hong kong officially sealed labels...

Hong Kong Officially Sealed Labels Catalog by

Philippe Orsetti

2008

Officially Sealed Labels, an official postal document, are used to secure

letters and packages received in damaged condition or damaged at the

Post Office.

In Hong Kong, during the First World War, they were also used to

reseal letters that were opened by censors, before the introduction of a

specific resealing strip in the early part of 1915.

The first issue, in black & white, of the catalog of this unusual

philatelic topic was published by the same author in the Hong Kong

Study Circle Journal no 280, dated January 1992.

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Type 1

Usage: Earliest recorded usage

June 5, 1894, latest 1902.

Color: Light Brown

Background: Blue Guilloche

Royal Arms: Near Square, 12x11mm

Chinese Text: 8 Characters, "Officially

Sealed by the Hong Kong General

Postal Affairs Department"

Size (seal - design): 54x34 - 45x27

Perforation: Only perforated type, the

edges of the sheet were nor perforated.

.

Type 1a

Missing blue background

Type 1

October 16,1894

Earliest known use of a seal on cover.

Two seals used to repair a locally addressed cover "opened by mistake".

Type 2

Usage: Aug. 18, 1913 to Oct. 1914

Color: Chestnut

Background: No background

Royal Arms: Rectangle 15x11½mm

Chinese Text: Same as Type 1


Type 2a

Coma after O of POST.

Type 2 Usage as a censor seal during WWI.

Cover dated 6 October 1914 from CARLOWITZ & Co. (stamps with C & C H perfins).

Opened by censors in Hong Kong and officially resealed with instructional marking strike

O.F.I. (Open For Inspection).

Type 3

Usage: Circa 1914

Color: Brown

Royal Arms: as Type 2

Frame: Similar Type 2, but bottom row and

inner LH corner ornaments are inverted.

Type 4

Usage: recorded from May 1912 to 1918.

Color: Brown


Frame: Similar to Type 3, but three inverted

ornaments in bottom row and inner LH

corner ornaments as in Type 2.

Type 4a

- Short ornament in RH lower corner.

- G of KONG offset upward

Type 5

Usage: Earliest recorded use Apr. 30, 1913

Color: Light blue

Watermarked


Only type printed in several colors

Frame: All ornaments in a given row

are now facing the same direction.

Type 5a

(Same as Type 5)

KONG offset to left

Type 5A

(Same as Type 5)

Color: Grey

Type 5B

(Same as Type 5)

Color: Chestnut

Type 5C

(Same as Type 5)

Color: Purple-brown

Type 6

Usage: Circa 1915.

Color: Light blue

Watermarked

Royal arms: square, as Type 1

Frame: ornament in new order

Chinese text: 9 characters reading:

"Officially Sealed by the British

Hong Kong Postal Administration"

Type 7

Usage: Circa 1915 - 1917

Color: Grey blue

Royal arms: rectangle frame as Type 2

Frame: Rough printing, uneven ornaments,

similar to Type 4 with some inversions.

Type 8

Usage: Circa 1915

Color: Light blue


Frame: Same as Type 7, but clearer

with perfectly aligned ornaments.


Type 8A

Usage: ?

Color: Light blue

Royal arms: As Type 6, but smaller,

with frame almost square, 10½x10mm

Frame: New regular flowers


Type 9

Usage: Recorded use Sep. 1923 - Jan. 6, 1924

Color: Light blue

Royal arms: square as Type 6

Frame: New outer frame made of short bars


Type 10 Usage: Circa 1930

Color: Light blue

Royal arms: New design in square 12x12mm

Frame: Short bars, 2 constant spaces at RH

and 1 at LH of vertical frames.


Type 11

Usage: Circa 1932

Color: Light blue

Royal arms: New design in rect. 19x15mm

Frame: geometric designs and §

Text: “GENERA LPOST OFFICE”


Type 12

Usage: Recorded Sep. 2 1933

Color: Light blue

Frame: Geometric design rearranged, no § English Text:: K of KONG under F

Type 12a Same as Type 12 but - K of KONG under C - Offset dot after SEALED

Type 13

Usage: Recorded Mar. 30, 1932 - Jan. 19, 1939

Color: Light blue

Frame: Geometric design rearranged

Text: “GENERAL POST OFFCIE”

- K under I

- Upward dot after SEALED

Type 13

Progressive printing deterioration

Type 14

Usage: Earliest record Jan. 19, 1936.

Color: Light blue

Frame: inverted or reversed ornaments

Text: correct “GENERAL POST OFFICE” - K of KONG under I

- Correct dot after SEALED.

Type 14

"City of Kharthoum" crash cover.

Airmail cover from Swansea, UK, dated 23 December 1935,

to the Chief Inspector of the Hong Kong Police Force.

