Manfred Dobin

Manfred Dobin (1925-2015) of St. Petersburg, was a stamp dealer and auctioneer, and philatelic expert on Imperial postmarks, 1750-1858 of Russia. Dobin became a member of the Association Internationale des Experts en Philatéle, AIEP in 1995. He has also been a member of the Expert Council on Russian Philately since 1991.

Collecting interests and memberships

The history of the St. Petersburg Post.

Dobin was a member of the Russian Union of Philatelists, the St. Petersburg Union of Philatelists and the Grand Prix Club.

Philatelic literature

Manfred Dobin had access to a number of postal and related archives in Russia. He was one of the first to write a standard work on the postmarks of the Russian Empire.

• Dobin, Manfred, Postmarks of Russian Empire (pre-adhesive period), Standard-Collection, St. Petersburg (1993)
• Dobin, M.A. & L.G. Ratner, From the History of the Saint-Petersburg Post, 1703–1914, Standard-Collection, St. Petersburg (2004).

Articles in philatelic journals

The postal history of the Russian Empire is the main focus of the work of Dobin. Relating to this subject he has authored articles in Filateliya SSSR (Philately of the USSR), a monthly bulletin published in Moscow since 1966. "Filateliya SSSR" was an organ of the Ministry of Communications of the USSR and the All-Union Society of Philatelists [Wikidata] (Russian: Всесоюзное общество филателистов). Some of his articles were translated and published in Rossica.

Honors and awards

Dobin was awarded a major FIP exhibition award: Russia (Grand Prix). At POLSKA 93, Large Gold was awarded for his exhibition 'Postal history of Russia'.