"much thanks" vs "ever so much thanks" (plural)

[Sitifan]

1. Much thanks also to everyone I had the privilege of working with at McGraw-Hill.
2. And ever so much thanks and appreciation for George, who has brought me the gift of finally having both love in my heart and work that I love, all at the same time.

According to what I know, "thanks" is a plural noun. How come the word "thanks" is modified by "much", which is used to modify singular uncountable noun?
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Thank you very much for your reply.

[Barb_D]

To me, the first one sounds wrong. Many thanks.
The second one sounds colloquial, with the "ever so much."

But perhaps both speakers were simply thinking of "thanks" as a stand-in for the uncountable "appreciation."