Help Identifying Large Hermes Head, 5 Lepta Green

I need help identifying my LHH's, This set contains 14 stamps all 5 lepta green (only 13 on the overview image). I will try to narrowing them down according to the printings from Hellas 2016. I'm new to this so any comments are very welcome:





I have looked at Bigblue http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.dk...s-heads.html
and this thread https://goscf.com/t/18134&SearchTerms=hermes unfortunately many of the pictures are now missing.

The Printings from Hellas 2016:
#1. Paris printings
#2. First Athens printings
#3. Consecutive Athens printings
#4. Cleaned plates printings
#5. Special printings
#6. 1871 - 1872 printings
#7. Mashed paper printings
#8. New values Paris printings
#9. Cream paper printings with CN
#10. Cream paper printings without CN

Stamps S:

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S1



Control number (CN) rules out #1, #5, #8 and #10.
As the CN does not seem to be distinct #2 is out.
Paper is perhaps meshed I'm not sure ?
Definitely not cream so out with #9
Down to 3, 4 and 6 or maybe #7
?

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S2



For same reasons as Stamp S1, #1, #2, #5, #8 and #10 are out.
But to me this stamp has meshed paper so my guess is Hellas 39 (M39, S39)
Not sure about the color variant

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S3



Same as S2

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S4



Odd stamp Hermes face looks strange (Chubby Hermes ?) Only 75 pearls around the head, should be 88.
My guess its a fake

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S5



Control number (CN) rules out #1, #5, #8 and #10.
Paper not meshed so out goes #7
Paper seems cream and the print is heavy and crude which goes for CN also. So my guess is print #9 and therefore Hellas 49 (M49, S45)

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S6



No CN so #2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #9 is out
Shadow lines on cheek is even not dotted at the end so #1 is out
5L green does not exist in #5
So down to #8 or #10
Paper seems to be cream so #10 is my guess therefore Hellas 55 (M55,S53)
Seems to be a stamp on the back side

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S7



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
filling around the head is full

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S8



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
But the filling around the head don't seems as full as S7, don't know if this is significant?

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S9



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
But one of the peals to left has a green dot in it. The value numbers in the bottom are very crude
filling around the head like S8

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S10



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
filling around the head like S7

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S11



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
filling around the head between S7 and S8

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S12



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
filling around the head like S7

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S13



Same as S6 (Hellas 55)
filling around the head like S7

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S14



Bought this one at Karamitoas as Hellas 3. The stamp is without CN and have dotted cheek lines at the end. It is a very fine print so this seems a #1, so Hellas 3

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Korsbecker

Great display and pics.Great for examination.IMO you are correct
in all your cat.numbers.__No.1 looks meshed paper.
Hellas 39 looks yellow-green..
These plates went through many cycles and printing quality
within the later printings...

Very good analysis!


S1. This is not the meshed paper of issue #7. That paper is more/very prominently meshed. Even your S14 shows a mesh-type pattern, and that's definitely Sc#3: color is correct, print quality is correct. Issue#6 has oil specks all over, which I can't see here. Issue #4 has stronger neck and jaw shading lines with cleaner separation. That leaves us with issue #3, Athens consecutive. The CN quality (neat and clean print) agrees with that.

S2. Looks to be the same as S1; a few more breaks in CN is all.

S3. There's the prominent mesh. The paper is also a darker tint than the first two, also characteristic of issue #7.

S4. Forgery, I agree. Wonder who's signature that's supposed to be? EDIT: A guess that it's supposed to be Alberto Diena, who expertised many classics. It's not a very good forgery but would do if someone wasn't familiar with the genuine.

S5. I agree.

S6. I agree, cream paper.

S7. I agree.

More to follow.

I really enjoyed your photos and analysis. Thanks.

S8. Agree. There are several printings of issue #10 as evidenced by shades and quality of print, so filling around head happens (or not) but is not a good characteristic to go by. It's pretty much the paper and the absence of CN.

S9. Agree. Crudeness of the bottom tablet is just sloppy printing, maybe a too-thin ink mix. Note the bottom frame line is really weak also.

S10. Agree. The paper is in a darker shade with a touch of red/pink. I always wondered if this might be from age or just a slightly different paper. See the 2nd overall photo with all the backs together for a comparison.

S11. Agree.

S12. Agree.

S13. Agree.

S14. No question that this is issue #1 by color and fineness of shading lines.

Well done! And a nice group of Large Hermes, too.

Hi

Thank you for all your kind words and comments. Especially to hy-brasil for the comments on S1/S2 very educating. I will post another set soon with 10 Lepta. I hope you will look at them to.

Korsbecker

Bailed out on early Greece many months ago but I do collect these stamps .I just buy the numbers sold by dealers who seem to know what ther're doing .Still have trouble with meshed stamps .Can't always figure out what is cream ? In some guides the fine and coarse all seem to look alike . Enjoyed the above answers . Bernie

Hi bvanasse

Yes I also find them hard to identify, but setting them up like I have done here helps I think. If you for example look at the overview image with the stamps backside the different paper types sticks out. that makes it easier.. but not easy ;-) And of course the help from the other users is very educational.

Korsbecker