Postage stamps and postal history of Hong Kong
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This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Hong Kong.
British Colony, 1841-1997
The postal system in the British colony of Hong Kong began in 1841 when the Royal Mail established the first General Post Office in the region.[1][2] Between 1841 and 1862, no stamps were issued, and postmarks were used to certify payment of the postage instead.[3][4] The earliest postmarks were used by military field offices, and read "MILITARY POST OFFICE CHINA" (c. 1842) and "MILITARY POST OFFICE HONG KONG" (1841-1842). An assortment of postmarks were used for civilian purposes, their contents usually a combination of "HONG KONG" and "PAID". All such postmarks were not used after the issuance of the first stamps in 1862.[4]
In 1860,
In 1877, Hong Kong joined the Universal Postal Union.[2]
In 1891, the first
Between 1891 and 1941, only 3 other sets of commemorative stamps were issued, perhaps because of the bloodshed from the sale of the Jubilee stamp.[9][10] These included the Silver Jubilee of King George V (1935), Coronation of King George VI (1937) and the centenary of British rule (1941).[10][12] The 1941 centenary stamps, featuring local sights and scenes, marked the first time local features were incorporated into the stamp designs.[9]
The death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and the reign of King Edward VII saw the release of a new series of definitives, commonly referred to as the "bald man"'s definitives (「光頭佬」) by local philatelists and stamp collectors.[9][11] The first set (1903) of stamps featuring Edward VII consisted of 15 stamps. A second set (1904) was printed on different paper, followed by a partial set (1907) was printed with different colours.[8] These definitives saw a change in spelling for the name of the colony, from "HONGKONG" to "HONG KONG". This change was kept in the definitives of King George V but was reverted to "HONGKONG" for the definitives of King George VI.[5] No stamps for King Edward VIII were issued in Hong Kong.[7] Apart from the differences in spelling, the stamp designs also did not agree on the translation of "cent" in Chinese. Victorian stamps featured either "先時" (sin-si) and "仙" (sin). Stamps of Edward VII featured "先" (sin), until it was finalized as "角" (kok, see Chinese jiao) during the reign of George VI.[13] The George VI stamps also see the replacement of "scrolls" design at the top left and right of the stamp with a crown, along with the portrait of the monarch facing right, instead of the traditional left. In total, 23 stamps were issued for George VI.[8]
Between 1 January 1917 and November 1922, Hong Kong stamps were used in Chinese and Japanese
During the
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1862 96c stamp, one of the first seven stamps issued in 1862, with spelling "HONGKONG" and "先時" for "cents"
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1891 Jubilee stamp, first commemorative stamp issued
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1903 $10 stamp, with spelling "HONG KONG"
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1917 20c stamp, overprinted for use in treaty ports, with spelling "HONG KONG" and "先" for "cents"
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1941 5c commemorative stamp, one of the first stamps featuring local scenes, in this case the University of Hong Kong
Japanese Occupation, 1941-1945
Hong Kong surrendered to Japan on 25 December 1941, marking the start of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Postal services resumed in early 1942, with 20 or 21 Japanese definitives were introduced for use in Hong Kong.[14][15] As a response to hyperinflation during the occupation, three stamp issues were surcharged with a higher value. These were also overprinted with "Office of the Governor of Hong Kong" (Japanese: 香港總督部).[13][15] Censorship, changes of local addresses into a Japanese format, and renaming of district and building names into names of Japanese origins led to a chaotic postal system during the occupation.[9]
Most of the British stamps were safely hidden until Japan's surrender.[5] Some were stored in the vaults of the General Post Office and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation building, while others were sent to Australia and South Africa for safekeeping.[15]
Post-War, 1945-1997
Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, and postal service under the British resumed on 25 August, initially for free.[15] No stamps were available, so octagonal handstamps inscribed with ‘HONG KONG 1945 POSTAGE PAID’ were later used in lieu of stamps.[5][9] In early September, the government rediscovered the stash of hidden stamps. Together with the return of the stamp cache from Australia and South Africa, the sales of stamps re-continued on 28 September.[15]
The end of the
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II saw several significant changes to stamp design. While the first series (1954) retained the design of the George VI stamps,[8] the second series (1962) saw significant changes. The series, designed by Chinese Cheung Yat-man, did not feature the traditional frames of the previous stamps, instead featuring a frameless portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Pietro Annigoni.[4] The larger values were printed in colour and in a larger physical size.[8] This series is nicknamed the "military attire" (「軍裝」) series by local stamp collectors.[4]
1962 saw the release of the first officially designed envelopes for
Commemorative stamps with Chinese themes were first issued in 1967, featuring the
In the early and mid 1990s, as the Handover of Hong Kong of 1 July 1997 drew near, British-themed stamps were slowly being phased out.[9] The sixth issue (2 September 1996) was the last set of stamps featuring Elizabeth II. This led to an "explosion" of sales and stamp collecting in the local stamp market, with many hoping the stamps would sell for a profit in the future.[19]
On 23 May 1996, it was announced that all stamps with a portrait of the Queen or any British features would become invalid on the day of the handover. A "transitional" set of definitives was issued to prepare for the handover. Nicknamed the "neutral definitive stamps" (26 January 1997), they featured the skyline of Victoria Harbour with no British features.[7][9][20] The neutral definitives could still be used after the handover,[21] and colonial stamps could be exchanged up until July 31, 1997.[20]
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1946 30c "Resurgo" stamp, designed by British POWs duringWW2
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1946 $1 "Resurgo" stamp, designed by British POWs duringWW2
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1953 10c commemorative stamp issued for the Coronation of Elizabeth II
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1962 $1.30 stamp, one of the first frameless definitives
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1968 $1 stamp, one of the first definitive stamps featuring local themes, in this case coat of arms
Post-handover
A set of commemorative stamp, celebrating the handover, was issued in 1997.[19]
The first definitive stamps were issued by the government on 18 October 1999, bearing the name "HONG KONG, CHINA".[7] The stamps featured local sights and scenes. Between 1999 and 2020, three more sets of definitives were issued: The "East and West" series (2002), the birds of Hong Kong series (2006) and the "Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark" series (2014).[22]
See also
- China Philatelic Society of London
- China Stamp Society
- Hong Kong Philatelic Society
- Revenue stamps of Hong Kong
Sources
- Stanley Gibbons Ltd: various catalogues.
