In pictures: Hong Kong’s most enthusiastic stamp collectors
From Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday to the 1997 handover, limited-edition stamps captured the city’s history in miniature
Back in the 1980s and 90s, stamp collecting was a popular pastime in Hong Kong. From Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday in 1986 to special issues for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, limited-edition stamps celebrated important moments and were highly sought after. Long queues often formed outside post offices on issue days as collectors eagerly awaited new designs that captured the city’s milestones. These stamps also came with what were known as “first-day covers”, which bore the official date of the release.
On July 1, 1997, Hongkong Post – known previously as the Post Office – issued the first Hong Kong Special Administrative Region commemorative stamp, marking the handover and the beginning of a new chapter in the city’s postal history.
Today, these stamps offer more than nostalgia – they are tiny time capsules preserving Hong Kong’s social and cultural history. Here’s a look through the South China Morning Post archives at the city’s stamp collecting obsession.
