The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in April 1896, and Greece issued a series of twelve stamps to mark the occasion. The designs, by Professor Gillieron, were based on ancient Greek art and architecture connected with the games.
Two small designs featuring nude boxers and Myron’s famous statue of the discus-thrower were used for the 1, 2, 5 and 10 lepta values.
Two double-sized designs were used for the 20, 25, 40 and 60 lepta denominations, which showed an Attic amphora (wine-jar) and the goddess of Victory in a four-horse chariot.
The 1 and 10 drachmae stamps featured Athenian landmarks showing the Acropolis, Parthenon and Olympic stadium. The 2 and 5 drachmae values, which were in vertical format, reproduced famous statues; the Hermes of Praxiteles and the Nike (goddess of Victory) by Paeonius, both of which had recently been excavated at Olympia.
Five denominations of this series were re-issued between 1900 and 1901, surcharged with new values.
Nice article, they are great classic stamps, and a great topic. If you have time, it would be great to expand on the 1896 Olympics to tell how many countries actually participated, and what it was like. Were the stamps actually available at the event? What cards or postal history can be found with these issues? I don’t want to be critical, rather encourage you to keep going with this, because I think you have a great topic! Definitely more information can make it even better. Thanks for taking the time to create the article. I appreciate it.
Great informations about this stamps. They are are really nice. I must know I`m lucky I have a set!
I’ll like to collect and buy MINT stamps from all the countries that they have had issues for the past Athens Olympic Games.
Please let me know dealers names and corresponding internet addresses.
Thank you in advance for your help.
to answer to someone before, there are not any cards or letters with special cancel but ppc or covers with first day cancels(25 3 1896) are very rare and with great value. The first special postmk for olympic philately was at 1906 mid-olympics again in athens. But during the first olympics happened a war between greek and turks at thessaly which has great affair with this issue Why? because between 16 of april and 6 of may 1897 greek aythorities published an order to all post offices to seal face or back of stamps supplies with official administratives seals.(because many series have been tooken by tyrks at thessaly and they didnt want to reduce greak post offices revenues) So this order gave a very rare result -stamps cancelled on face both by administrative and post office double postmks – a few stamps exist today with this rarity and gave a much bigger domain of searching for olympic collectors
“Nachdem Collectus Inkasso die Inkassozulassung vom Oberlandesgericht
Frankfurt am Main erhalten hatte, konnte sich Collectus Inkasso
schnell auf dem Markt etablieren”, so äußerte sich Christian Riebold,
Geschäftsführer der Collectus – Gesellschaft für Forderungsmanagement
und Inkasso mbH mit Sitz in Frankfurt am Main. Christian Riebold
schaut zufrieden auf das erste Geschäftsjahr zurück: “Der
Inkassobetrieb läuft auch Hochtouren. Man kann sich zur Zeit nicht
über zu wenig Arbeit beschweren.”