XN000022-1977-08-07 — Page 6

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 1977

COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS TO FEATURE HONG KONG ORCHIDS

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THE NEXT ISSUE OF COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS, TO BE RELEASED ON OCTOBER 12, WILL FEATURE THREE HONG KONG ORCHIDS, POPULARLY KNOWN AS BUTTERCUP, LADY'S SLIPPER AND SUSAN ORCHID.

THE FLOWERS IN THE STAMPS DESIGN, WHICH CAN BE FOUND GROWING WILD LOCALLY, ARE FROM WATER COLOURS SPECIALLY PAINTED BY MRS. BERYL WALDEN OF HONG KONG.

THESE ORCHID STAMPS IN DENOMINATIONS OF 20 CENTS, $1.30 AND $2 WILL BE THE FIFTY-SECOND COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE BY THE POST OFFICE SINCE HONG KONG STAMPS WERE FIRST PRODUCED IN 1862.

ANOTHER SET OF COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS, THE LUNAR NEW YEAR ISSUE, WILL BE RELEASED FOR SALE ON JANUARY 26, 1979.

THIS SET OF THE YEAR OF THE HORSE STAMPS WAS DESIGNED BY MR. PATRICK CHUNG, A GRAPHIC DESIGNER IN HONG KONG. IT WILL BE THE TWELFTH AND LAST OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR SERIES WHICH COMMENCED WITH THE YEAR OF THE RAM ISSUE IN 1967.

IN RECENT YEARS MANY OF THE COMMEMORATIVE ISSUES DESIGNED BY HONG KONG ARTISTS HAVE COVERED VARIOUS ASPECTS OF LIFE IN HONG KONG-THE FESTIVALS CELEBRATED BY THE PEOPLE, THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AND IMPORTANT EVENTS.

THROUGH THESE STAMPS, WHICH WERE SENT OUT ON TENS OF MILLIONS OF LETTERS AND PARCELS EACH YEAR, THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE AS WELL AS THE BEAUTY OF HONG KONG HAS BEEN VIVIDLY BROUGHT TO EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD. THIS WILL CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE AS MORE COMMEMORATIVE ISSUES ARE BEING PLANNED FOR THE YEARS AHEAD.

FIRST DAY COVERS, PRODUCED TO COINCIDE WITH THE STAMP ISSUES, ARE USUALLY AS POPULAR AS THE STAMPS THEMSELVES, SO MUCH SO THAT THEY ARE SOMETIMES SOLD OUT. HOWEVER STOCKS HELD OUT TO SUPPLY A RECORD 204,000 FIRST DAY COVERS FOR THE QUEEN'S SILVER JUBILEE ISSUE IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.

ANOTHER POPULAR ITEM IS THE CHRISTMAS AEROGRAMME WHICH IS NORMALLY DESIGNED EACH YEAR BY THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT. GREETINGS AND GOODWILL MESSAGES WERE CONVEYED LAST YEAR THROUGH SOME 113,000 OF THESE COLOURFUL AEROGRAMME FORMS TO OUR OVERSEAS FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.

THE DEFINITIVE STAMPS NOW IN USE IN HONG KONG HAVE THE PORTRAIT OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN AS THE MAIN FEATURE OF THE IR DESIGN, TAKEN FROM A PHOTOGRAPH OF A BAS-RELIEF BY ARNOLD MACHIN. THE HIGHEST VALUE OF THE 14 DENOMINATIONS IS $20 AND THE LOWEST 10 CENTS.

THE SMALLEST