50th Anniversary of National Scouts

Greece issued eight commemoratives at Athens on 23 April 1960 for the fiftieth anniversary of Greek Scouting. Domfil catalogues the set as 960.4/11 under «50 Aniversario del escultismo nacional».

A. Tassos designed and engraved the series; Aspioti-Elka Graphic Arts printed it by lithography in panes of 50, perforated 13 × 13½ or 13½ × 13 according to orientation, on paper with a multiple-crown watermark. Colnect lists the process as offset, which is consistent with offset lithography. The stamps remained valid for postage until 22 October 1960.

The designs, in rising face-value order, are: a Scout on horseback spearing a dragon against a St George silhouette (20 l, Domfil 960.4); a Scout giving the three-finger salute before a classical statue silhouette (30 l, 960.5); Scouts helping in a disaster amid smoke and flames (40 l, 960.6); two Scouts planting a sapling (50 l, 960.7); three Scouts looking at a map at camp (70 l, 960.8); a Land Scout, a Sea Scout and a younger Scout walking a coastal path (1 d, 960.9 — Domfil «Going for a walk»; Colnect titled the value «Scout, Sea Scout, Air Scout», but the third figure wears a beret and is not an Air Scout); a portrait of Crown Prince Constantine in Scout uniform (2.50 d, 960.10); and the Greek Scout flag beside a medal with the phoenix and the motto ΑΜΥΝΕΣΘΕ ΠΕΡΙ ΠΑΤΡΗΣ (6 d, 960.11).

SOSOW quantities are 20 l 1,387,204; 30 l 813,043; 40 l 1,663,202; 50 l 2,616,036; 70 l 468,723; 1 d 3,247,047; 2.50 d 2,544,469; 6 d 377,944. Further references are Scott GR 669–676, Michel GR 726–733, Yvert GR 705–712 and Stanley Gibbons GR 829–836.