Philatelic International

Philatelic International (Filintern)^[b] was an international philatelic society of collector-workers in the 1920s to 1940s.^[1]

Philatelic International
(Filintern)

Emblem of the organisation on the cover of its organ, magazine Radio de Filintern (in the combined issue with Soviet Philatelist and Soviet Collector)
Abbreviation	Filintern
Formation	22 June 1924; 101 years ago (1924-06-22)
Founded at	Moscow, USSR
Extinction	1940s
Type	NGO
Legal status	international association
Purpose	philately, scripophily[a]
Location	Moscow, USSR
Coordinates	55°45′N 37°37′E
Region	world
Membership (1924)	102 members
Official language	Esperanto, English, French, German
Editor	Leongard Eichfuss
Publication	Radio de Filintern
Remarks	private persons

History

The creation of the Filintern was set up at a conference in Moscow in 22 to 30 June 1924. Its formation was greeted by all branches of the All-Russian Society of Philatelists and at the same time by the Soviet Esperantists. At the conference opening, Feodor Chuchin, Commissioner for Philately and Scripophily, declared:

“	Within the Filintern and through it we will not only adhere to all the rules of international philatelic ethics but also watch to make sure others uphold them.	”
—from Sovetskii Filatelist,[c] June 1924, No. 7 (23).[1]

A program for the Filintern's central organ was developed that included:

• "propaganda of the international union of philatelist-workers of all nations for the struggle against organised philatelist-dealers",
• "wide popularisation of ideological philately",
• "introducing Esperanto into philately and thus the establishment of lively communication between philatelists around the world."^[1]

Filintern facilitates the goals of philatelists, scripophilists^[d] and Esperantists. Within Filintern, they could:

• collect stamps and paper money,
• publish philatelic bulletins, journals and catalogues,
• most importantly, conduct foreign exchange.^[1]

Using philately, scripophily and Esperanto, the Soviet authorities also hoped for promoting communist propaganda among the foreign proletariat.

The Philatelic International's organ was the journal Esperanto: Radio de Filintern. Its Editor was a prominent Russian philatelist L. K. Eichfuss. The first issue of the journal appeared in January 1925.^[1]

Related pages

• All-Russian Society of Philatelists
• First All-Union Philatelic Exhibition
• Leniniana
• Organisation of the Commissioner for Philately and Scripophily
• Philately
• Soviet Philatelic Association
• Soviet Philatelist

Notes

1. Collecting stock and bond certificates.
2. Russian: Филателистический интернационал (Filatelisticheskii international), brief name being Russian: Филинтерн (Filintern). This was similar to Comintern (Communist International) and Profintern (Red International of Labor Unions).
3. Central organ of the Organisation of the Commissioner for Philately and Scripophily and the All-Russian Society of Philatelists (Soviet Philatelist).
4. Collectors of paper money, and stock and bond certificates.