 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(October 2023) |
Φιλοτελικό & Ταχυδρομικό Μουσείο | |
  Location within Athens | |
| Location | Athens, Greece |
|---|---|
| Type | Philatelic and postal museum |
| Website | ft-museum |
The Philatelic and Postal Museum of Greece is a museum dedicated to the philately and postal history of Greece. It is located at the junction of Stadiou Square and Fokianou Street, next to the Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro), in Athens.
The establishment and operation of the Philatelic and Postal Museum was a long-standing request of the Hellenic Post Office Service and the Greek philatelic community. The project was officially supported by the Greek State in 1966. Four years later, in 1970, when the Hellenic Post Organization was established, the effort for amassing and sorting out the material meant for the museum begun. At the same time, an appropriate location to house the museum had to be found. Eventually, in 1977, benefactors Nia and Andrea Stratos donated the building that houses the museum to this day.
The Philatelic and Postal Museum opened on October 30, 1978, as part of the Hellenic Post (ELTA). Before the ELTA was privatised, the Greek government put the Museum under the control of the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks. Today, the Museum lies under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Digital Governance.[ citation needed ] [1]
The responsibilities of the Philatelic and Postal Museum are the acquisition, recording, study, research, documentation, publication, promotion, and storage of the Hellenic Philatelic and Postal exhibits. The museum displays objects used by the united Postal, Telegraph, Telephone Service (mailboxes, postman bags, horns and uniforms, envelope sealing machines, safes, bicycles and motorcycles, dispatch materials). The museum's collection also includes the first-ever Greek stamps, dating to 1861, the metal plates used for their printing, stamp sheets, stamp proofs, detailed and rough layouts, first day covers, commemorative cachets, and painting layouts of famous artists who designed stamps.
Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps. For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or reside only in museums.
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage. Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover —which they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse. Next the item is delivered to its addressee.
A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. Modern postmarks are often applied simultaneously with the cancellation or killer that marks postage stamps as having been used. Sometimes a postmark alone is used to cancel stamps, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Postmarks may be applied by handstamp or machine, using methods such as rollers or inkjets, while digital postmarks are a recent innovation.
Indian postal systems for efficient military and governmental communications had developed long before the arrival of Europeans. When the Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danish and British conquered the Marathas who had already defeated the Mughals, their postal systems existed alongside those of many somewhat independent states. The British East India Company gradually annexed the other powers on the sub-continent and brought into existence a British administrative system over most of modern-day India, with a need to establish and maintain both official and commercial mail systems.
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is attributed to Robson Lowe, a professional philatelist, stamp dealer and stamp auctioneer, who made the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and described philatelists as "students of science", but postal historians as "students of humanity". More precisely, philatelists describe postal history as the study of rates, routes, markings, and means.
Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain surveys postal history from the United Kingdom and the postage stamps issued by that country and its various historical territories until the present day.
This a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the modern Russian Federation.
India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, and is the trade name of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings had taken initiative under East India Company to start the Postal Service in the country in 1766. It was initially established under the name "Company Mail". It was later modified into a service under the Crown in 1854 by Lord Dalhousie. Dalhousie introduced uniform postage rates and helped to pass the India Post Office Act 1854 which significantly improved upon 1837 Post Office act which had introduced regular post offices in India. It created the position Director General of Post for the whole country.
A joint issue is the release of stamps or postal stationery by two or more countries to commemorate the same topic, event or person. Joint issues typically have the same first day of issue and their design is often similar or identical, except for the identification of country and value.
The Vatican post office has operated its own postal service and issued its own postage stamps since 1929.
The postage stamps and postal history of Israel is a survey of the postage stamps issued by the state of Israel, and its postal history, since independence was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. The first postage stamps were issued two days later on May 16, 1948. Pre-1948 postal history is discussed in postage stamps and postal history of Palestine.
The Hellenic Post S.A. is the state-owned provider of postal services in Greece. It succeeded the former government Postal Service, founded in 1828. ELTA provides a universal postal service to all parts of Greece and is a member of the Universal Postal Union. Services provided include: letter post; parcel service; deposit accounts; Swiftpost, a nationwide next-day delivery service; and the EMS international express mail service.
A postal museum is a museum dedicated to the display of objects relating to the postal service. A subcategory of postal museums are philatelic museums, which focus on philately and postage stamps.
The postal history of Turkey and its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, dates to the 18th century when foreign countries maintained courier services through their consular offices in the Empire. Although delayed in the development of its own postal service, in 1863 the Ottoman Empire became the second independent country in Asia to issue adhesive postage stamps, and in 1875, it became a founding member of the General Postal Union, soon to become the Universal Postal Union. The Ottoman Empire became the Republic of Turkey in 1923, and in the following years, its postal service became more modernized and efficient and its postage stamps expertly designed and manufactured.
The first postage stamps of Bhutan were issued in 1962, the same year that the first motorable road was opened. Before that there was a mail delivery system in place for official mail using mail runners, and between 1955 and 1962 revenue stamps were accepted as payment for internal mail. With the opening up of Bhutan in the early 1960s, a formal postal system was introduced. The American entrepreneur Burt Todd assisted in establishing a postage stamp program in the country and Bhutan became known for the unusual designs and materials of its stamps which were chosen by Todd specifically to attract attention. With the assistance of the Indian postal advisor Dr. K. Ramamurti, who was in Bhutan from 1964 to 1968, a proper postal organization and infrastructure was set up under the leadership of a young Bhutanese officer Mr. Lam Penjor, who became the Director of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Crete.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Czech Republic.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Egypt.
The Greek god Hermes, messenger of the Gods in the Greek mythology, is the representation chosen, in 1860, by the Kingdom of Greece to illustrate its first postal stamps.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Mount Athos.
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