The Greek god Hermes was the representation chosen in 1860 by the Kingdom of Greece to illustrate its first postal stamps.
The first type, the "Large Hermes Head" (LHH), was issued in October 1861, and stayed in circulation up to 1886. It was then replaced by the second type, the "small Hermes head". The "large Hermes head" stamps were reissued and overprinted in 1900 and 1901 in order to mitigate the delay of shipment of the stamps of the third type, the "flying Hermes" by the British printer J. P. Segg & Co.Tryphon Constantinidès, Etude sur les timbres-poste de la Grèce - 2ème partie, Hellenic Philotelic Society, Athens 1937, pp. 92–93
In 1896, Hermes is used on one of the values of the 1896 Olympics Games emission.
In 1902, a fourth type showing Hermes effigy was issued for international "metal payment".
Finally, in 1912, a fifth type showing various representations of Hermes was issued and stayed in circulation up to 1926.
Starting early 1920s, the subjects used to illustrate the Greek postal stamps were diversified and let down the Hermes effigy.
The "large Hermes head" (1860–1901) The postal stamps of the "large Hermes head" type were issued in application of the law of May 19, 1855, which set forth the details of the organization of the postal service and the introduction of the postage stamp. Enacted by the Royal Decree of May 8, 1858, it was published on December 31, 1859, but never brought into effect. A new bill defining, among other things, the rates, denominations, and colors of the seven denominations of the first Greek postage stamp was: introduced on February 8, 1860;Tryphon Constantinidès, Etude sur les timbres-poste de la Grèce - 1ère Partie, Hellenic Philatelic Society Athens 1933 passed on May 21, 1860; published in the Official Gazette on August 17, 1861; and enacted by Royal Decree on September 21, 1861See: https://www.efo.gr/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/La-Grosse-Tete-dHermes-de-Grece-1861-1901-Academie-de-Philatelie.pdf
The stamps depict a profile of the Greek messenger god Hermes (syncretized by the Romans as Mercury) in a frame strongly resembling that used for contemporary stamps of France.
The seven first values of the stamps of the "large Hermes head" were printed for more than twenty years (from 1861 to 1882.) They were derived from the same seven typographic plates and stayed in circulation for 25 years (from 1861 to 1886) before being used again, overprinted, in 1900–1901.The first set was issued on October 1, 1861. It consisted of seven denominations (1 lepton, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 & 80 lepta).The 30 & 60 lepta values were introduced in 1876 for the U.G.P. (ancestor of the U.P.U.) and for the harmonization of the international mail rates.
The "large Hermes head" stamps are non perforated, with the exception of the two overprinted sets of 1900–1901, in imperforate sheets of 150 stamps. The individual stamps were separated at the counter using scissors, resulting in defects in a large proportion of them (cutting off part of the image). However unofficial perforations were produced locally. The most commonly found is the so-called Athens perforation (11½).Tryphon Constantinidès, Etude sur les timbres-poste de la Grèce - 1ère Partie, Hellenic Philatelic Society Athens 1933
The mock-up, the dies, the die-proofs and the plate-proofs (1860 and 1861) Source:See:https://www.collectorsclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Hermes_Head.pdf
The drawing of the mock-up, the engraving of the dies as well as the manufacturing of the typographic plates of the first seven values have been realised between July 1860 and September 1861 by the Chief Engraver of the Paris Mint: Désiré-Albert Barre (1818–1878).Louis Fanchini, The dies and proofs of large Hermes head, Philotelia n° 669 de July/August 2011, pp. 218–240 and <https://pvgriekenland.nl/publications/4_LHH_Dies_Proofs.pdf>.
For the creation of the first Greek stamp, Désiré-Albert Barre was inspired by the two first stamp types of France designed from 1848 by his father, Jacques-Jean Barre: the "République" and "Présidence" types also named "Cérès" and "Napoléon".
