Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
Greek letters ΕΛΛ (Hell-, as in Hellas) at the top and the god Hermes.
- 1ΕΛΛ. ΓΡΑΜΜ.
- 220 ΛΕΠΤ.
- Inscription
- ΕΛΛ. ΓΡΑΜΜ. · 20 ΛΕΠΤ.
- Meaning
- Short for ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣΗΜΟΝ, “Greek stamp”; ΛΕΠΤΑ (lepta) are hundredths of a drachma.
- Issued by
- Kingdom of Greece
- Today
- Greece
- Year
- 1861. First issued October 1861; this copy is an Athens printing.
- Made by
- Désiré-Albert Barre (engraving, died 1878)
One fact
Greece’s first stamps show Hermes, messenger of the gods. The dies were engraved in Paris by Désiré-Albert Barre.
Source and public-domain rule
Creators died more than 70 years ago. Engraver died 1878. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, counted from 1 January of the year after death. Every named designer and engraver of the stamp died before 1 January 1956; any contributor who was never named counts as anonymous, whose term is 70 years from publication, and the stamp was published before 1956. Legal sources: Directive 2006/116/EC, Art. 1(1) life + 70 years; Art. 1(3) anonymous works 70 years from publication; Art. 7(1) comparison of terms for works from outside the EU; Art. 8 terms run from 1 January, Switzerland, Norway.
Scan: LargeHermes 20L.png on Wikimedia Commons (revision 868697634), licence templates {{PD-old-100}}. Downloaded 2026-10-19, sha256 9bf5663a7f83…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-19 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a human rights review is pending. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
