Proofs and Essays of Hermes Head Stamps

Definitions of the Terms PROOF and ESSAY and their Application to the

Large Hermes Head Stamps

(This article was originally published in Philotelia, No. 644, May-June, 2007, p. 133, Greek/English. It is an important contribution to the study of the large Hermes head issues because it clarifies how these proofs/essays were produced and it provides a clear definition which allows us to distinguish between the two categories. The author, my friend Louis Fanchini, has included many photographs of rare items from his beautiful collection of proofs and essays.)

My collection of Large Hermes Head stamps of Greece, which began several decades ago, led me to specialize, after many years, in the collection and study of the proofs and essays of this great philatelic classic. To be able to share with neophyte or advanced collectors, in an efficient manner, the various studies conducted on this subject, it seems to me necessary to define very rigorously the terms used. That would permit, I hope, the avoidance of any confusion on this subject, which is essential to the comprehension of the history of the large Hermes head stamps.

Desiré-Albert Barre (chief engraver of the French Mint) had created the first Greek stamp in 1860/1861 in Paris. The techniques used for the accomplishment of the different stages of the fabrication of the large Hermes head stamps are similar, in many aspects, to those which have been used for the classic French stamps. These techniques, as well as the persons who have implemented them, are well known to French philatelic experts that I have had the chance to approach frequently on the occasion of different philatelic affairs or during the meetings of the Philatelic Club of France.

There exists a certain uncertainty in the use of the terms PROOF and ESSAY as they are applied to the preparation of postage stamps. Very often these two terms are used to designate indiscriminately one or the other of these two initial stages, essential in the preparation of the postage stamp.

The Philatelic and Postal Dictionary published by the Philatelic Academy of France and by the European Academy of Philatelic and Postal Studies (AEEPP) which appeared in 1999, as well as an article co-authored by Jean-François Brun and Raymond Beaussant, and published on the Internet site of the Academie de Philatelie of France define these two terms very clearly:

Impression on paper by a tool destined for the fabrication of material for printing postage stamps.

Proofs are thus created by the engraver who uses them to visualize and verify the progress of his work and to aid in the completion of the dies.

These proofs are printed as single units in the center of small sheets of paper of good quality (China/India or Japan, Bible, Pelure, Laid papers…). The use of these high quality papers permits, on the one hand, the avoidance of too great a pressure on the die when printing them and, on the other hand, the achievement of a result which is very often exceptional in the fineness and quality of the impression.

They are sometimes glued onto small cardboard supports to permit easier handling (Fig. 1 and Fig. 4).

They are generally printed in black ink. There exist only a very limited number of proofs, of the order of a dozen or of a few dozen at a maximum.

i. Progressive Proof: Progressive proofs are produced during the engraving of the trial die(s) (progressive die).

ii. Final Proof: Final proofs are produced from the original final die or from the service die(s) issued from this original final one.

Essays are those produced from the plates used to print the postage stamps and are thus produced by the printer.

Essays permit the calibration of the presses (essays in black ink), but also to define the quality and quantities of ink to be used. This practice is also necessary to determine the choice of papers and to standardize the ink mixtures to arrive at the optimum choice of color.

Essays with multiple impressions and/or printed “recto/verso” are frequently found on a variety of different types of paper.

The number of essays is greater than those of the proofs because they come from printing plates composed of 10, 25, 50, 150 or even 300 clichés depending on the type of stamp.

Although it does not appear in the Philatelic and Postal Dictionary mentioned above, I would like to introduce this term which is presently used by certain collectors and experts and which describes perfectly the final essays of the large Hermes Heads. This definition comes from the dictionary Le Nouveau Petit Robert, 2007 edition.

Progressive Proofs of the large Hermes Heads were produced from the progressive die which was engraved at the end of 1860 - beginning of 1861. The values, lettering, borders and corner ornaments are missing. These prints permitted the engraver, Desiré-Albert Barre, to perfect the engraving of the medallion before the completion of the final die.

• The eye has a pupil and a lower eyelid,
• shading lines of the cheek and throat are continuous,
• the nose and the mouth are stronger,
• the second line of the helmet is unbroken, and
• there is only a single dot above and to the left of the ear.

To this day, seven progressive proofs of the large Hermes heads have been cited. They are all colored blue.

Final proofs of the large Hermes head were produced in 1861 and came from a service die (issued from the original final die), after two slots had been cut in its lower inscription block to receive two slugs bearing the value numerals for the manufacturing of the plates.

