Definitive stamps of the Soviet Union were the regular postage stamp issues produced in the USSR between 1923 and 1992.
The inaugural release of the Soviet Union definitive stamps took place in October 1923, commonly referred to as the Gold Standard issue. These stamps prominently featured the busts of a worker, a Red Army man, and a peasant. Over the course of the years 1923 to 1926, the worker and soldier designs appeared on thirteen different stamps each, while the peasant design was featured on ten stamps.
In 1929, the Soviet Union released its third set of definitive stamps. This series featured updated images depicting male and female workers, male and female collective-farm workers, and a Red Army soldier. These designs reflected the significant societal transformations brought about by industrialization, collectivization, and the advancement of women's rights in the Soviet Union. Notably, the inclusion of the female worker and female collective-farm worker alongside their male counterparts marked the first appearance of women on Soviet stamps.
With the progress of the socialistic economic programs, the representation of the major groups of Soviet society changed, moving from the more generic image of the earlier period. The worker was shown in the fifth issue of March 1939 as a steel foundryman and in the sixth issue of August 1939 as a miner.
The last definitive series that begun in the Stalin period was the eighth issue (May 1948 to July 1957). It was remarkable by the fact that the scientist was for the first time portrayed on Soviet definitive stamps. In 1958, the engineer design appeared meaning that representatives of other Soviet labouring groups were also depicted on stamps. In 1961, a definitive stamp with the combine worker appeared.
This table represents an outline of the overall USSR definitive issues produced in the Soviet and post-Soviet times (1923 â 1992).