Mercury/Hermes Stamps - S3E15

Do some countries use the incorrect symbol for healthcare? Are 'The Flash' and 'Asterix' related in some way? A stamp from Australia featuring the Roman God Mercury brings up these interesting questions and more... Also I cant resist a quick trip into NYC to visit a popular bakery for a treat.
Learn more about the sponsor: stamps.org/
See the stamps on Snupps: snupps.com/Exp...
#mercury #romangod #philately

[@ChacoteOutdoorRecreation]

Best channel ever to live on you Tube, this is a hallmark and a turning point in this hobby, and many will find their moment, and track their starting point here.

[@LouisGedo]

This quality of the content on this channel represents the best chance that the hobby of philately has in thriving......and perhaps even in surviving.

[@chrislovesstamps]

I completely agree. Such a quality channel. Made me even more addicted to the hobby.

[@LouisGedo]

I'm really glad that your channel is being sponsored in part by APS. Your channel really deserves to be sponsored by all of the philatelic orgs and a few major dealers as well.

[@johngreen3543]

When I was a small boy and just getting started in stamp collecting , I asked the local stamp dealer what that figure was on the early Greek stamps. He responded with "They are called Hermes Heads". I have always accepted that as an undisputed truth.

[@paperweight57]

Yet another wonderful video! Keep it up! The whole philatelic community is behind you :)

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you :) More videos to come!

[@craigcline5717]

Great video as always! It's always fun when you take us somewhere on location. Nice hat by the way.

[@ExploringStamps]

Glad you like the hat, :D thanks for watching Craig, more videos to come.

[@clavius65]

I’m always happy to see your new video when it’s published! As an aside, I always liked the US Mercury dimes.

[@barrydrees3617]

Me too, they were the most beautiful US coin ever!

[@rgathergood2467]

Thank you for explaining about the god Mercury (Hermes). I have several of the stamps you featured in my collection but I had never really appreciated the link between them. It's great to have it explained and put into context. This is a really good programme, very informative and interesting, thank you.

[@ExploringStamps]

Glad you like the video Robert, I didn't know about the link between the God and the stamps either, not until I started researching the stamp I pulled from the box. Thanks for watching.

[@LouisGedo]

Predictably.....another highly informative, creative, engaging, and well produced episode!

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Louis :D

[@deep200613]

Very informative. I like the way you tell the story using only stamps.

[@bodhisattyaguha8836]

I have the Mercury stamp series from France but I never realised that they were featuring Mercury. Great Video as always

[@ExploringStamps]

That's a great set to have! Glad you liked the video, thanks for watching :)

[@carolinegreenwell9086]

I'm not a stamp collector but love your videos. You cover so many topics !! PS : I'd love to know the story behind that zebra on your bookshelf

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Caroline! Glad you like the videos :D When I built the bookshelves for the studio, I used the beaded zebra as a placeholder and meant to get books and albums for that shelf...I just never ended up replacing it and the zebra has become part of the show... :) Not much of a story I guess.

[@VondaInWonderland]

I died when you put that hat on! This was a good one, I have been finding them ♥

[@michaelpiscetelli9065]

thanks, for another great episode.

[@harisbecic5360]

Another great video, can't wait the next one

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Haris, working on it now :)

[@ZoranRadakovic84]

Very interesting and impressive combination of complete different themes in one story. Love it.

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Zoran, glad you liked it :)

[@byronsbrain]

I love that I learn something new with all your videos, its the first time I've heard of newspaper stamps, brilliant! (and note to self if I ever get to Grand Central Station, I'm buying cupcakes)

[@ExploringStamps]

Thanks Karen! Definitely stop by the bakery if you make your way through Grand Central... and of course take a moment to find the statue (while you eat your cupcakes) :D Thanks for watching!

[@aaronbock9160]

another awesome show i would not mind a few of those cupcakes lol. i did not know that Mercury was on so many stamps from so many countries when i get back hope i will have to do some searching to see how many that i do have. keep up the great work and cant wait for the next show

[@ExploringStamps]

Thanks Aaron, I am pretty sure you will find Mercury hiding on several of your stamps when you return. Also keep a look out for the Caduceus as a symbol while you are away ;) I have been seeing it everywhere after I made this video.

[@michaelsmorowski8633]

Graham, thank you for this interesting video, being French, I particularly liked the passage on Asterix ... Michael.

[@ExploringStamps]

You are very welcome, thank you for watching Michael. Asterix had to make an appearance once I saw the winged helmet, I have most of the books :)

[@wolfgangbischoff4514]

I love the different "Mercury" possibilities found on stamps :D

[@natashathomas2881]

Haha love the bakery run!

[@gauriprashant]

I adore your videos, keep up the good work. Lots of love from Qatar

[@ExploringStamps]

Glad you like the videos, thank you for watching in Qatar :)

[@sauravkumar5589]

Superb man!!.. Never knew so much details about mercury and hermes.. Thanks for this wonderful video👍👍

[@ExploringStamps]

You are very welcome Saurav, thanks as always for watching :)

[@marathomy]

Great video again with a lot of interesting information ☺👍👏

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Thomas, glad you liked it :)

[@jackmlynek8817]

Canada had a nice Mercury air mail stamp in 1930. FYI.

[@blazendary]

dope video and amazing production

[@niravgangar]

Loved the video! Really liked the new part of you going outdoor in the video, would be happy to see more such videos...

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Nirav, more to come!

[@IIoveasl10]

Graham, as usual, very interesting. I have these stamps. I am not sure that I have the red one. I will have to look for it, but the other colors orf Mercury, I do have. Thanks for the video. As usual very interesting.

[@ExploringStamps]

Thanks for watching David, glad you liked the video :) I hope you do find that red one ;)

[@IIoveasl10]

I will look for it... in a little while.

[@adamhudson2511]

Graham, Excellent as always!

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Adam! 🙂

[@lostrelics4169]

Another Great Video .. Thanks for making them ..

[@ExploringStamps]

You are very welcome, thank you for watching :)

[@chrisviklund]

Great video as usual, keep on posting these videos.

[@kennethmiller6231]

So I finally got Hermes and Mercury straighten up my mind. Took long enough. BAT'S Private Post has a new one that made me very happy.

[@barrydrees3617]

Great video once again. I have many of these Hermes/Mercury stamps but had never really put the story together that they were all showing the same god and why - fascinating. I will never look at them the same again. It is interesting that in some cases we are more familiar with the Roman god (Mercury vs. Hermes) and in other cases the Greek God is more familiar (Zeus vs. Jupiter).

[@ExploringStamps]

That is a really good point Barry! I wonder why I am more familiar with some of the Greek names over the Roman names and vice versa. Hercules vs. Heracles.... Hades vs. Pluto... Interesting!

[@laurasimpson2870]

Interesting as always.

[@nickgoede7678]

Very well done as usual.

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Nick :)

[@imtiazahamed7959]

Wow wow wow. Great as always.

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you :)

[@mkg96]

Always waiting to your video.

[@TsukiCondor]

Love the abmbent music in the train station segments

[@thisguy9400]

Great video ES! I’ll have to go to that bakery next time I go to NYC 😋

[@ExploringStamps]

Yes!! Magnolia's cupcakes are a favorite of mine...lol thanks for watching :)

[@ElTomekoRaszyn]

God job sir.

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you :)

[@corvustotalus2257]

Fan from Algeria.. I think that your channel is great but it would be even greater if you made an episode on Sealand stamps. I was shocked when I knew it had stamps

[@numismaticachile]

Thank u very mucho!!!!! 👏👏👏👏

[@ExploringStamps]

You are very welcome :)

[@robertcalhoun3123]

You missed my favorite, US E7, if for no other reason than its the odd man out in the special deliveries

[@ExploringStamps]

I did miss it! Someone else also called me out on it as well, its a great stamp that I completely didnt think about. Good catch Robert :D

[@sarahgoodman6279]

I don’t have any Hermes or Mercury stamps yet but I want to add some Universal Postal Union stamps to my collection! I didn’t know about the Union and it makes so much sense why we need them, so cool! I was waiting for you to mention Captain America’s uniform, such a classic. When you visited Toronto did you pop into our Union Station? It is modelled after the one in NYC and is really cool too! Unfortunately we don’t have a Magnolia Bakery... just McDonalds.

[@olivermiller2013]

Mercury is Hermes. The Roman Empire adopted the Greek culture. But they changed some things to make them fit for the Roman people, so you have differencies. Also don´t forget that everything changes within the time. The Greek states best period was around 800 bc to 300 bc. 300 bc is quite early for the Roman empire and they went more powerful around 200 bc (conquest of some south Italian parts (including Greek cities at Sicily) and Punic wars). So the god Hermes went to Mercury and Mercury changed quite a lot the next centuries till the Christian religion appeared. By the way: The really nice stamps from Austria you showed have Jugendstil design. You find a lot of stamps from Austria in especially in that period (1920s) and some later with this style. Also in a lot of countries including Austria, Czechia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Italy, Croatia, Ukrainia and several other countries a lot of very nice buildings and art in Jugenstil. One of my favourite designs. And you showed one of my favourite areas of collecting: The large Hermes heads from Greece. They are very difficult to collect because it is not easy to find out the period of every Hermes head. These are very nice stamps and it is good, that not so many people are interested in them because they are rare. There are 60 main stamps with tons of variants and I think it is impossible to get even nearly complete in lifetime. At last: Some of the stamps you show are in pretty poor condition. Most of them are not expensive, but it would be better to take stamps in better condition. This will increase the quality. But your videos are really nice, I like them.

[@tanhungpham3986]

Can you make an episode on Vietnamese stamps?

[@raoulfloren3613]

Loved this episode! Well done!

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you 🙂

[@clairemayes6218]

I love Mercury on Banknotes , coins and Banknotes

[@ExploringStamps]

He does show up on a lot of money due to his connection with commerce/trade :)

[@jxavier3876]

Ceres is another Roman figure features often on stamps specifically Portuguese colonies.

