1896 First Olympic Games Stamps

The first Olympic Games were planned in an ad-hoc manner by International Olympic Committee in 1896 and took place in Athens, the capital of Greece. 280 participants from 13 nations competed in 43 events of 9 sports: track-and-field, gymnastics, swimming, cycling, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, shooting, and tennis. Australia and USA were the only non-European teams to participate in this edition. Most participating athletes just happened to be in the country.

Greece issued twelve special stamps to finance and commemorate the games.

Value	Description	Color	Stanley  Gibbons Number	Michel Number	Edition
1  L	Wrestlers	Yellow	110	96	4,000,000
2  L	Wrestlers	Red	111	97	3,000,000
5  L	Discus thrower	Mauve	112	98	3,000,000
10  L	Discus thrower	Grey	113	99	2,000,000
20  L	Vase depicting Pallas Athene	Brown	114	100	4,000,000
25  L	Quadriga of Chariot driving	Red	115	101	2,033,670
40  L	Vase depicting Pallas Athene	Violet	116	102	153,360
60  L	Quadriga of Chariot driving	Black	117	103	23,760
1  Dr	Acropolis and Stadium	Blue	118	104	221,250
2  Dr	Hermes	Olive	119	105	157,800
5  DR	Victory	Green	120	106	107,106
10  DR	Acropolis with Parthenon	Brown	121	107	52,20

These stamps were engraved by Louis-Eugène Mouchon, the famous french artist who created many famous french stamps such as Allegorie Paix et Commerce, Type Mouchon, Semeuse.