Hongkong Post launches Year of the Horse stamps and trilateral souvenir packs

Hongkong Post released its Year of the Horse special stamps and associated products on 5 January. The programme included four stamps, two sheetlets, a laser-cut paper-art sheetlet and a gold-and-silver sheetlet pairing the preceding Snake with the new Horse design.

The premium sheetlet used silver and 22-carat gold hot foil, while China Post, Hongkong Post and Macao Post jointly presented souvenir packs linking the three postal administrations. A hand-back date-stamping service was offered at post offices on the issue date for properly franked covers.

The number of formats makes precise cataloguing essential. Collectors should record whether an item is a normal stamp, sheetlet, joint pack, serviced cover, prestige product or personalised mini-pane, because similar artwork can appear in materially different products and price categories.