Hermes (Greek stamp) following June 10, announced the choice of Hermes, messenger of the Gods in the Greek mythology as the effigy of the stamps. The stamps depict a profile of the Greek messenger god Hermes (Mercury) in a frame strongly resembling that used for contemporary stamps of France. The nine values of the stamps of the "large Hermes head" are printed during more than twenty years (from 1861 to 1882) from the same nine typographic plates and stayed in circulation for 25 years (from 1861 to 1886) before to be used again, overprinted, in 1900/1901. The first set was issued on October
Shooting the messenger him". A related sentiment was expressed in "Antigone" by Sophocles as "no one loves the messenger who brings bad news" or "no man delights in the bearer of bad news" (). The sentiment that one should not shoot the messenger was expressed by Shakespeare in "Henry IV, Part 2" (1598) and in "Antony and Cleopatra": Cleopatra threatens to treat the messenger's eyes as balls when told Antony has married another, eliciting the response "Gracious madam, I that do bring the news made not the match." The term also applied to a town crier, an officer of the court who made