GREECE Large Hermes Head issues

Return To Catalogue - Greece Small Hermes Head issues (1886) - Cancels on the first issues - Forgeries of the Large Hermes Head issue - Greece overview

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.

1861 Head of Hermes, large, imperforated

  1 l brown
  2 l brown
  5 l green
  10 l orange
  20 l blue
  20 l red
  30 l brown
  30 l blue
  40 l lilac on blue
  40 l lilac
  40 l brown
  60 l green
  80 l red

Some of these stamps have the value imprinted at the backside, examples:

Some misprints exist concerning these backside values, missing numbers, inverted numbers etc.

Note on this issue: specialists distinguish a great number of printings, plates, numbers on the backside, etc. This gives rise to a considerable amount of confusion and it is a field for the specialist. The following printings etc. can be distinguished:

1861    Paris print (clear impression) 
          Without numerals on the backside: 1 l brown, 2 l brown, 5 l green, 
             20 l blue, 40 l lilac on blue, 80 l red
          With numerals on the backside: 10 l orange (on bluish paper) 
1861-62 Athens provisional printings (on teinted paper, badly printed)
          Without numerals: 20 l blue (RRR)
          With numerals: 5 l green, 10 l orange (on bluish paper), 20 l blue, 
             40 l lilac (bluish paper)
1867-69 Consecutive Athens printings (first nicely printed then deteriorating)
          Without numerals: 1 l brown, 2 l brown
          With numerals: 5 l green, 10 l orange (on bluish paper), 20 l blue
             40 l lilac (on bluish paper), 80 l red 
1867-69 Cleaned Plates 
          Without numerals: 1 l brown, 2 l brown
          With numerals: 5 l green, 10 l orange (on bluish paper), 20 l blue
             40 l lilac (on bluish paper), 80 l red 
1870    Special Athens printing 
          Without numerals: 1 l brown
          With numerals: 20 l blue
1871-72 On thin transparent paper
          Without numerals: 1 l brown
          With numerals: 5 l green, 10 l orange (on bluish paper), 20 l blue
             40 l lilac (on bluish paper), 80 l red 
1871-76 On meshed paper (oily paper)
          Without numerals: 1 l brown, 2 l brown
          With numerals: 5 l green, 10 l orange (on bluish paper), 20 l blue
             40 l lilac (on bluish paper), 80 l red 
1876    Paris printing
          30 l brown, 60 l green on green
1876-77 Athens printing (creamy paper)
          30 l brown, 60 l green
1875-80 On Cream paper (Athens printing)
          Without numerals: 1 l brown, 2 l brown, 5 l green, 10 l orange, 20 l blue,
              20 l red, 30 l blue, 40 l brown
          With numerals: 5 l green, 10 l orange, 20 l blue, 40 l lilac
1891(?) Rouletted and perforated 11 1/2
          Some stamps exist without roulleted or normal perforation

Interested people are referred to more specialized catalogues, such as Vlastos or Hellas.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged (1900, perforated or imperforate) 

  30 l on 40 l violet
  40 l on 2 l brown
  50 l on 40 l brown
  3 D on 10 l orange
  5 D on 40 l lilac on blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged with value and 'A M'

(Reduced sizes)

  1 D on 40 l red
  2 D on 5 l green

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Some stamps with 'SPECIMEN' overprint. This overprint is always in blue (on the postage due stamps in red).

Click here for forgeries of the Large Hermes Head issue and here for cancels on the first issues.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer