The 2026 Winter Olympics begin on February 6th in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Athletes from around the world will compete across 16 disciplines, from alpine skiing and figure skating to the newest additions like ski mountaineering. It’s a perfect time to celebrate Olympic history and the excitement of winter sports competition.
Browse our collection of Olympic stamps to celebrate this rich history and commemorate the upcoming games.
Greece Stamps Issued for the First Modern Olympics
117-26 – 1896 Greece, First Modern Olympic Games in Athens, Three Sets Available
The first modern Olympic Games—officially the 1896 Summer Olympics—brought the Olympic idea back to life in Athens from April 6–15, 1896. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (newly formed in the 1890s after Pierre de Coubertin pushed for a revival), the Games drew 241 athletes from 14 nations and centered many events in the rebuilt Panathenaic Stadium.
The accompanying 1896 Olympic stamps were Greece’s first commemoratives. They were created to celebrate the games with imagery pulled straight from classical art and Greek identity—wrestlers, the Discobolus, a vase showing Pallas Athena, a chariot scene with Winged Victory, plus iconic landmarks. The 1896 Olympic Series was produced in a range of lepta and drachma denominations (with higher drachma values considered scarcer). It was designed by Swiss artist A. Guilleron, engraved by Louis-Eugène Mouchon, and printed in France, with perforations of 13½ × 14 or 14 × 13½. Get 10 used stamps from the series now.
Stamps Celebrating the Winter Olympics
716 – 1932 2c Third Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid, New York, Carmine Rose
