Postage Stamp & Postage History Catalogue of Hong Kong
I became interested in stamps in the late 1970s. Like most high school students back then, my extracurricular activities were relatively simple, and I enjoyed visiting stamp stores and bookstores as many other students did.
In those days, there were many independent stamp stores located in various shopping malls, among which the largest was the Yang Nai-Chiang Stamp Store located in Ocean Terminal (today's Harbour City) in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Mr. Yang is a world-renowned stamp dealer, and his store was well-decorated and visited by many foreign philatelists. What impressed me most was a row of bookcases filled with stamp albums from all over the world, which was quite spectacular. I heard that many of the rare modern Chinese stamps came from this store. There were also a few coins for sale. Mr. Yang was also one of the first stamp dealers in the Chinese collecting community to launch a catalog and locator book for modern Chinese stamps. Modern Chinese stamps are well stocked in his store, and the 1980 monkey 8-cent stamps (now worth over RMB 10,000 yuan) were sold for only 0.4 HKD. Mr. Yang and his wife are from Fuzhou, both are gentle and elegant.
Another impressive stamp club is the Security Stamp Club in the Ping An Building, in Yau Ma Tei, which sells stamps and coins from all over the world and is a place of inspiration for many students. The store is like a small museum, displaying coins and stamps from all over the world, and there are also many foreign coins catalogs for sale, and new stamps can be ordered on behalf of the owner. As far as I remember, I have never seen the owner, and there was only a male clerk. The store was later run by the owner's second generation relatives.
I am Chinese, so I love my country, and of course, that love is reflected in my stamp collecting. In those days, the Commercial Press, the China Bookstore, the Sanlian Bookstore, and all the major Chinese bookstores sold New Chinese stamps. Every time a new stamp was issued by China, it was sold in these bookstores a few days later and was available in unlimited quantities. The small sheets that cost tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars today were sold for only 3 HKD back then, equivalent to the price of a bowl of wonton noodles, and they were available in unlimited quantities.
In those days, there were many independent stamp shops located in Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po District, Sheung Wan, and Causeway Bay, and most of them dealt with British stamps at very high prices due to the exchange rate. However, I did not feel any affinity from the bottom of my heart with these stamps, even though I agreed that these stamps were beautifully printed and well-designed. I have a strong impression of a dealer. Although he had a lot of modern Chinese stamps in his store, he remarked to me: "Mainlanders even do not have food to eat, so what's the prospect of their stamps". In fact, a large number of so-called "high-class" British stamps in his store have had no appreciation for more than 40 years and even depreciated for a hundred times. There is no one to ask for these stamps, and they are just like raffle tickets!
There is an international money company in central Hong Kong, which is probably the first coin dealer to operate by direct mail. They regularly sent colorful leaflets to customers, collaborated with HSBC on commemorative medals, and imported large quantities of foreign coins, including the Olympic commemorative coins exported to the United States by China in the 1980s. The company's customers are mainly middle and upper-class professionals, and it mainly adopts a pre-order-and-collect method to sell foreign currency by sellers. I remember one of my rare buying experiences with the store. When I saw a French Mona Lisa one-ounce gold coin whose price was close to the gold price, I bought it gladly, but a few days later I received a call from the salesman saying that the price was wrong and asked me to return it. I did return it, as the salesman had little experience.
There is also a shopping mall named Shing Lee Commercial Building in Central Sheung Wan, near which there are several old coin and stamp stores and the China Great Wall Coin Company operated directly under the state. The most unforgettable thing is that in the 1990s, the Great Wall Coin Company sold full-plate consecutive banknotes to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Macau's return to China at HKD 1,500, and everyone could subscribe to 3 or 4. I used to give these banknotes as gifts back then. The famous Avenue of Stars of antique stores is also within walking distance. Shing Lee Commercial Building has two floors of stores selling stamps, coins, and antiques. At the height of the time, many famous foreign stamp and coin collectors gathered here, and the famous collectors of Bruce Lee's collection were also here. There are still a few surviving coin stores with owners who are collectors, knowledgeable about coins, and friendly to customers.
I feel most deeply about the Ho Mong Kok Shopping Center in the center of Kowloon, which was opened in the 1980s. It was a very good shopping mall with elevators at that time. In the past, those who ran a coin business could only earn a living at most, and it was difficult to "get rich" or make a lot of money. However, since China’s reform and opening up, many stamp speculations have created many wealthy people. The most famous one was purchasing a department by selling monkey stamps (a stamp dealer with a unique vision bought a large number of monkey stamps at HKD 30 per sheet when everyone looked down on the modern Chinese stamps, which were available in unlimited quantities at the China Stamp Agency Press in Hong Kong back then) and buying and reselling for a big profit (a stamp dealer bought gold monkey stamps for $100,000 and flew to Beijing to sell them for one million HK dollars the next night). At its peak, mainland coin dealers repeatedly came to collect goods, and the three-story shopping mall was so full that they could not even get in. It was a small business that was only enough to make a living, but many very wealthy people were created because of China’s economic development. I think we should be grateful.
In those days, there were many independent stamp stores located in various shopping malls, among which the largest was the Yang Nai-Chiang Stamp Store located in Ocean Terminal (today's Harbour City) in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Mr. Yang is a world-renowned stamp dealer, and his store was well-decorated and visited by many foreign philatelists. What impressed me most was a row of bookcases filled with stamp albums from all over the world, which was quite spectacular. I heard that many of the rare modern Chinese stamps came from this store. There were also a few coins for sale. Mr. Yang was also one of the first stamp dealers in the Chinese collecting community to launch a catalog and locator book for modern Chinese stamps. Modern Chinese stamps are well stocked in his store, and the 1980 monkey 8-cent stamps (now worth over RMB 10,000 yuan) were sold for only 0.4 HKD. Mr. Yang and his wife are from Fuzhou, both are gentle and elegant.
Another impressive stamp club is the Security Stamp Club in the Ping An Building, in Yau Ma Tei, which sells stamps and coins from all over the world and is a place of inspiration for many students. The store is like a small museum, displaying coins and stamps from all over the world, and there are also many foreign coins catalogs for sale, and new stamps can be ordered on behalf of the owner. As far as I remember, I have never seen the owner, and there was only a male clerk. The store was later run by the owner's second generation relatives.
I am Chinese, so I love my country, and of course, that love is reflected in my stamp collecting. In those days, the Commercial Press, the China Bookstore, the Sanlian Bookstore, and all the major Chinese bookstores sold New Chinese stamps. Every time a new stamp was issued by China, it was sold in these bookstores a few days later and was available in unlimited quantities. The small sheets that cost tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars today were sold for only 3 HKD back then, equivalent to the price of a bowl of wonton noodles, and they were available in unlimited quantities.
In those days, there were many independent stamp shops located in Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po District, Sheung Wan, and Causeway Bay, and most of them dealt with British stamps at very high prices due to the exchange rate. However, I did not feel any affinity from the bottom of my heart with these stamps, even though I agreed that these stamps were beautifully printed and well-designed. I have a strong impression of a dealer. Although he had a lot of modern Chinese stamps in his store, he remarked to me: "Mainlanders even do not have food to eat, so what's the prospect of their stamps". In fact, a large number of so-called "high-class" British stamps in his store have had no appreciation for more than 40 years and even depreciated for a hundred times. There is no one to ask for these stamps, and they are just like raffle tickets!
There is an international money company in central Hong Kong, which is probably the first coin dealer to operate by direct mail. They regularly sent colorful leaflets to customers, collaborated with HSBC on commemorative medals, and imported large quantities of foreign coins, including the Olympic commemorative coins exported to the United States by China in the 1980s. The company's customers are mainly middle and upper-class professionals, and it mainly adopts a pre-order-and-collect method to sell foreign currency by sellers. I remember one of my rare buying experiences with the store. When I saw a French Mona Lisa one-ounce gold coin whose price was close to the gold price, I bought it gladly, but a few days later I received a call from the salesman saying that the price was wrong and asked me to return it. I did return it, as the salesman had little experience.
There is also a shopping mall named Shing Lee Commercial Building in Central Sheung Wan, near which there are several old coin and stamp stores and the China Great Wall Coin Company operated directly under the state. The most unforgettable thing is that in the 1990s, the Great Wall Coin Company sold full-plate consecutive banknotes to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Macau's return to China at HKD 1,500, and everyone could subscribe to 3 or 4. I used to give these banknotes as gifts back then. The famous Avenue of Stars of antique stores is also within walking distance. Shing Lee Commercial Building has two floors of stores selling stamps, coins, and antiques. At the height of the time, many famous foreign stamp and coin collectors gathered here, and the famous collectors of Bruce Lee's collection were also here. There are still a few surviving coin stores with owners who are collectors, knowledgeable about coins, and friendly to customers.
I feel most deeply about the Ho Mong Kok Shopping Center in the center of Kowloon, which was opened in the 1980s. It was a very good shopping mall with elevators at that time. In the past, those who ran a coin business could only earn a living at most, and it was difficult to "get rich" or make a lot of money. However, since China’s reform and opening up, many stamp speculations have created many wealthy people. The most famous one was purchasing a department by selling monkey stamps (a stamp dealer with a unique vision bought a large number of monkey stamps at HKD 30 per sheet when everyone looked down on the modern Chinese stamps, which were available in unlimited quantities at the China Stamp Agency Press in Hong Kong back then) and buying and reselling for a big profit (a stamp dealer bought gold monkey stamps for $100,000 and flew to Beijing to sell them for one million HK dollars the next night). At its peak, mainland coin dealers repeatedly came to collect goods, and the three-story shopping mall was so full that they could not even get in. It was a small business that was only enough to make a living, but many very wealthy people were created because of China’s economic development. I think we should be grateful.