Michurin among young naturalists — 60 kopek

The Soviet Union issued three stamps on 22 June 1956 for the centenary of the birth of Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin (1855–1935), the plant breeder whose grafting and hybridising made him the patron saint of Soviet horticulture. Two carry his portrait among apple blossom, at 25 kopek and 1 rouble. The third is the one catalogued here, and Domfil lists it as 956.43 with the motif «Exploradores / Scouts».

The 60 kopek shows Michurin in the orchard surrounded by children in Pioneer neckerchiefs, one of them holding out a grafted shoot for him to inspect, and it is inscribed И. В. МИЧУРИН СРЕДИ ПИОНЕРОВ — Michurin among the Pioneers. Sergei A. Pomansky designed all three; this one is photogravure, 52 × 31 mm, line perforation 12¼, in sheets of 56, printed in a million copies.

The children are yunnaty — юннаты, young naturalists. The movement began in Moscow in 1918 with the first out-of-school naturalist circle, and the station at Sokolniki was renamed the Timiryazev Biological Station of Young Naturalists in 1920. It grew into a national network of more than five hundred stations, run through the Pioneer organisation: nature study, plant breeding and practical agriculture as organised youth work. That is the Scouting connection the catalogues index — not the man, but the children round him, and the outdoor programme of a youth movement that had replaced Scouting in the Soviet Union.

Beyond the references above the stamp is listed as AFA SU 1849, Soloviev 1897 and Zagorsky 1806; the set runs Michel SU 1836–1838, Scott SU 1828–1830 and Domfil 956.42/44.