Hong Kong

In October 2003 Hong Kong was added to Czeslaw Slania's list of clients as country No. 39.  There are now 32 individual "stamp-countries" and 7 individual "banknote-countries" on the list.  Some countries appear in both lists. 

On 4th October 2003 Hong Kong and Sweden issued jointly a set of four stamps that immortalize the natural beauty and graceful movements and gestures of waterbirds in Hong Kong and Sweden.  The stamps are based on the drawings by the Swedish ornithologist and artist, Dan Zetterström.  The stamps were issued in panes of 25 of each of the four face values + a booklet containing two miniature sheets of four different se-tenant stamps, each with elliptical security perforations on the vertical sides.  The individual values are: HK-dollars 1.40, HK-dollars 2.40,  HK-dollars 3.00, and HK-dollars 5.00. 

The stamps are printed in Sweden on paper with security fibres by Sweden Post Stamps, and processed in intaglio and lithography.  The birds shown on the stamps are:

• Pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), face value HK-dollars 1.40.

• Horned grebe (Podiceps auritus), face value HK-dollars 2.80.

• Arctic loon (Gavia arctica), face value HK-dollars 3.00.

• Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), face value HK-dollars 5.00.

Scott # 1052 - 1055

• Hong Kong 2003.  Booklet cover.
• Hong Kong 2003.  Booklet pane of four stamps from the cover.  Scott # 1055a

The official First Day Cover, issued jointly by both countries, is printed in Sweden, and carries a sheet of both countries' issues.  The cachet is a mirrored image of the second stamp of the sheets, the Horned Grebe.  On the cover's lower right corner is the embossed logo of Post Sweden.  The cover is signed by Czeslaw Slania. 

• Hong Kong - Sweden 2003:  First Day Cover of the joint issue depicting waterbirds.  The Swedish face values are 10.00 SEK for each of the stamps.  

The cancels that cover only the stamps, but do not appear elsewhere on the cover, are shown in detail to the left.

Further Post Sweden has issued an artistic portfolio containing the following items:

• A sheet mounted with mint issues of a block of four stamps from both Sweden and Hong Kong
• A sheet mounted with a black print of the intaglio-printed portion of the sheets.   
• Four sheets with full prints of the aquarelles by Dan Zetterström, whose world famous bird drawings were the inspiration for the joint-issue.   
• A sheet with short biographies in Swedish, English and Chinese about Dan Zetterström and Czeslaw Slania. 

Click here to see the corresponding Sweden-issue