Hong Kong: Stamps

Hong Kong, Back-of-the-Book Issues
HK Postage Due Stamps, Sc J1-J12
GB Offices in China, Sc 1-27
Arranged on Hagner Stock Sheet

Inspired by the recent post by tobben63 , I decided to post my last stock page of HK for now.  Descriptive text has now been added below the image.  Still lots of spaces to fill to complete these four sets, so the quest continues.


Page 7: Back-of-the-Book Issues: Postage Dues 1923-1947 and GB Offices in China 1917-1927
Row 1: HK, Sc J1, 1-cent brown (1st issue of postage dues, 1923)
Row 2: HK, Sc J7-J9 (2nd issue of postage dues, 1938-1947)
Row 3: HK, Sc J10-J11 (2nd issue of postage dues, 1938-1947)
Row 4: GB Offices in China, Sc 1-5, HK KGV Definitives overprinted CHINA, Wmk Multiple Crown & CA
Row 5: GB Offices in China, Sc 6-8, 10-11, HK KGV Definitives overprinted CHINA, Wmk Multiple Crown & CA
Row 6: GB Offices in China, Sc 12, HK KGV Definitive overprinted CHINA, Wmk Multiple Crown & CA
Row 7: GB Offices in China, Sc 19, HK KGV Definitive overprinted CHINA, Wmk Multiple Crown & Script CA

Several weeks ago, Vince (stanley64 ) prompted me on the Whatcha Been Stamping thread about an auction win.  As I mentioned there, I don't often buy at auctions, but as I am trying to fill some tough numbers in HK now, it seems like my best way forward.  I promised to make a post, but apologize that I have been slow to do it.  As I don't have anything for the Postmark Calendar again today, I thought I would finally post these additions to my HK collection:


Hong Kong, Sc104 2-dollar black and scarlet KEVII definitive stamp, watermarked Multiple Crown & CA (SG87a)
Hong Kong, Sc124 10-dollar black and violet on red paper KGV definitive stamp, watermarked Multiple Crown & CA (SG116)

As time permits, I will update my Hagner stock page collection images to show these additions.  As you might imagine, this purchase has shot my stamp-buying budget for many months all at once.  Well, it seems worth it to me, as I am very happy with these.

Very nice Beryllium Guy - you definitively found something to satisfy your affection for well-centred copies  

I purchased this small lot of on-piece, Hong Kong bird definitives for $5.00 including shipping from a seller in Slovakia. I am hoping the seller will include an interesting stamp or two on the envelope as well as what is inside. There are several here that will get a soak and go into my blank space in my album including that hi-value Pelican.

Did you know that Hong Kong, before the handover in 1997 only ever issued one set of Christmas stamps? They are actually some of my favorite stamps from Hong Kong because I think the designs are really attractive. These are Sc. nos. 578-583. They are mint never-hinged and from my mother's old Christmas stamp collection.

@mr.H Ouch

The Hong Kong stamp policy tended to follow other British Commonwealth countries.



For 1997 this is a nice series with the views.

I liked the colors too much to pass this up when I saw it listed recently on a local buy/sell website. 

Making progress on Hong Kong Machins.

Looking at the short set of six values from February 1941 - 'Centenary of British Occupation' SG163 to 168 - I assumed that the 'bats' were a rather obscure reference to 'the year of the bat' - the Chinese have years of various creatures, but this seems not to be the case.  To the Chinese, the bat is regarded as a symbol of good fortune and longevity.  On these stamps, the images of bats are obscure within the design - some values having just a single bat, others with multiples of the creature.

In December 1941, the British surrendered Hong Kong to the Japanese and occupation lasted until 1946, when two values were issued celebrating 'Victory' (Peace Issue?), with Hong Kong again under British administration--these are the two magnificent designs by E.I. Wynne-Jones and W.E. Jones (unrelated apparently) - SG169 and 170 - picture also attached showing King George VI and the Phoenix.               

Here, bats are in attendance again--one each side of George VI's head.  It's easy to overlook seeing the 'bats' - they're tucked obscurely into the designs, and not obvious.  I don't have acres of pre-1950 Hong Kong issues, but looking at my limited collection wasn't aware of seeing other issues with designs incorporating bats, but expect other folk will now come in and tell us there are hordes.

What do you call a gathering of bats - anyone know?

paul1
I agree that your post wasn't in the best thread for its content, so I have moved it here for you.

By the way, according to a quick web search (Google), a large group of bats is called a colony.

paul1 according to my Stanley Gibbons and Yang's catalogues, HK only issued 3 sets of commemorative stamps before the 1941 issue.

The first was an 1891 50th Anniversary of the Colony with a 2c Queen Victoria definitive overprinted with "1841 Hong Kong Jubilee 1891". The second was a 1935 Silver Jubilee of KGV and the third being a 1937 Coronation of KGVI.

There haven't been any issues with bats before or since as far as I can tell but somebody else may know more or be able to verify.

Hi paul1, correct, the only 2 issues I can see (from looking through the catalogues) that have bats are the 2 that you've scanned/mentioned in your post. When we start getting into the QEII era, the stamps became a bit more modern and didn't have any small motifs as such.

Here is my progress on my King George V definitive sets. I had the opportunity to bid and win on a few harder to find examples lately so I have had a renewed interest in my Hong Kong collection.