Hong Kong Machin Definitives (1992 - 1997)

The second souvenir sheet advertising the "Hong Kong '97" was issued on 18 May 1996. Like its predecessor, the sheet shows an old view of Hong Kong and several historical cancellations. It was printed in lithography by Johan Enschedé, again on OBA-free non-phosphorised paper. The $10 stamp was printed in sapphire blue, signal green, and black.

The Hong Kong Post Office issued the third and final of the souvenir sheets advertising the Hong Kong '97 stamp exhibition on 16 October 1996. Like the preceding two souvenir sheets in the series, it showed a view of Hong Kong with historic cancellations. It was printed in lithography by Johan Enschedé on OBA-free non-phosphorised paper. The $10 stamp was printed in apple green, carmine, and black.

On 29 October 1996, the Hong Kong Post Office issued another souvenir sheet. This celebrated the achievements of Hong Kong's athletes at the 26th. Olympiad in Atlanta, USA. The souvenir sheet shows Lee Lai-shan (San San). She was the first athlete from Hong Kong to win gold at an Olympiad. She did so in the women's windsurfing event.

The souvenir sheet was printed in lithography by Johan Enschedé on OBA-free non-phosphorised paper. The $10 stamp was printed in the normal brownish colours. The Deegam handbook mentions it was printed in red-brown, cinnamon, and black. These are also the colours listed for the sheet issued in 1994 for the Conference of Commonwealth Postal Administrations.

The final three souvenir sheets appeared on 14 February 1997. The were sheets numbers 7, 8, and 9 in the "Hong Classics Series." The three sheets also appeared with an illustrated border in the "Hong Kong Past & Present" prestige stamp book issued on the same day. All three miniature sheets and the prestige book were printed in lithography by Johan Enschedé on OBA-free non-phosphorised paper. Each sheet contained six small-format stamps with one or two yellow phosphor bars.

Miniature sheet number 7 depicts stamps the Hong Kong Post Office issued in 1990 to commemorate the 150th. anniversary of electrity in Hong Kong. It contained two $5 stamps with a single centre phosphor bar and four $1.30 stamps with two side phosphor bars.

Miniature sheet number 8 depicts stamps the Hong Kong Post Office issued in 1991 to commemorate its 150th. anniversary. It contained four $3.10 stamps with a single centre phosphor bar and two $1.60 stamps with two side phosphor bars.

Miniature sheet number 9 depicts stamps the Hong Kong Post Office issued in 1991 to commemorate the 100th. anniversary of public transport in Hong Kong. It contained four $2.50 stamps with a single centre phosphor bar and two $2.10 stamps with two side phosphor bars.



Below image shows the fluorescent reaction of the words "HONG KONG" and the yellow phosphor bars under a long-wave uv lamp.



On 30 June 1997, the British Crown handed Hong Kong over to the People's Republic of China.

This concludes my presentation of the 1992-1997 Hong Kong Machins. Please, feel free to add to this thread.

You have single-handedly given me a new appreciation for Hong Kong Machins. What I particularly like is the soft colors they chose to use, the $1.60 reminds me of some kind of watermelon bubblegum where you chew a hard green shell and get to the soft bubblegum pink inside. Inspired by these posts I just got a few of these souvenir sheets on ebay yesterday. Cheers!

@oldboldandbrash

Good to read the thread has rekindled your interest in these stamps.

I was adding catalog numbers to my Steiner Hong Kong pages for the litho varieties. Steiner provides a space for a $1.60 and $5 issue that are not listed in my 2016 Scott. I checked other online sources and do not see a $1.60 litho variety but I do see several varieties for the $5 in Michel (litho unwatermarked, litho watermarked, and then phosphor variations.

Can someone confirm the status of the $1.60 and what Scott now lists in a later catalog?

The $1.60 in Lithography was issued on 14 February 1997. It appears in a miniature sheet and a stamp book pane that, basically, is the miniature with a creamy border with imprint. Both were printed by Enschedé and, technically, are similar. See also the Deegam listing that is complete.

The $5 was issued on 12 January 1994 from a booklet pane printed in lithography by Leigh-Mardon. This had the Crown over script CA watermark. The individual panes from the booklets are part of a series of miniature sheets. The miniature sheets, however, were never issued separately. The staff at the philatelic bureau took them out of the booklet. The paper is OBA-free.

The $5 was also issued on 18 February 1994 from a sheetlet printed in lithography by Leigh-Mardon. This showd the four plates used for the printing next to the stamp and is named : A stamp is born." It has no watermark. The paper has OBA. It, therefore, is a different stamp.

The $5 stamp was issued on 14 February 1997 from the same set of miniature sheets and stamp book panes as the $1.60. These were printed by Enschedé and have phosphor bars. As such, you have a third, distinguishable variety. The yellow phosphors used for the stamp book and miniature sheet are different types of Enschedé's AY-phosphor. So, at level 3, Deegam recognises two more varieties I doubt Scott will list.

In essence, you have one $1.60 and three $5 stamps, four if you consider the fluor used in the phosphor, printed in lithography. Leigh-Mardon was terrible at producing a constant quality. This results in differences in the brightness of OBA and fluor overprints. Normally, these are seen as varieties and not different stamps.

All other stamps with these values were printed in gravure by Enschedé. The $5 with and without phosphor bars.

Thanks. As for Deegam, I did look to see in my HB5 if they had anything.

I also was referred to a link http://stamp-collector.co.uk/index....5&chapter=40 since I also inquired elsewhere. Scott appears to have some basic errors even giving it usually ignores phosphor and some issues from prestige booklets. There was a question if there were any photo phosphor issues. The link above as I read states there is not.

Now my intention was to redo the Steiner pages to include more varieties (phosphor) so starting from scratch. Steiner has spaces some (not sure if all) of the mini-sheets.

On 2 September 1996, the tariffs were raised. The $1.50 land mail rate was raised to $1.60. Counter sheets and stamp rolls for use in vending machines of the $1.60 stamps were put on sale from that date. These were printed by Enschedé in gravure. Since automatic letter facing (ALF) machines had been introduced in April of that year, these were issued with two phosphor bars. The two bars were used for non-airmail rates.

The $5 was issued in counter sheets when this design was first used. As a result of the introduction of the Alf machines, it was re-issued in April 1996 with a single centre phosphor bar. Counter sheets were printed in gravure only.

The $1.60, therefore only exists with phosphor bars in gravure and lithography. The $5 exists with and without a centre phosphor bar in both gravure and lithography.

All the information is mentioned above. It was based on articles by Daniel Tangri in The Bookmark Journal that, as far as I am aware, is the only source for a complete listing. And they come with pictures of the phosphor bars and fluor elements.

Thanks. I will search for the article. What about Deegam? I have HB5 and see nothing about Hong Kong. Is there another Deegam?

Have you posted a complete set of varieties on your custom pages for reference? I could use them as a reference list.

My old Deegam HB lists it. But the listing is incomplete and has some errors, but these are very few. I am surprised the handbook no longer lists them. They were in the section with non-uk Machins: appendix 11, section 2 (in the 2005 version).

Daniel Tangri's articles (including a kind of catalogue; I found one error in the issue date of a souvenir sheet I mention above) were published in 2014: The Bookmark Journal of the Modern British Philatelic Circle, volume 43, numbers 4-6, and volume 44, numbers 1-2. Members can download the journals from the circle's website.

Thanks.

This is what the appendix looks like in HB5. HB4 is similar.



I was able to obtain Tangri's articles from the APRL (APS Library), same day service, but have not had a chance to study them.

NSK,

On your HK B2 image you state the 1996 7-Eleven Issues from Enschede were printed in gravure. Is this correct? Your caption and your supporting write makes no mention of this.

Thanks

Well spotted. That should have read "lithography." The 7-Eleven booklets were all printed in lithography.