Final proofs are identical to the issued stamps with the exception of the value numerals which are missing. They have been printed in three colours: black, blue and red-brown.

To this day, twenty-eight final proofs of the large Hermes head have been cited, nine of which are black, six are blue and thirteen are red-brown.

Essays of the seven first values of the large Hermes head produced in 1861, (1 Lepton, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 & 80 Lepta), were issued from the printing plates which were composed of 150 clichés in brass (10 X 15). The clichés were produced by percussion from a service die (issued from the final original die) in a coining press, a process developed by Barre in 1858. They were soldered onto a bronze base plate forming the printing plate. The method is called “direct striking in a coining press”. One plate was fabricated for each of the seven values of the large Hermes head.

Essays were printed from each of these plates by Ernest Meyer, printer, 22 rue de Verneuil, Paris.

In 1876, two new values (30 and 60 lepta) were printed, following the registration of Greece to the U.G.P. (Union Générale des Postes) which would later become the U.P.U. (Union Postale Universelle) on May 1, 1878. Essays of these two values were made in 1875/1876 and were issued from two printing plates which are composed of 300 clichés of copper [(10x15)x2]. These two printing plates were produced using the electroforming method. Essays and imprimaturs of these two new values were printed by the French Mint in Paris.

Fig. 7: Essays of the 1 lepton with different colors up to the adopted color.

Fig. 8: Essays of different values on different papers.

Fig. 9: Essay of the 20 Lepta, triple impression.

Fig. 10: Essay of the 20 Lepta, double impression Fig.11: Essay of the 40 Lepta on “pelure paper” with handwritten
with tête-bêche. inscription by Désiré-Albert Barre “épreuve d’essai. 40 Lepta”.

Fig. 12: Imprimaturs of the 80 lepta with the inscription of the printer Ernest Meyer.

The imprimaturs or Final Essays have served as “Good to Print” trials before the definitive printing of the issued stamps. They are identical to the Paris issued stamps of the large Hermes head stamps but they have not been gummed.

For the first seven values (1 Lepton, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 Lepta) of 1861, the lower part of the complete sheet of these imprimaturs, as well as all those of the Paris Issue, had the inscription of the printer TYPOGRAPHIE ERNEST MEYER, RUE DE VERNEUIL, 22, A PARIS in the same color as the stamp. Desiré-Albert Barre retained only 19 complete sheets of these imprimaturs, with this inscription. He took them from the total of 8,969 sheets of stamps of the seven values of the Paris printing sent to Athens in the summer of 1861. These essays are named Barre Essays.

Fig. 13: Block of sixteen from the top of the sheet of the imprimaturs of the ten lepta.

I hope this article, which is based on a clear and accurate vocabulary, will contribute to a better understanding of the preliminary phases of the production of the first large Hermes head stamps of Greece. I believe that it will allow more fruitful and easier exchanges between the passionate specialists of this wonderful classical stamp.

Many facts are still to be discovered around the genesis of this stamp and many theories on that subject are still to be demonstrated formally. This contribution needs to be examined thoroughly and any comments, suggestions or complementary information will be welcomed.

Finally, I would like to warmly thank my friend Louis Basel for his advice and appreciated help on the translation of this article. I also respectfully thank Jean-François Brun for having reviewed it. Any communication with these two Gentlemen is always becoming a treasure of knowledge.

• Natalis Rondot, Les timbres-poste – Royaume de Grèce, 1864
• N. S. Nicolaïdès Histoire de la création du timbre grec, 1923
• (T. Constantinidès ed.), Etude sur les timbres-poste de Grèce”, 1933
• Docteur Pierre Bouvet, La commande des timbres grecs, 1937
• George M. Photiades, The imprint “Typographie Ernest Meyer”…, 1969
• Ulysse Bellas, La Tête de Mercure – Généralités & Reconstitution de la planche des 20 Lepta, 1978.
• Henri Regnoul-Barre, Les Barre, 1978
• Ulysse Bellas, L’Emission de 1876 de la Grosse Tête de Mercure, 1989
• Académie de Philatélie de France and Académie Européenne d’Etudes Philatéliques et Postales, Dictionnaire Philatélique & Postal, 1999.
• Louis Basel, The Ten Lepta – Large Hermes Head Stamps of Greece” by, 2001 & 2005.