HONG KONG

Return To Catalogue - Miscellaneous - 1903-1920 issues - Queen Victoria, forgeries - cancels

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.

Hongkong was ceded to Great Britain at the end of the Opium-war in 1842. Hongkong was then leased for a period of 99 years in 1898. In 1997 Hongkong was returned to China.

Before the introduction of special stamps for Hongkong in 1862, stamps of Great Britain were used with cancels "B56", "B57" and "B62". In the post office of Hongkong in Macao a cancel with a "M" was used.

1862 Queen Victoria

(The rare 4 c with perforation 12 1/2, image obtained from http://www.sandafayre.com)

  2 c green
  2 c red
  2 c brown
  4 c red
  4 c grey
  5 c blue
  5 c yellow
  6 c lilac
  8 c brown
  8 c yellow
  10 c lilac on red
  10 c blue
  10 c lilac
  10 c green
  12 c blue
  16 c yellow
  18 c violet
  24 c green
  30 c red
  30 c lilac
  30 c green
  30 c brown
  48 c red
  48 c brown
  96 c brownish grey
  96 c brown (olive bistre)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged

  '3 CENTS.' on 16 c yellow (postcard stamp)
  'THREE' on '5 CENTS.' on 18 c lilac (postcard stamp)
  '5 cents.' on 8 c yellow
  '5 cents.' on 18 c lilac
  '5 CENTS.' on 18 c lilac (postcard stamp)
  '7 cents.' on 10 c green
  '10 cents.' on 12 c blue
  '10 cents.' on 16 c yellow
  '10 cents.' on 24 c green
  '10 CENTS' on 30 c green
  '14 cents.' on 30 c lilac
  '16 cents.' on 18 c lilac
  '20 CENTS' on 30 c red
  '20 CENTS' on 30 c green
  '28 cents.' on 30 c lilac
  '50 CENTS' on 48 c brown
  '50 CENTS' on 48 c lilac
  '1 DOLLAR' on 96 c olive
  '1 DOLLAR' on 96 c grey
  '1 DOLLAR' on 96 c lilac on red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged with value and chinese signs at the left

  '10 CENTS' + chinese text on 30 c green
  '20 CENTS' + chinese text on 30 c green
  '50 CENTS' + chinese text on 48 c lilac
  '1 DOLLAR' + chinese text on 96 c lilac on red
  '1 DOLLAR' + chinese text on 96 c grey

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged "1841 Hong Kong JUBILEE 1891"

  2 c red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

The Jubilee overprint was only in use for three days. Literature: 'The 1891 Jubilee Overprint of Hong Kong' by D. S. H. Chan: the 1st setting, 2nd setting and all the printings and positions are illustrated. The double overprints, the numerous varieties, cancellations, treaty port cancellations and forgeries are described (I have not seen this book myself).

Stamps with overprint "S.O." + chinese characters (Stamp Office: 2 c red or 10 c lilac on red) or "S.D." + chinese characters (Stamp Duty; 2 c red) are fiscal stamps issued in 1891.

Probably genuine overprints

Forged 'S.O.' overprint

Stamps with vertical overprint "Service." (reading upwards or downwards) are probably bogus issues (I've seen the values 2 c brown and 12 c blue with this overprint). See http://www.hkpsoc.com/articles/service_stamps.html for pictures and more details.

For forgeries of this issue, click here and for cancels click here.

Postal Fiscals

The values 2 $ green, 3 $ lilac and 10 $ red of the 1867 fiscal issue were allowed for postal usage in 1874. The surcharged stamps 5 $ on 10 $ lilac on red and 1 $ on 2 $ green could also be used for this purpose as well as a 2 c lilac in a smaller design (fiscal stamp of 1873). Other values can be found with postal cancels, but are either forgeries or unauthorised usage of fiscal stamps.

(Postally used? fiscal stamp of $3, reduced size)

P.S. The cancel 'HONG KONG PAID ALL' in black is a fiscal cancel and not a postal one. This cancel in red was used on envelopes only (not on stamps) on mail from the USA from 1868 to 1877:

(Fiscal cancel 'HONG KONG PAID ALL)

For more info on these fiscal stamps click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer