GEMS IN MY COLLECTION
QV Newspaper & Printed Circular Post
“Gold” One-frame postal history exhibit (HONG KONG 2009)
By Charles Chan FRPSL (H.K.)
Arrangement of the exhibit:
This One-frame exhibit aims to show the postal history of newspaper and printed circular in the Queen Victoria reign, from Hong Kong and the Treaty Ports of China and Japan. It is arranged to start with stampless examples in pre-adhesive times, then follows by items in the adhesive period (pre and post U.P.U.). There is an interesting 1891 stampless local bulk mail printed circular wrapper charged 1¢. Examples of early 1900’s GPO postal stationery envelopes and wrappers using for posting newspapers and printed circulars are included.
HKPO notice 7 March 1863 mentioned “….Prices Currents for Alexandria, Batavia, Suez, Trieste or the continent of Europe via Trieste at 2d each”
Rated 2 in red indicates 2d (4¢) prepaid by watermark CC 4¢ stamp in greenish-grey.
Since wrapper does not normally receive either dispatch or arrival c.d.s. exact date of posting therefore cannot be ascertained.
However, the blue “early” type B62 on the 4¢ suggests that it would be posted between September 1863 to August 1865 according to Proud p. 299.
The “China Mail” published a P.O. Notice of 19 January 1846 that British Packet rate 1d for newspapers, prices current, printed circulars &c. under the new contract with P&O also applied to China. This 1d Inter-Ports rate was in force throughout the whole QV reign.
Showing here is the earliest recorded Inter-Treaty Port printed circular Datelined “Amoy 11 March 1863” from Amoy to Hong Kong. Sent by the P&O Cadiz on the inter-Treaty Port round trip line between HK-Amoy-Swatow-Foochow. Rated m/s “1” for 1d or 2¢ to pay on arrival.
Newspaper post to U.K.
via Marseilles
Earliest recorded of the five known pre-adhesive period newspaper wrapper to U.K. via Marseilles
30 October 1849 “The Hong Kong Register” newspaper wrapper to England sent via Marseilles. Dispatch and arrival c.d.s.
Rated m/s “3” meaning 3d in black to pay on arrival. According to Hong Kong first postal regulations of 1844, postage could not be prepaid from Hong Kong if sent via Marseilles.
