Classification of Provisional Markings

In October 1992, members of the Provisionals and Surcharges Study Group of the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society met in Philadelphia. They identified several categories and subcategories of provisional markings that were in use at the time.

A Preliminary Classifications System to the Provisional Postal Markings of the New Republics of the Former USSR, by Michael Padwee and Peter Bylen, sets forth a method to organize provisional these postal markings:

1. USSR-type meters and surcharges
   1. Full USSR post office meter imprints on postal stationery or paper strips
   2. Full USSR surcharge imprints on paper strips or postal stationery
   3. Transitional meters on postal stationery or paper strips: part USSR, part Republic/Regional/City
   4. Transitional surcharge imprints on postal stationery or paper strips: part USSR, part Republic/Regional/City
2. Republic/Regional/City imprinted postal meters on paper strips or postal stationery, or imprinted surcharges on postal stationery
   1. Full Republic/Regional/City post office meters
      1. Octagonal surcharge imprints
      2. Rectangular surcharge imprints
      3. Surcharge imprints that look like perforated stamps
      4. Circular surcharge imprints
   2. Geometric surcharges
      1. Octagons
      2. Rectangles
      3. Circles
      4. Pentagons
      5. Ovals
      6. Between parallel lines
   3. Surcharges that look like perforated stamps
   4. Imprinted numeral surcharges, not within geometric figures
   5. Republic/Regional/City surcharges not within geometric figures
3. "TP" (Taxe Perque) markings
   1. Within geometric figures, with or without imprinted values
      1. Rectangular
      2. Circular
      3. Between parallel lines
   2. Within geometric figures with mss. values
      1. Rectangular
      2. Circular
      3. Ovals
      4. Between parallel lines
   3. TP markings, not within geometric figures
      1. Imprinted or mss. wording with or without imprinted values
      2. Imprinted or mss. wording with manuscript values
4. "Paid" (Oplacheno) and "Postage Due" (Doplata) type markings
   1. Within geometric figures, with or without imprinted values
      1. Rectangles
      2. Within parallel lines
      3. Octagons
      4. Ovals
      5. Triangles
      6. Hexagons
      7. Circles
      8. Pentagons
      9. Markings that look like perforated stamps
   2. Within geometric figures, with manuscript values
      1. Rectangles
      2. Ovals
      3. Circles
      4. Within parallel lines
      5. Triangles
      6. Octagons
      7. Pentagons
   3. Imprinted or mss. markings not within geometric figures, with or without imprinted values
   4. Imprinted or mss. markings not within geometric figures, with mss. values.