EPIRUS (HPEIROS)

Return To Catalogue -Epirus, local and bogus issues - Greece - Albania

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

A region in the north of Greece and the south of Albania

1914 Crossbones and double headed eagle, overprinted with monogram

10 l red and black (blue overprint)

  1 l black and blue
  5 l blue and red
  10 l red and black
  25 l blue and red

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 l	***	***
5 l	***	***
10 l	***	***
25 l	***	***

Attention: many of these stamps are forgeries! For example, the Spetsiotis brothers (Spetsiotis Frères) made forgeries using the original rubber handstamp (however, on different paper). I am not sure if the above shown stamps are genuine.

I've been told that the next stamps are forgeries:

Spetsiotis reprints

Highly suspicious cover from the Spetsiotis brothers.....

I've been told that the above four stamps are Spetsiotis reprints, illegally made with the genuine printing plates and with a genuine 'Agioi Saranta' cancel. However, the control overprints are forged.

Some other very dubious stamps, a pair of two 25 l stamps, with no control overprint. The stamp on the right hand side is even doubly printed.

According to http://www.numonesidentifier.com/country/37/, all covers with these stamps addressed to Carilao Kongakis (in Greek, French or Italian) are forged.

1914 Shooting man

Inscription 'AUTONOMOS HPEIROS'

  1 l orange
  5 l green
  50 l brown
  1 D violet
  2 D black
  5 D green

Slightly different design, inscription 'HPEIROS'

  10 l red
  25 l blue

These stamps have a zig-zag perforation.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 l	c	c
5 l	c	c
10 l	c	c
25 l	c	c
50 l	*	*
1 D	*	*
2 D	**	**
5 D	**	**

1914 Eagle in color with a white cross on a blue background

  1 Lepton brown and blue
  5 Lepta green and blue
  10 Lepta red and blue
  25 Lepta dark blue and blue
  50 Lepta violet and blue
  1 Drachma red and blue
  2 Drachma orange and blue
  5 Drachma green and blue

The values 25 l and 50 l exist with overprint 'KORITZA' (in greek):

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 l	c	c
5 l	c	c
10 l	c	c
25 l	c	c
50 l	*	*
1 D	*	*
2 D	*	*
5 D	*	*
Koritza overprint
25 l	*	*
50 l	*	*

1914 Stamps of Greece (large sized stamps: view of Athens with cross and eagle attacking snake), overprinted 'B.HPEIROS' (North Epirus)

  1 l brown
  2 l red
  3 l orange
  5 l green
  10 l red
  20 l violet
  25 l blue
  30 l green
  40 l blue
  50 l blue
  1 D brown

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 l	*	*	With red overprint: **
2 l	*	*	With red overprint: **
3 l	*	*	With red overprint: **
5 l	*	*	Exists with double overprint: * or red overprint:
10 l	*	*	Exists with double overprint: ***
20 l	**	**
25 l	**	**
30 l	***	***
40 l	***	***
50 l	***	**
1 D	R	R

1914 Stamps of Greece of 1911 (ancient greek gods) overprinted 'B.HPEIROS' (North Epirus)

  1 l green
  2 l red
  3 l red
  5 l green
  10 l red
  20 l black
  25 l blue
  30 l red
  40 l blue
  50 l lilac
  1 D blue
  2 D red
  3 D red
  5 D blue

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 l	*	*
2 l	*	*	Two types of the basic stamp
3 l	*	*	Two types of the basic stamp
5 l	**	**
10 l	*	*
20 l	***	***
25 l	***	***
30 l	**	**
40 l	***	***
50 l	***	***
1 D	***	***
2 D	***	***
3 D	R	R
5 D	R	R

These stamps further overprinted with an eagle were issued for Albania:

Epirus, local and bogus issues