- ISBN 0-356-10862-7
- Webb, Francis Wynne (1961) The Philatelic and Postal History of Hong Kong and the Treaty Ports of China and Japan, Royal Philatelic Society London
Further reading
- Gurevitch, R.N. Hong Kong Postage Stamps of the Queen Victoria Period: A Collector's Notebook (1993)
- Gurevitch, R.N. Hong Kong, Queen Victoria Adhesives:Volume 1 (2001)
- Gurevitch, R.N. Hong Kong, Queen Victoria Adhesives:Volume 2 (2001)
- Proud, E.B. The Postal History of the British Colonies: Hong Kong, Volume 1: 1841-1958(1989)
- Proud, E.B. First supplement to the above (1994)
- Proud, E.B. The Postal History of the British Post Offices Abroad (Far East) (1991)
- Proud, E.B. The Postal History of Hong Kong (2004)
- Schoenfeld, H.Cancellations of Hong Kong, The First 100 Years, 1841-1941 (1989)
- Schoenfeld, H.Hong Kong Postal Stationery (1991)
- Schoenfeld, H.Cancellations of the Treaty Ports of Hong Kong, 1850-1930 (1998)
- Halewood, N. Hong Kong Airmails 1945-1995 (2000; HKSC publication)
- Halewood, N. & Antscherl, D. A Study of the Definitive Adhesives of King George VI (1992; HKSC publication)
- Halewood, N. & Antscherl, D. A Study of Hong Kong Definitives: King Edward VII and King George V (1995; HKSC publication)
- Hong Kong Study Circle The Philatelic History of Hong Kong, Volume 1 : The Adhesives(1984)
References
- ^ "Hong Kong". StampWorldHistory. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d "History". Hongkong Post. Hongkong Post. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b "The Birth of Hong Kong Stamps". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9789620432842.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jefferies, Hugh. "The Stamps of Hong Kong: The First Hundred Years" (PDF). Koala Stamps. Gibbons Stamp Monthly. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ "The First Set of Hong Kong's Definitive Stamps and Subsequent Denominations". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hong Kong Stamps". Hong Kong Philatelic Society. Hong Kong Philatelic Society. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f A History of Hong Kong Definitive Stamps 1862—1992. Hong Kong: Postmaster General, Hong Kong. 1994.
- ^ ISBN 9789620771613.
- ^ a b c "Commemorative Stamps from Pre-war Hong Kong". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9789620432576.
- ^ "Commemorative Stamps". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Text on stamps" 加蓋郵票 [Text on Stamps]. Hong Kong Postage Stamps Catalog (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b Robitaille, Jesse (26 November 2019). "Battle of Hong Kong veteran's story explored through philately". Canadian Stamp News. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Hong Kong Stamps during the Japanese Occupation". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Choi, Shing (9 January 2015). 香港重光紀念系列(三) [Hong Kong Liberation Commemorations (3)]. Passion Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ Li, Canton. CS010香港郵票百週年紀念 [CS010 Hong Kong Postage Stamp 100th Anniversary Commemoration]. Canton Li's Blog (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b c "Hong Kong Stamps after the Second World War". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b Schuknecht, Cat (28 June 2017). "Stamps celebrate Hong Kong handover anniversary – but collectors be warned". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong, China. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ a b Gentle, Nick (6 July 2007). "Judge rules out fight to use colonial stamps". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong, China. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ "Hong Kong Stamps after the Handover". Hong Kong Memory. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ^ "Definitive Stamps". Hongkong Post Stamps. Hongkong Post. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.