An anniversary kicks off the Greek 2021 stamp program. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess what to expect from Greece’s stamps. I’m still poking around looking for information on future issues. If I find anything, I’ll post it asap. Hellenic Post has offered a teaser for their March stamps via a YouTube announcement. It showed, briefly, 4 stamps for the Oaths and Sacrifices for Freedom series. Cruel to just show a snippet and not allow us to enjoy the full view. 

Interestingly, I didn’t see any info anywhere on this year’s Europa theme – Endangered National Wildlife. Details on many other participants are readily available, but nothing for Greece. If you have details on this, I’d like to know. Hellenic Post’s last three Europa themed stamps have been particularly good, with the 2019 stamp an exceptionally beautiful one.  I personally thought they should have won the 2019 competition.

Europa 219 National Birds

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Greek 2021 stamp program for January

200th anniversary of the Revolution of 1821
ΕΛΤΑ > Εταιρία > Γραφείο Τύπου > Δελτία Τύπου (elta.gr)

2 stamps, souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel, information packet

Designer: Myrsini Vardopoulou

Release date: January 27, 2021

March 2021

#METOO

Created by Hellenic Post ‎‎Office, ‎‎in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Demographic and Family Policy and Gender Equality
Hellenic Post ‎‎Office, ‎‎in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Demographic and Family Policy and Gender Equality

See the Me-Too Greece website for information Αρχική – #METOO Greece and help if you are in Greece. 

Το metoogreece.gr είναι μια ιστοσελίδα της Πολιτείας που θα συλλέγει όλες τις απαραίτητες πληροφορίες για θέματα σεξουαλικής παρενόχλησης, κακοποίησης και εξουσιαστικής βίας και τις δράσεις καταπολέμησής τους.
Σύντομα θα υπάρχουν ανακοινώσεις για πρωτοβουλίες που σκοπό έχουν να βοηθήσουν τον καθένα και την καθεμία να αντιδράσει σε κάθε μορφή παρενόχλησης και κακοποίησης.
Από σήμερα, μπορεί να σε βοηθήσει να σπάσεις τη σιωπή!
Εάν χρειάζεσαι βοήθεια υπάρχουν άνθρωποι εδώ για εσένα!
Αρχική – #METOO Greece

10 self-adhesive stamps

Release date: March 19, 2021

4 stamps, souvenir booklet, album, FDC
The set is also available in a gold- and silver-plated stamp sets. Also available as individual brass stamps.

Souvenir booklet is a limited edition – “numbered sheet with the stamps of the 2nd / 2021 series joined and full perforated) and texts related to the Commemorative Stamp Series in two languages, Greek and English. It is numbered” 

Designer: Anthi Lyga

Release date: March 25, 2021

April

Travelling in Greece – Macedonia

10 stamps

Release date: April 6, 2021

Greece 1821-2021 HEROES & WARS

10 stamps, sheet

1. Battle of the Greeks
2. Battle of Tripolitsa
3. Battle of Lagada and Kobotio,
4. Battle of Alamana
5. Battle of the Royals.
6. Odysseus Androutsos
7. Georgios Kountouriotis
8. Manto Mavrogenous
9. Nikitaras
10. Spyros Milos

Release date: April 20, 2021

2 stamps, FDC, cancel, booklet

• Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
• Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

For the first time, the EUROPA Greek stamps are designed by students of the Athens School of Fine Arts who have attended the class “Graphic Arts – Stamp” from the Engraving Department, taught by Dr. Myrsini Vardopoulou and supervised by Prof. Yannis Gourzis

The design used a main feature of Engraving, namely breaking down the drawing into lines. “Thus, we have achieved a different artistic approach; one could say that it directly refers to old copperplate engraving stamps, but in combination with modern techniques. The most important aspect of this work is the clarity of the drawing”, points outs the teacher.
ELTA > Company > Press Office > Press releases

Designer: Dimitris Sidirokastritis
FDC Designer: Denisa Pemati
Cancel: Marianna Mastrantona 

Release date: May 6, 2021

See more Europa 2021 stamps 

Travelling in Greece – Ionian Islands

10 stamps

Release date: May 19, 2021

Travelling in Greece – Crete

10 stamps

Release date: May 19, 2021

Travelling in Greece – The Highest Mountains

10 stamps

Release date: 

June 2021

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Commemorative Series 

2 stamps, 2 souvenir sheets, 2 FDCs, cancel, album

Celebrating Japan’s contribution to the Olympics:

• Jigoro Kano – founder of Judo
• Hanitsuki – traditional game similar to racket ball

Designer: Myrsini Vardopoulou

Release date: June 4, 2021

LGBTQI+ We support you

4 stamps in a booklet

Release date: June 10, 2021

The Battle of Kilkis

2 stamps, brochure, collector’s album which includes special graphic envelope

The Battle of Kilkis-Lachanas (19-21 June 1913): A bloody battle and victory at stake – Balkans in-site (pollsandpolitics.gr)

Release date: June 21, 2021

July 

EUROMED 2021 Traditional Jewelry

4 stamps, 2 FDCs, cancel, souvenir sheets, limited edition numbered album

dove earrings, gold buckle, silver gilt necklace, bridal breastplate

Album contains stamps, FDCs & info sheet on the jewelry

• Golden earrings with hanging doves (pigeon – depends on translation) Early 2nd c. BC (Benaki Museum)
• Golden Buckle 6th-7th c. Mytilene Treasure, Kratigos, Lesbos (Byzantine and Christian Museum)  
• Silver gold-plated collar with silver accessories, corals and colorful stones (Benaki Museum)  
• Composite bridal breast ornament with silver tiles, chains and pendent crosses Aidipsos in Euboea, 19th c. (Benaki Museum)  

