unique expressive form of this set.

Artistic Features

The set is printed by engraving; the engraving is delicate and solid, and the figures' expressions are shaped with dignity and expressiveness. The three stamps use three different formats—vertical, horizontal, and long vertical—giving the layout variety without repetition. The border patterns are exquisite and restrained, and the colors are clearly distinguished, using dark brown, red, and black respectively; the tones are weighty and restrained, without superfluous decoration, relying on the layers of the engraving itself to create a solemn commemorative atmosphere. It is a representative work among the early 1950s commemorative stamps on the theme of Marxist-Leninist figures.