The Hong Kong 'China' Overprints British Offices In China 1917 - 1930

The members of the Hong Kong Study Circle have built and expanded upon the previous research of Webb and the monographs of Harvey Tilles regarding the security markings and perfins associated with the Hong Kong stamps.

Much of this information can be found at http://rodsell.com/hksmsic/hksmsic for security markings and http://rodsell.com/hkperfins/hkperfin.html for perfins. This data has all been gathered by Rod Sell and other members of the Hong Kong Study Circle

The information below refers solely to the security markings and perfins associated with the ‘China’ overprints.

No markings have been reported from Chefoo.

Perfins

Perfins on the ‘China’ overprints are rare and, like many of the cancellations used at the time, have not been extensively studied with respect to the overprints (although there has been much more extensive research of security markings used on the un-overprinted Hong Kong stamps). Consequently, it is difficult to know if recorded perfin varieties have actually been seen on the overprinted stamps. For instance, the H&S/BC perfin is noted as being used in Shanghai, Amoy, Canton, Foochow and Swatow, but I believe that this perfin was not used on China overprints as the only recorded dates appear to be prior to the introduction of the overprinted stamps.

The use of perfins in most places was primarily to prevent employee theft of postage but in China, the use of security chops, markings and perfins was also due to the lack of security of the mailboxes themselves. In fact, the Hong Kong Post Office stated “Boxholders are at liberty to mark their postage stamps on the back or face or by perforation so as to prevent them from being stolen”. The use of perfins on the ‘China’ overprints has been recorded from the following locations and with the following markings (Harvey Tilles numbering used for convenience).

H-9 6mm high, Pins 11+1+11/13+1+8 = 45

H-6 11mm wide, 6mm high, Pins 43

Because the stamps were perforated privately, in many cases the quality control was not a rigorous as that of the governmental printing agencies. Consequently, many perforating pins would be bent or missing and this makes accurate identification difficult in some cases.

Even more rare than the perfins is the use of security handstamps. Known uses are listed below.

Handstamps and Company Markings

An apparently unlisted marking, "P. Heath & Co/Shanghai," has just been reported stamped on the backflap of a cover from Shanghai to Canada dated August 7, 1919. Not much is currently known about this handstamp.

Finally, there is an overprint on another 4c red containing a part stamping “…signees”, possibly part of the word “Consignees”.

A consignee letter was simply a letter containing shipping documents, it was sent with the cargo on the ship on which it travelled, and the recipient of the cargo also was the recipient of the letter. Consignee letters normally were given to the ship’s master immediately before departure. To show to the postal authorities that such mail, being delivered without going through the postal system, was not to deceive or avoid payment of stamp postage fees, some of these consignee letters would have the correct postage stamp amount adhered to the cover for such stamps to then be franked by the sender with the firm’s security marking as an indication that the postal requirements were being complied with.