Received damaged from the crash, it was resealed in Hong Kong on January 19, 1936

Type 14

Progressive printing deterioration

Type 15

Usage: 1940 to WWII,

during the war by Japanese postal officials,

and after the war until circa 1949

Color: blue

Frame: Double line

Form: R.B. 32


Sealed by the British Hong Kong Postal

Administration"


Type 15

In use in 1941 before WWII, during the war by Japanese postal officials, and after until circa 1949

China to USA dated May 12, 1941, damaged and repaired with three seals form “R.B. 32”.

Type 15-JO1

Usage: Japanese Occupation period



Administration" The Japanese postal authorities wanting to eradicate

any sign of British occupation, obliterated the two

characters meaning British

Type 15-JO1

Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, December 28, 1943

Cover from Tokyo, recovered from a ship wreck., bearing a postal label indicating the wreck circumstances.

Type 15-JO2 Usage: Japanese Occupation period

Color: black & violet

Frame: single line

Chinese Text:


Type 15-JO2

Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, May 14, 1943 to Kowloon

Open officially as indicated by a pre-printed form “This postal item was opened according to

Article 14 of the postal law, etc…” and resealed.

Type 15-JO3 Usage: Japanese Occupation period

Color: black & violet

Frame: single line

Chinese Text: ”Arrived damaged, so it

was repaired. Hong Kong Post Office”

Type 15-JO3

Sent from Shanghai on September 27, 1942. Arrived in Hong Kong September 28, and finally

delivered on October 16, 1942, after repair. (Ref. Hong Kong Stamp Society Bulletin # 30)

Type 15a

Usage: 1946

Color: blue-green

Frame: Double line

Form: (R.B. 32) same Type 15, but brackets

English text: Same Type 15 but

GENERAL POST OFFICE

longer than Type 15 (47 instead of 39mm)


Type 15a

From Malta, arrived Hong Kong September 20, 1946.

Type 16

Usage: recorded Sep 6, 1949 to Mar 29, 1952

Color: blue

Watermarked

Royal arms: New frameless type

Frame: Double line

Form: G.P.O.-R.B. 32

Chinese Text: 8 Characters, "Officially Sealed

by the British Hong Kong Postal

Administration"


Type 16

Fragments of Type 16 used to repair an Air Mail letter that left Hong Kong for

Trinidad October 6, 1951. After a transit in New York, October 13, it reached

Trinidad on October 19, where it was unclaimed. Returned to Hong Kong by

surface mail, it arrived on March 29, 1952, five and half months later.

No wonder it was damaged…..

Type 17

Usage: Feb 28, 1941

Color: Black

Size (seal - design):

108x78 – 98x69

Type 18

Issued: 1940

Color: Black

Watermarked

Form: (G.P.O.R.B. 40)

Size (seal - design):

104x83 – 86x66

Type 19

Issued: 1952

Color: blue

Form: P.18 5,000 2/52



Administration"

Size: 77x38

Type 19

Resealed cover to Japan, August 20, 1952

Type 20

Issued: 1952

Color: blue

Form: P18 20,000-8/52-A8542

Size: 77x38

Type 20

Sydney, Australia to Hong Kong, via Singapore

On March 13, 1954 a BOAC Constellation, G-ALAM touched down too short on the Singapore

runway and crashed. Within moments the fuselage was engulfed in flames, 31 passengers and two

crew members perished. Some of the mail was recovered and delivered.

Type 21

Issued: 1953

Color: blue

Form: P. 18a /-1/53-A8605 20,000

Size (seal - design): 79x41 – 74x36

By the end of the 1950’s, a new faster and more convenient way to reseal mail appeared in the

form of self-adhesive sealing tapes. As a consequence, use of seals was then temporarily

discontinued until reintroduction of new self-adhesives forms circa 1990. They are usually, but

not necessarily, found associated with a self-adhesive sealing tape and sometimes enclosed in a

specific envelope or in a plastic protective bag.

Self-adhesives forms

Type 22 Usage: 1978

Color: black

Form: Pos 575

Size: 100x45

Hong Kong Post Office at bottom

Label for damaged local mail

Type 23 Usage: 1978

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A

Size: 100x45

Hong Kong Post Office at bottom

Label for damaged inward mail

Type 24

Usage: 1990

Color: black

Form: Pos 575

Size: 100x45


Type 25 Issued: 1991

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (Rev. July/91)

Size: 100x45


Type 25a Issued: 1994

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (Rev. 7/94)

Size: 100x45


Type 26

Issued: 1996

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (4/96)

Size: 100x45


Type 27

Issued: 1996

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (7/96)

Size: 100x45


Type 28

Issued: 1997

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (12/97)