[@kgbstudio]

those "roman' gods all derive from greek ones. It's pretty funny for a greek to hear that hercules is a roman god and Athena called Minerva :) Great content

[@ExploringStamps]

Seriously! Why did the Romans have to rename most of them...? The Greeks should have charged them for copyright infringement :D Thanks for watching!

[@kgbstudio]

@@ExploringStamps well, that's a cool line for a greek stamps episode ;)

[@hugolallemand6855]

Nice video ! All of time

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you Hugo :)

[@marnicolman5675]

Such a cool topic, love mythology/ancient history! Very well presented. What is your BSL now ?? 😉

[@ExploringStamps]

Err, my BSL is off the charts after that cupcake... :) I also love learning about mythology, thanks for watching!

[@MaegnasMw]

Since seniority grants "naming rights", so to speak, and Homer's Epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, predate Rome by about two centuries, we will assume that Hermes is a Greek God and Mercury is what the Romans named him when they adopted him, among other things like their alphabet, from colonists of Greek origin in ancient Italia. With that out of the way, on to stamps! Oh boy, Greek stamps and Hermes, what a relationship! Not only were the Large Hermes Heads (LHH from now on) the first Greek stamps, they were the ONLY Greek stamps between 1861 and 1885. 7 editions and countless varieties have placed Greek stamps firmly among the well sought after early classics. They were followed by the....Small Hermes Heads, between 1886 and 1901, or thereabouts. There was a brief "break" in the uniformity with the first Olympic issue of 1896, the first Olympic and sports themed stamps anywhere in the world! In 1901, finally, Greek stamps moved on to the next issue, the....Flying Hermes!! Yes, Greece was putting Hermes on her stamps for about half a century almost exclusively!! It is always nice to see a symbol that originated in my country/culture take over the wrold like Hermes did! We may be few in numbers, us Greeks, but our "footprints" on this world are enormous! Have a nice day!

[@NisargSutaria]

Awesome :-)

[@ExploringStamps]

Thank you :)

[@cuongmaiviet5275]

You should do an video on cancels, they are a part of history

[@peterlittle6651]

Found your videos this week as I have started to collect British stamps. I notice in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue very few stamps are worth less than their printed value, is that your experience as well.

[@ExploringStamps]

Hi Peter, welcome to the channel. I do find that to be the case, especially if the stamps are mint and still usable to send letters, it’s basically still face value plus a little extra for seller profit at that point. Used stamps however can range above and below face value, and keep in mind that catalogue values are ultimate desired price that a dealer could achieve considering condition and a number of other factors, what it goes for on the market could be much lower, check platforms such as eBay to see what prices are being offered.

[@peterlittle6651]

@@ExploringStamps Thanks for the the confirmation. I will be collecting Great Britain stock books from Ebay etc and then see what I end up with and can trade for further books. Have lots of questions too many for here!!!!!

[@ListenWell]

Thanks for sharing! - I have a new video coming out today! - be sure to catch it!

[@seye8eyes]

That's Great

[@CPFPARIS]

Thank you for the videos, they are great! This is a link to a wikipedia study of Hermes on Greek stamps: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes_(Greek_stamp) Enjoy! Best from Paris

[@GULFRAZMAJEEDseye8eyes]

Gaul & Gul

[@ameas21]

Actually Hermes and the "Roman" gods are from Greek Ps amazing vids keep up the work Greetings from Greece

[@ameas21]

Ps The Romans copied the greek gods and said they're theirs

[@allanwestphall8108]

I call your bluff; you digitally alter the colour of the blue Mercury from Austria - you don't really have the yellow or the rose newspaper stamps! Mercury is super cool! Remind me Graham, why did we stop worshipping him? By the way, that Hungarian stamp with the Mercury's propeller is totally bizarre. Another excellent video mon frere!

[@mkg96]

Raffle some stamp sir. Heheh

[@granitesthoz6332]

Australia uses Hermes for its stamps

[@cidinhamoss453]

Hi. I love your series, but I have a remark to this video. Deutshland is Germany, not Austrial. Austria in German is Österreich. Cheers.

[@ExploringStamps]

Hello, glad you like the videos :) I think you are referring to the stamps at 8:07 Those are from Deutschösterreich (Rep. of German Austria) Which is primarily present day Austria and the country is credited with issuing those stamps in 1920. Deutschösterreich could be a whole other episode :D

[@mioszfilatelista5385]

Pozdro z poland

[@dmytrodoncov5996]

Nie, spodziewałem się, że jakiś Polak tu zagląda :)

[@ExploringStamps]

Pozdrawiam i dziękuję za obejrzenie :D

[@rkaid577]

dude now I want cake I have no cake :(

[@ExploringStamps]

Go get cake! Eat the cake. And collect stamps :)

[@neonpop80]

Sponsored by Magnolia

[@ExploringStamps]

I wish!!! 🧁

[@JulianCollects]

Not Mercury Not Project Mercury Not Hg or Mercury Not Freddy Mercury But Mercury Dime 😂 Hybrid Collector!! PhilaNumis

[@user-vk3li1fd8o]

Good work! I hope somebody will make same video in Russian. 99% video about philately in Russian so boring.

[@brinjoness3386]

Banker financer thief... why not just call him the devil