Désiré-Albert Barre started by engraving the necessary dies for the manufacturing of the typographic plates.See the video: https://vimeo.com/159731211?turnstile=1.XpyDH9kRUtRUaoNbGAiqhrAI3MxMAsRBwKzt7-Uoii6qQMJWe7duHoc2RBxh8LWy_kBQJnvBDqP_DG0qLTEpGocyVHB93yNbo-LirCCXvhEiTK7hpgP-8KJvtACTEJBKGFOM2IFDy4NfdYsh4m88BixkOXKpfv1ohUXyOPnka3aor6cUJekZ4aN-qABkIgQ8WZxN_JkQvKHu9K9GsOO1uTBZD1kxuY6VEa0Ynyq7D5wJFgI6TFuW1kt4XicxNIEmhSOkSHIv3p_TLNC_5QqCzt4vMZlZIehi040Y8LWUCl2fidChXL0t3JsB0TPulDQ-ZsgHW9_yDZLk6B3L6TyT9xoV0uWK4AIiZ6WkSGny9zV4IHqwNo9IpqOsQd2lukt07Oxg88ObzPscIC1-i7N0-lPRivElW2tdybh0Tc9PflbojW72TSA0cmG8EViwADmfHFjZ7EfEh62TEP70hnBIrTKGxf5icg12F0mzEscW5iQdlKfd4A2Ajmgwuh7lU5q3_FQCc6yV69HfMrq0G6yvCOuxuSjLEkMl0QNjQqS5Myw-1aPQflZrCi8O6CUb0ROWGZDfqjDXAjpkc6fLc4ZDIYFw-3tvz5xy-RjgGYZryTYzEREamiybtFVPBfcihvsdGCg38KZvyEne4oRnHonOmA.rRrUoOOq47VsnWwhaCSl7g.643dcf7760ca6f63d13d6a31e9b204b6fd7b54e9023842feb97fb43a49e8efab As an engraver and to validate his work, he printed four types of die-proofs, two types of progressive die-proofs and two types of final die-proofs.Louis Fanchini, Why the so-called "Hulot proofs" do not exist?, Philotelia n° 650 de May/June, 2008, pp. 135–145 and visible on the Lou Basel web site: (http://hermesheads.home.comcast.net/~hermesheads/)
Then the Chief-Engraver manufactured also the seven typographic plates of the first seven values of the "large Hermes head", using the method developed in 1858–1859 and validated with the plates-proofs, "Cérès 1858": the "direct striking in the coining press" method.See: http://online.fliphtml5.com/immj/moig/#p=1 The large Hermes Heads are the only stamps which have ever been printed with typographic plates manufactured with this method.
See the Louis Fanchini study : The essays "Cérès 1858": Why are they an integral part of the Greek philately? in Philotelia n° 652/653 & 654 of September/October, November/December 2008 & January/February 2009, pp. 260–270, 364–374 & 7–16 and visible on the Lou Basel web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20151002141114/http://hermesheads.home.comcast.net/~hermesheads/.
To determine the choice of the inks and the papers and as well to calibrate the printing press, Désiré-Albert Barre realized, with the printer Ernest Meyer,George M. Photiadis, The imprint "Typographie Ernest Meyer, Rue de Verneuil 22, à Paris" on the sheets of the large Hermes heads of Greece printed in Paris (1861), London 1969. about a hundred of different types of plate-proofs and imprimaturs for all the values.Louis Fanchini, Definition of the terms "PROOF" and "ESSAY" and their application to the large Hermes head stamps, Philotelia n° 644 of May/June 2007, pages 133-145 and visible on Delcampe web site: https://blog.delcampe.net/magazine/delcampe-magazine-28.pdf (in French, pages 20/25).
Classification of the Large Hermes Heads 1.345.000 stamps of the 7 first values have been printed in Paris during spring/summer 1861 (see chapter on Paris printings below). In August & September 1861 the printing plates were transferred to AthensLouis Fanchini, Large Hermes heads Paris printing: The exact quantities ordered and shipped to Athens, Philotelia n° 646 of September/October 2007, pp. 277–286. and subsequent printings were made there, at the National Printing Office (Mint). The same plates remained in use up to 1882, resulting in a huge number of varieties and shadesStavros Andreadis, Large Hermes Heads - Printings and Shades, Thessaloniki 2023. (https://philateliehellenique.wordpress.com/2023/10/22/en-new-color-chart-for-large-hermes-head/ and Athanasios D. Spanos, ΕΝΑΣ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΕΤΙΚΟΣ ΤΡΟΠΟΣ ΚΑΤΑΤΑΞΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΩΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣΗΜΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΗΣ ΚΕΦΑΛΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΕΡΜΗ - ΑΛΓΟΡΙΘΜΟΙ - ΔΙΑΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑ ΡΟΗΣ, Athens, 2024. due to plates becoming worn and then cleaned, changes in the exact method of printingStephano A. Calliga, The stamps of the large Hermes head - Early Athenian period 1861-1863, Athens, 2011. and using several different kinds of paper...