Size: 100x45

Type 29

Issued: 1997

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (4/98)

Size: 100x42

Type 30

Issued: 1999

Color: black

Form: Pos 575 (9/99)

Size: 100x45

Printed in sheet of 12

Type 31

Issued: 1999

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (9/99)

Size: 100x45


Type 32

Issued: 2003

Color: black

Form: Pos 575 (1/2003)


Size: 99x55


Type 33

Issued: 2003

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (1/2003)


Size: 99x55


Type 34

Issued: 2003

Color: black

Form: Pos 575B (1/2003)

Label for damaged international

mail

Size: 99x55


Type 36

Issued: 2005

Color: black

Form: Pos 575A (5/2005)

Size: 100x55

Complete sheet of Type 30 Complete sheet of Type 32

Self-adhesive sealing tapes

Sealing Tape 0

Usage: 1957 – 1975

Blank tape

Width: 19mm

Sealing Tape 0, on local cover dated May 24, 1974 (front & back)

Sealing Tape 1

Usage: 1960 – 1968

Width: 19mm, translucent

Text spacing: 31mm

OFFICIALLY SEALED: 19.5 / 2 mm round O

HO6G KO6G POST OFFICE: 29mm, round O

Chinese text: Wavy “Officially sealed by

the Hong Kong Postal Administration”,

Hong Kong at end.

Sealing Tape 1

“RECEIVED DAMAGED” in Hong Kong, from Mongolia on April 19, 1960.

Sealing Tape 2

Issued: October 1966


Text spacing: 31.5mm

OFFICIALLY SEALED: 20 / 2 mm oval 0


Chinese Characters: Wavy,

Hong Kong at end

Sealing Tape 3

Usage: 1973


Text spacing: 30mm

OFFICIALLY SEALED: 19.5 / 2 mm oval 0

HO6G KO6G POST OFFICE: 27mm, oval 0,

2mm space after OFFICE

Chinese Characters: Straight, Hong Kong at end

Sealing Tape 4

Usage:

Width: 19mm

Text spacing: 31mm




Chinese Characters: Hong Kong at end

Sealing Tape 5

Usage: 1976

Width: 19mm, white tape

Text spacing: 33mm


HO6G KO6G POST OFFICE: 29.5mm, oval 0,



Sealing Tape 6

Usage: 1973


Text spacing: 31mm





Sealing Tape 6

Mailed from China on June 13, 1973, “RECEIVED DAMAGED” in Hong Kong, June 20, 1973

Sealing Tape 7

Usage: 1981


Text spacing: 32mm


HO6G KO6G POST OFFICE: 30.5mm, round O

Chinese Characters: Hong Kong at beginning

Sealing Tape 7

July 25, 1991, tape used together with seal Type 23

Sealing Tape 8

Usage: 1983


Text spacing: 31mm




Sealing Tape 8

“Received damaged”, Tape usage in connection with seal Type 23, September 26, 1989

Sealing Tape 9

Usage: ?


Text spacing: ?

OFFICIALLY SEALED: oval 0

HO6G KO6G POST OFFICE: round 0

Chinese Characters: ?

Sealing Tape 10

Usage: 1995 – 1996


Text spacing: 31 or 32mm

OFFICIALLY SEALED: 20 / 1.5 mm oval 0

HO6G KO6G POST OFFICE: 30mm, oval 0


Sealing Tape 10a

Both text lines on top

Sealing Tape 10b

Half text line on top

Sealing Tape 11

Usage: 1997 – 1998

Color: Blue, translucent

Width: 16.5mm

Text: with serif

P instead of Crown

Sealing Tape 11a

Color: Dark blue

Sealing Tape 11

USA to Hong Kong, September 2, 1997. Tape 10 used in connection to seal Type 27

Sealing Tapes 11a & 11

sealing an official plastic envelope ( G.P.O / H.K. )

for enclosing the damaged items, this example shows an additional seal Type 24

and it is dated March 3, 1998

Sealing Tape 12

Usage: 1999

Color: Green & blue


Bird instead of Crown

Sealing Tape 13

Usage:

Color: Green & blue

Width: 48mm

Specific envelope

Protective envelope

Size: 250x165

Plastic protective bag

Transparent bag:

Usage: 1976

Logo: Red, G.P.O

Multiples bag sizes including:

- 255 x 125

Usage: 1978

Logo: Red, G.P.O. / H.K.


- 250 x 135

- 345 x 255

-

Green self-sealing bag:

Usage;

Logo: Black & White HongkongPost


(Sizes excluding sealing flap)

- 260 x 125

- 320 x 235

- 405 x 300

For any additional information, corrections or comments, please contact Philippe Orsetti,

email: [email protected]

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