How to Bring the Wonder of Greece Into Your Stamp Collection
Stamp collecting is one of the world's most popular hobbies and a wonderful way for children to learn about geography and history. On eBay, buying, selling and trading stamps from all over the world can be educational, lucrative, and fun whether you're a hobbyist searching for contemporary stamps or a serious collector seeking out very rare Greek stamps to add to your collection.
Stamps in Greek history
Many stamp collectors associate Greece with its ancient glory as one of the most celebrated early civilizations. However, the Greek postal service as we know it didn't begin to operate until Greece left the Ottoman Empire, and only began using stamps in 1861. For these reasons, Greek stamps can be representative of oft-ignored pieces of the nation's history and culture. In Greece, stamps have been used to commemorate the Olympics, cooperation with surrounding nations in the Universal Postal Union, and the Hellenistic god Hermes as in the famous ""Hermes head"" stamps. As time wore on, Greece commemorated the Balkan Wars with stamps depicting its newly won territory.
Very rare Greek stamps, like the 5 and 10 drachmae 1896 Olympics issue, can be a worthwhile purchase to later sell. Mint condition versions are also a fantastic gift for any collector in your life.
Which Greek stamps add the most value to my collection?
Ebay houses a wide range of Greek stamps for sale. Using the filters available through eBay for Greece's stamps can help you seek out value as it's defined to you whether purely financial, artistic, historical and cultural, or any combination thereof.
Use the filtration tools in the left sidebar to adhere to the standards you're seeking for your collection. If you're looking for only the most physically beautiful, you can narrow your search to ""New"" only. But to some, especially beginning collectors, there's an inherent value in holding onto a rare piece of history regardless of condition. When seeking an affordable rare stamp, it may be worth searching through all available conditions.
How to select quality Greek stamps
To represent Greece with rare stamps in your collection, it's worthwhile to commit to some research into the Universal Postal Union and Greek postage history. Don't operate on price alone: Many beautiful old Greek stamps are inexpensive but almost a staple of any collection.
To begin with one or two essentials, look for Hermes' heads or 1911 engraved issues featuring Hermes and Isis. Olympics commemoration stamps are worthwhile additions to any collection, and Greece stamps like these represent not only a momentous event but also the home of the Olympics.
Greek stamps' prices can vary widely and, for many collectors, hold a historical or sentimental value beyond their price. Use eBay for Hellas appreciation through all of its stamps whether old Greek stamps from the era of the Balkan Wars or contemporary stamps to support Greece's current industry.