If Paris printings are easily recognizable, the classification of the Athens printings is not always easy and there are substantial differences between the various catalogues and specialized publications.Conference: Comment démarrer une collection de la « grosse tête d'Hermès » de Grèce - Académie de Philatélie (2018, In French) - CPCT site: https://online.fliphtml5.com/immj/rhpg/#p=1
The first classifications came at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries by: Arthur E. Glasewald,Arthur E. Glasewald, Die Postwerthzeichen von Griechenland, Gössnitz, 1896. (Gössnitz, Germany) Yvert et Tellier,Yvert et Tellier, Catalogue prix-courant - Timbres-Poste, Amiens, 1897 (Amiens, France), the Manchester school (Walter Dorning Beckton,Walter Dorning Beckton & G. Duerst, The stamps of Greece, Plymouth 1897. Percival Loines Pemberton,Percival Loines Pemberton, The stamps of Greece, Philatelic journal of Great Britain, 1911 & 1912. Theodore GroomTheodore Groom, The controls of the 20 lepta and their bearing on the classification of Greek stamps of the first type, Philotelia n° 3 & 4 of March 1924....), Georges Brunel,Georges Brunel, Les émissions des timbres grecs, Paris 1909. (Paris, France), N. S. Nicolaïdès,N. S. Nicolaïdès, Description, Historique et Catalogue des Timbres Grecs, Paris 1911 & 1913 and Histoire de la création du timbre grec, Paris 1923. (Paris France), J. Briault & Nikolaos Garas,J. Briault & Nikolaos Garas, Grèce - Etude & catalogue - Prix courant, La Celle Saint Cloud 1921. (La Celle Saint Cloud, France), Paul de Smeth,Paul de Smeth, Grèce, Premier type, Histoire, Classement, Essais, Oblitérations, Amiens 1925. (Amiens, France). These studies have been completed and largely enhanced by: Alexandros. G. Argyropoulos and Dr. Herbert Mund in Griechenland. In: Kohl Briefmarken-Handbug, Berlin 1929/1931,Translated in English by Elias Silberstein & Robert O. Truman, Translation from the Kohl Briefmarken Handbuch of Alex G. Argyropulos & Dr. Herbert Munk of 1929, New York 1943–1944 & 1950. and Tryphon Constantinidès, in Etude sur les timbres-poste de la Grèce - 1ère Partie, Hellenic Philatelic Society Athens 1933, witch is still considered as the "bible" of the classification of the LHH of Greece.
Numerous studies and classification have been published throughout the 20th & the 21st centuries... Just to mention some of main ones: Pullen,Joseph H. Pullen, A comparative check list of the "Hermes" type stamps of Greece, Los Angeles 1927., Deïlakis,Konstantinos Deïlakis, Grèce - Catalogue spécialisé, Paris 1936 & 1938. The stamp Specialist (Blue Book),Robert O. Truman, A primer of the first Greek postage stamps, The stamp Specialist - Blue Book, pages 73/108, New York, 1941. Billig's Specialized Catalogues,Ernest W. Spink & Robert O. Truman, Greece - Large Hermes Heads, Billig's Specalized Catalogues - Volume 4, New York, 1949. Dimitris Papitsis,Dimitris Papitsis, The large Hermes heads of Greece, Seattle, 2024. (https://largehermesheads.com/) and (https://philateliehellenique.wordpress.com/2024/11/10/book-a-new-work-for-the-large-head/) & https://largehermesheads.com/book-reviews/. ...
Starting the 1960s and up to the end of the century, Orestis Vlastos catalogues were the reference for the LHH community.Vlastos Hellas I (1861–2011), Vlastos Philatelic centre, Athens 2012.
At the beginning of 21st century, Michel Tseriotis has established, including the work of John G. Coundouros,John G. Coundouros, The control numbers & the classification of the stamps of the large Hermes head, Athens 2000. a classification which is well accepted and used now by all the researchers/scholars/fellows/collectors of the LHH. This classification is the one used in the Hellas catalogues of Karamitsos:Hellas Stamp Catalogue & Postal History 2025 - Volume I (1861–1959), edited by Argyris Karamitsos, Thessaloniki 2024. 1861 - Paris printings