AN EARLY DESCRIPTION OF THE LARGE HERMES HEAD STAMPS

Note: This article is adapted from an article that was published in the June 1987 issue of The Report journal of the Hellenic Philatelic Society of Chicago.

In the study of the large Hermes Heads edited by Tryphon Constantinides there is mention of an article by Natalis Rondot in the July 1864 issue of the French journal, Magasin Pittoresque. I was able to locate a copy of that journal in a university library in the U.S. where I found that this article was part of a series of articles on all the stamps of the world known at that time. The series started in the April 1862 issue and ended in November 1866.

The article on the Greek stamps includes a lot of statistical information which it is implied came from a "memoir" of the then Director-General of the Posts in Greece, Mr. Th. Leonardos. This information is especially interesting because it was written less than three years after the introduction of the first Greek stamps in 1861. It includes a long list of the color proofs of the large heads, examples of which were contained in two French collections of that period.

It should also be noted that the author, Mr. Natalis Rondot, apparently was a friend of Albert Barre, the engraver of the dies and manufacturer of the plates for the large Hermes head stamps. This is evidenced by the essay of the large Hermes head that Barre presented to Rondot and on which he had written in French:

The discoverer of this piece was Mr. N. S. Nicolaides, who described it in his book Histoire de la Creation de Timbre Grec et Description Complete de Toutes les Emissions as follows: “If one examines this piece with a strong magnifying glass, he will notice the details that we are going to describe below. The artist, Mr. Albert Barre, used an essay made by his father. This essay, very rare in the collection of French essays, is the 20 centimes black Empire of 1853 on animal skin. After having glued it on white cardboard, the artist removed the head of Napoleon III and, in its place, drew in India ink the head of Mercury, whose execution was marvelous. Then, with the same ink, he crossed out the inscriptions “EMPIRE FRANC.” and “20 c. POSTES 20 c.” from the top and the bottom. To the right of the essay, he placed the following inscriptions which would replace the preceding ones: “ΕΛΛ. ΓΡΑΜΜ.” for the top and “  ΛΕΠΤ  ” for the bottom, leaving on each side a space where the values would be inscribed. All these details are seen very clearly in the original. There can be no doubt about it. The first stamps of Greece are indeed relatives of the first French stamps. The irrefutable proof exists from now on.

It is believed that this first essay of Albert Barre was used to obtain approval from the Greek Government of the design of the first Greek stamps. Following is my translation of the article in the July 1864 issue of the French journal, Magasin Pittoresque.

POSTAGE STAMPS OF THE KINGDOM OF GREECE

by

Natalis Rondot

Translated by Louis Basel

There was no regular mail service in Greece under the Ottoman domination and the establishment of a postal system there dates to the decree signed on September 24, 1828 at Poros by the President, Capo d‘Istria. The first postal system was that of Aegina which was then the seat of the government (April, 1829).

The organization of this service in a poor country where communications are difficult encountered great obstacles. Moreover, it had begun during a time of troubles. If its progress had been considerable, it was due to the energy and intelligence of the Greek administration. The Director-General of Posts, Mr. Th. Leonardos, presented the history of the Greek posts in an interesting memoir published in 1862, under the title General Account of the Organization of the Posts in Greece.

A letter of one sheet paid, in 1829, a tax of 5 paras, regardless of distance. Postage for letters was later fixed according to weight and distance by the ordinance of November 29, 1836. Finally, by the law of 1860, postage was made uniform for the entire Kingdom. The weight of a simple letter was fixed at 7.5 grams in 1855 and at 15 grams in 1860.

Payment of postage was obligatory for letters and printed matter sent within Greece.

In 1861, there were 92 post offices in the Kingdom and 11 abroad: 7 in Turkey, 3 in the Danubian Principalities and 1 in Egypt.

Postal revenues were 182,339 drachmas in 1850 and 322,741 drachmas in 1860; expenses were 212,339 drachmas in 1850 and 343,800 drachmas in 1860.

The number of private letters which were delivered by the Greek post offices was 323,300 in 1840, 438,121 in 1850, 550,220 in 1855, 735,708 in 1860 and 1,015,017 in 1863.