Designer: Eleni Apostolou

Release date: July 13, 2021

ELTA released a video showcasing the jewelry and the stamps: 

See all the EUROMED stamps – EUROMED 2021 – Jewelry of Mediterranean | Bitter Grounds Magazine 

National Action Plan for Gender Equality

4 stamp booklet

Release date: July 2021

Greece 1821-2021, Philhellenes 

   5 stamps, souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel, numbered souvenir album

• Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837).  Russian poet and writer who kept a diary & wrote poems about the Greek War of Independence
• Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863). French romantic painter which included “The Massacre at Chios” (1824) and “Greece on the ruins of Missolonghi” (1826).
• Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). English romantic poet.
• Samuel Howe (1801-1876). American physician, lawyer, pioneering educator and philanthropist.  
• Karl Krazeisen (1794-1878), a German soldier, volunteer and painter. Krazeisen came to Greece in 1826, fought alongside the Greeks, and painted a series of portraits in which leading figures of the revolution were depicted as heroes from mythology.
  ELTA > Company > Press Office > Press Releases

Designer: Myrsini Vardopoulou

Release date: September 23, 2021

2 stamps in a booklet, numbered album

Kefalas Raises the Flag of Freedom in Tripolitsa by Peter von Hess (1792-1871) and Theodoros Kolokotronis, by George Rorris
with permission from Benaki Museum and Georgios Rorris  
Designer: Marina Lasithiotaki

Release date: September 23, 2021

October releases

Child and Stamps – The Revolution of 1821 Through the Eyes of Children 

4 stamps, 2 FDCs, cancel, numbered album

This is a wonderfully creative series that shows how post offices can involve children in design & philately. I especially love  Nikolaos Bouhlis’ FDC cancel. It captures the series very well. Kudos for ELTA and the children who participated. Could we have more of this please?

In 2020, the Greek post office held a competition for children for their artwork to appear on stamps and covers this year.

Last March we invited children aged 7-15 to participate, through the platform https://1821.elta.gr/,in an original electronic painting competition on the subject of “The Revolution of 1821”, as part of the anniversary year for the completion of 200 years since the Greek Revolution. About 6,000 children from all over Greece and Cyprus, as well as students of Greek schools abroad, responded to our call and sent us their projects. ELTA > Company > Press Office > Press Releases

 Artists in order of appearance:

Ages: 7-10 

• “The exodus of Messolonghi” by Christos Koulentzas
• “Women in the Revolution” by Katerina Dimitriadi

Ages: 11-15

• “Secret School” by Gabriela Vrachnou
• “Heroes” by Sotiris Rosis

FDC artists: Michael Papathomas Baloutoglou & Alexandra Gkatziani (“Konstantinos Kanaris” & “Odysseas Androutsos”
Cancel artist: “The Tsarouchi” by Nikolaos Bouhlis

ELTA produced a short video showing the design process of these stamps. It’s thoroughly charming. You don’t need to understand Greek to enjoy it.

Designer: Theano Venieri

Release date: October 7, 2021

November

Christmas 2021

souvenir sheet

booklets

fdcs, numbered album

2 stamps, 2 FDCs, cancel, 2 booklets, numbered album

Designer: Anthoula Lyga

Release date: November 4, 2021

European Philatelic Exhibition NOTOS 2021

2 stamps on a souvenir sheet, First day folder, numbered album

Numbered album includes “Stamp Series and contains the Feye of this series, a First Day Of Release Folder and a promotional brochure of this series”

The Series depicts two exhibits from the collection of “precious” notos 2021, adapted by Myrsini Vardopoulou: the womb of the medal of the Great Head of Hermes, the first Greek stamp released in 1861 and designed by the chief character of the French Mint, Albert Barre, and the rotothypic matrix, which was engraved by G. Gourzis, Professor of the School of Fine Arts, for the anniversary edition of the 150 years of the Greek stamp. The Series also includes First Day Release Folders and Numbered Albums. ELTA > Company > Press Office > Press Releases

Release date: November 18, 2021

December 

30 years letters to Santa Claus 

Commemorative cover, cancel

Release date: December 2, 2021

The Revolution of 1821–National Gallery

4 stamps, souvenir sheet, 3 FDCs, cancel, numbered album

Theodoros Vryzakis:

• Two warriors
• The camp of Karaiskakis
• War scene 
• Greece Grateful (souvenir sheet)

Georgios Margaritis: 

• Georgios Karaiskakis Georgios Karaiskakis | George Karaiskakis, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης | Greece.com

Artists: Theodoros Vryzakis and Georgios Margaritis
Designer: Marina Lassithiotaki 
Paintings belong to NATIONAL GALLERY NATIONAL GALLERY MUSEUM OF ALEXANDROS SOUTSOS
Learn more: In 1821 in Painting: CENTRAL BUILDING (nationalgallery.gr)
Theodoros Vryzakis: The Painter Of The Greek Revolution (greekcitytimes.com)

This set ends the 2021 stamp program.
To learn more about the Greek Revolution, this starter page will give you a nice overview Greece 1821-2021: The History of the Greek War of Independence (greekreporter.com). Cambridge University press has an interesting two volume set History of the Greek Revolution (cambridge.org). You can also check out The Greek Revolution: A Critical Dictionary  by Paschalis M. Kitromilides (Editor), Constantinos Tsoukalas (Editor). 

Release date: December 16, 2021

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