A QEII souvenir sheet from Hong Kong

In 1987, the British crown colony of Hong Kong introduced a new set of definitive stamps featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and stylised local scenery, writes Christer Brunström.

The $10 value is devoted to Victoria Harbour. The set was reprinted in 1988 and the portrait of Her Majesty had been slightly amended. In the 1987 version, the shading under her chin was quite dark. In the 1988 reissue, the shading was considerably lighter.

On 24 August 1990, the Hong Kong Post Office released a souvenir sheet including the $10 stamp printed in 1988. It was issued in connection with Hong Kong’s participation in the World Stamp Exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand. The souvenir sheet shows a ship loading cargo in what must be Victoria Harbour.

In recent years, Hong Kong (a Chinese Special Administrative Area since 1997) has released numerous souvenir sheets, and they are generally quite inexpensive.

Not all sellers realise that the 1990 souvenir sheet is not that commonly seen today. Many were used on first day covers. Most dealers tend to charge between £40 and £50 for an unmounted mint souvenir sheet. However, shopping around it should be possible to purchase a copy at a somewhat lower price.

It seems to be a lot easier to locate this souvenir sheet on a first day cover, and they sell for considerably less than the unmounted mint version.

This souvenir sheet is not only of interest to collectors of Hong Kong but also to thematic collectors specialising in ships on stamps.