CHINA LOCAL ISSUES part 1

(Treaty ports)

Return To Catalogue - China Local Issues, part 2 - China

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

Note that other stamps than the ones listed here may exist! China is a very interesting country from a stamp collecting point of view. Besides the normal stamps many local stamps were issued. However, it seems that most of the local stamps have never served for that purpose, but were merely issued for stamp collectors! Furthermore many countries had foreign post offices in China (Germany, Russia, France, Japan, Great Britain, Italy and the United States). The following cities issued their own stamps (all of them were ports): Hankow, Chefoo, Chungking, Kewkiang, Chinkiang, Ichang, Wuhu, Foochow, Amoy, Nanking and Wei-Hai-Wei. The stamps of Tientsin are probably bogus issues. For stamps of Shanghai, click here.

Literature:
1) 'Catalogue of the Local Issues of the Treaty Ports of China' by B.N.Lane and P. Maguire, issued by China Stamps, England, 1982
2) 'Treay Port Local Issues of China' by Ldn Agent G.F.Rowe, Published by China Stamps SW Aus, 1957, 28 pages
(I haven't seen theses catalogues myself).

Amoy

Birds

  1/2 c green
  1 c red
  2 c blue
  4 c brown
  5 c red-brown

Surcharged

  'Half Cent' on 4 c brown
  'Half Cent' on 5 c red-brown
  '1/2 C' on 4 c brown
  '1/2 C' on 5 c red-brown
  '3 CENTS.' (red) on 15 c black
  '6 CENTS' on 20 c lilac
  '8 CENTS' on 15 c black
  '10 CENTS.' on 25 red

Overprinted 'POSTAGE DUE'

  1/2 c green ('POSTAGE DUE' in red or black)
  1 c red
  2 c blue ('POSTAGE DUE' in red or black)
  4 c brown ('POSTAGE DUE' in red) 
  5 c red-brown ('POSTAGE DUE' in red)

Some bogus stamps exist with inscription 'SHANGHAI AMOY NINGPO HONGKONG':

A slightly different type, 3 c blue and 10 c yellow.

Chefoo

1893 Smoke tower and telegraph mast

  1/2 c green
  1 c red
  2 c blue
  5 c orange
  10 c brown

I've seen imperforate forgeries of the 1/2 c in various colors, with the background clouds rather badly done:

Forgeries of the 1/2 c in various colors, reduced sizes

1896 Larger size

  15 c blue and brown
  20 c lilac and brown
  25 c red and black

Chefoo postal stationery

  1/2 c green ('CHEFOO LOCAL POST. POST CARD.)
  1 c orange ('CHEFOO LOCAL POST. LETTER CARD.)

Newspaper wrapper

'CHEFOO LOCAL POST NEWSPAPER WRAPPER'

Chinkiang

Type I: no clouds in the sky

  1/2 c red
  1 c blue
  2 c brown
  4 c yellow
  5 c green
  6 c lilac
  10 c orange

Slightly different design (type II: clouds in the sky)

  1/2 c red
  1 c blue
  2 c brown
  4 c yellow
  6 c lilac
  10 c orange
  15 c red

Overprinted 'POSTAGE DUE'

  1/2 c red (type I or II)
  1 c blue (type I)
  2 c brown (type I)
  4 c yellow (type I)
  5 c green (type I, I've seen an inverted overprint)
  6 c lilac (type I)
  10 c orange (type I)

Overprinted 'SERVICE'
  1/2 c red (type II)
  2 c brown (type II)
  4 c yellow (type II)
  5 c green (type II)
  6 c lilac (type II)
  10 c orange (type II)


Inscription 'Postage due'

  1/2 c red
  1 c blue
  4 c yellow
  5 c green (misspelt 'FIVR')
  6 c lilac
  10 c orange
  15 c red

Inscription 'POSTAGE DUE' and surcharged

  'FIVE CENTS' (in red) on 5 c green

Forgeries of the 1 c in different colors, reduced sizes

Chunking

(Reduced view)

  2 c red
  4 c blue
  8 c orange
  16 c lilac
  24 c green

Overprinted 'POSTAGE DUE'

  2 c red
  4 c blue
  16 c lilac

I've seen forged inverted 'POSTAGE DUE' overprints.

Different type:

2 c red, next to it the same stamp with a red chinese overprint(?)

Foochow

1895-1896 Chinese junks and boats

(Reduced size)

  1/2 c blue
  1/2 c yellow (1896)
  1 c green
  1 c brown (1896)
  2 c orange
  5 c blue
  6 c red
  10 c green
  15 c brown
  20 c lilac
  40 c brown

Postcards in the same design

Postcard

  1/2 c brown

Probably a bogus issue resembling one of the first stamps of China (jonk of the 1894 issue), but with inscription 'FOOCHOW.' (reduced size).

Hankow

1893(?) Man carrying goods

  2 c lilac on yellow
  2 c lilac
  5 c green on yellow
  10 c red on lilac

Overprinted 'Postage due'

  2 c lilac
  5 c green on yellow
  10 c red on lilac

Man, carrying goods, different design, larger stamp

  2 c green
  5 c brown
  10 c blue

Surcharged

  '1.ONE CENT 1.' on 10 c blue

Temple and building, small stamps

  10 c red (building)
  20 c lilac (temple)
  20 c blue
  30 c red

Overprinted 'POSTAGE DUE'

  10 c red
  20 c lilac
  30 c red

Buildings, large size

  20 c red
  30 c violet

Surcharged

  'ONE CENT' on 30 c violet
  '2. TWO CENTS 2.' on 20 c red
  '5. FIVE CENTS 5.' on 30 c violet

For more local issues of China click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer