The Russia stamp and postal system, at least in vestigial form, has been around since the 10th century. Early Russian couriers carried letters rolled up and sealed over with wax. By the 1800s, Russia had developed a rather elaborate system of post houses, which included more than 1,500 different offices. It only took packages four days to move from Moscow to the city of Novigorod.

Peter the Great, who ruled Russia during the early 1700s, instituted major reforms to the Postal Service. Approximately 50 years later, Russia created its first official postmark in November 1765. Of course, governmental mandates for citizens to use these postmarks weren't put into action for 16 years.

Russia's Postal Service puttered along for another 16 years or so until the late 1840s. Then, a slew of reforms took hold. In 1845, Russia introduced its own postal stationery. In 1856, Russia created its first postal stamps, which didn't go on sale until over a year later, in December 1857. These Russia stamps sold for 10 kopeks and allowed senders to mail letters weighing up to 12.8 grams.

In 1850, Russia created a number of other stamps, including 20 kopek and 30 kopek stamps. These early designs featured Russian icons, such as the national Coat of Arms. Some Russian postal officials tried to watermark the 1858 stamps, but this proved too cumbersome, so they resorted to printing them on plain paper. In 1863, Russia released a five kopek stamp with a new ''global'' design.