News

Special Stamp Issues – "Year of the Rat"and "Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet on Lunar New Year Animals – Pig/Rat"

The set of special stamps of "Year of the Rat" and the "Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet on Lunar New Year Animals – Pig/Rat" are designed by Mr. Bon KWAN and are printed by Cartor Security Printing, France. The "Year of the Rat" special stamps are printed in lithography, while the Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet is printed in lithography plus embossing and hot foil stamping with genuine gold and 99.9% pure silver, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Sales Arrangements

Information about the sale of philatelic products associated with this set of special stamps and the stamp sheetlet starting from 26 January 2008 is as follows:

Products	Unit Selling Price	Sales Restriction Per Queuing Customer
Year of the Rat Special Stamps
Mint Stamps (a set of 4 stamps)	$1.40 $2.40 $3.00 $5.00	10 sheets of each denomination (viz. 250 stamps of each denomination)
Souvenir Sheet (with the 4 stamps)	$11.80	20 sheets
Imperforated Stamp Sheetlet (with a $5 imperforated stamp)	$5.00	20 sheets
Presentation Pack (with a set of 4 stamps)	$20.00	5 packs
Postage Prepaid Picture Cards (Air Mail) (1 set of 4 cards)	$20.00 / set	5 sets
Serviced Maximum Card Set affixed with a set of 4 stamps and datestamped with the special postmark (only available at 37 philatelic offices on 26 January 2008)	$34.30 / set	5 sets
Serviced First Day Cover affixed with a set of 4 stamps and datestamped with the special postmark (only available at 37 philatelic offices on 26 January 2008)	$15.30	5 covers
Serviced First Day Cover affixed with a Souvenir Sheet and datestamped with the special postmark (only available at 37 philatelic offices on 26 January 2008)	$15.30	5 covers
Serviced First Day Cover affixed with an Imperforated Stamp Sheetlet and datestamped with the special postmark (only available at 37 philatelic offices on 26 January 2008)	$8.50	5 covers
Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet on Lunar New Year Animals – Pig/Rat
Stamp Sheetlet (with a set of two $50 Gold & Silver stamps)	$100.00	5 sheets
Serviced Souvenir Cover affixed with a Stamp Sheetlet and datestamped with the special postmark (only available at 37 philatelic offices on 26 January 2008)	$103.50	5 covers
Presentation Pack (with a Stamp Sheetlet of two $50 Gold & Silver stamps)	$120.00	5 packs

Hand-back Datestamping Arrangements
A hand-back datestamping service will be provided on 26 January 2008 at all post offices (excluding mobile post offices), for official and privately-made covers, bearing the first day of issue indication and a local address. Two special postmarks will also be introduced. They will be available, together with the GPO-1 postmark, the "Philatelic Bureau" pictorial postmark and the philatelic office pictorial postmark, for hand-back datestamping service at all philatelic offices on that day. All post offices (excluding mobile post offices) will extend their business hours. For the 37 philatelic offices, the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office and Airport Post Office will maintain their normal full-day operating hours and the other 33 philatelic offices will be open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. As for Yuen Long Post Office, it will open for business from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. The remaining non-philatelic offices will be open from 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. whereas the Lamma Post Office will open for business at 8.30 a.m. as usual.

Also on 26 January 2008, the public hall of the Hongkong Post Philatelic Bureau will open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. for datestamping covers with the "Philatelic Bureau" pictorial postmark, the GPO-1 postmark and the special postmark.