Unpaid letters sent abroad and paid letters received from abroad are not included in the above figures. These letters numbered 128,404 in 1863.

The percentage of prepaid letters is 89 percent.

There was an increase of 50 percent in the 10 year period from 1850 to 1860 and an increase of 45 percent in the three year period from 1858/1860 to 1861/1863. (Translator's note: It is assumed that these increases are in the percentages of prepaid letters.)

The population of Greece was 1,096,810 in 1861; hence, the number of letters per inhabitant in 1861 is represented by the fraction of only 8/10.

In 1862, 695,293 journals and printed matter had been distributed. The quantity of official letters and messages carried by the post was 262,090 in 1840, 398,222 in 1850, and 539,587 in 1860. Official letters amounted to about 4/9 of all the Greek letters (translator: in 1860).

A law was established in 1855 for the system of franking letters by means of postage stamps; it was modified by the Parliament at the beginning of 1860 and placed into operation on October 1, 1861.

The Greek stamp is one of the most beautiful postage stamps; it is rectangular and 23 by 18.5 mm in size. It was designed and engraved in relief on steel by Mr. Albert Barre, a general engraver of the mint (1861).

The seven plates to be used in the printing were produced by the same artist; they are each composed of 150 copper clichés; these were coined individually in a minting machine from a tempered steel die, then positioned and soldered onto a copper plate. This method of reproduction of an engraved printing die by cold percussion is less an innovation than a return to the process used toward the end of the last century for the production of multiple copies of plates used for printing paper currency. These processes, whose details were lost and which Mr. Barre had revived initially for the French essays of 1859, furnished printing plates which were perfectly identical and which had a superior resistance to wear than electrochemical clichés.

The stamp is printed in color on colored paper. It is not perforated. Its design is simple and elegant. The head of Mercury, turned toward the right, is in a round frame. The rectangular border contains meanders on the sides; the words Hell. Gramm. (Hellenon Gramma, Greek stamp) in Greek letters on the top; and the value at the bottom. (Translator: The words ΕΛΛ. ΓΡΑΜΜ. are an abbreviation for ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣΗΜΟΝ, which means Greek stamp.)

The Greek stamps form two series. The first series includes a first printing of 1,300,000 stamps, which had been printed in Paris under the supervision of Mr. A. Barre and had served to inaugurate postal service in Greece on October 1, 1861. This series is notable for the excellence of the impression. Another peculiarity provides a means for its recognition; a single stamp of this series, the 10 lepta, has on its back the value printed in color. Mr. Barre was responsible for the idea and for the first use of this additional indication which was adopted by the Greek Government.

The second series includes the stamps printed in Athens. The value is repeated on the back of the stamps, except for the 1 lepton and the 2 lepta. They will be printed later on these last stamps. (Translator: Values were never printed on the backs of any of the 1 lepton and 2 lepta stamps.) The numbers are smaller than those on the 10 lepta stamp of the first series, whose adoption Mr. Barre had recommended. The printing is distinguished by an excessive pressure in the printing press.

Author's note: The drachma = 100 lepta = 0.895 franc; 1 lepton = 0.089 franc.

Author's note: There are three different 10 lepta stamps: 1) without value on the back. 2) with value on the back, large figures, first series. 3) with value on the back, small figures, second series.

Translator: The 10 lepta Paris issue without figures on the back is now considered to be a proof and not an officially issued stamp.

Properly speaking, there exists only a single stamp as an essay; it is the 40 lepta stamp which is printed in lilac or in violet rose on white pelure paper. This stamp is rare.

There are other Greek stamps, even rarer, which do not belong to the official series; these are the artist's proofs, coming as the preceding stamp from the essays made by Mr. Barre before the printing and during its course. We list them below according to the collections of Messrs. de Saulcy and G. Herpin

Translator: The difference between these proofs and the 40 lepta in the preceding paragraph is not explained. There must have been some feature or features that distinguished it from the other proofs listed here.

The Greek stamps were printed in Athens since 1862.

Translator: The author could not have anticipated in 1864 that a Paris printing of 30 and 60 lepta values of these stamps would take place in 1876.