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Last Updated: 29 Nov.  2007

Wilde Cup

See this year's Wilde Cup entires, here.

Wilde Cup

The Wilde Cup

P. A. Wilde

P. A. Wilde

From 'British Post Offices in the Far East'
© Edward Proud
with kind permission

WINNERS OF THE WILDE CUP

presented annually for new discoveries
by the
Hong Kong Study Circle

[Click on the images to enlarge them.]

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2007 - Dr. Andrew Cheung FRPSL
2007 Wilde Cup WinnerEARLIEST RECORDED SHANGHAE TYPE Bi ON POSTAL STATIONERY CARD

This 1c/4c postcard was (partly) written on 26 December 1881 from Peking and carried privately to Shanghai and re-mailed back to the Netherland Legation, Peking. 1c was the local postcard rate at the time and was accepted by the British Shanghai Post Office. The Shanghae cancel on the imprinted stamp also dated 'JA 12 82' is Webb type Bi, it is believed to be the earliest recorded usage of this datestamp as a cancel on a postcard. Click here for more details.
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2006 - Brian Ackerman
2006 winner
KGV 50c DEFINITIVE INVERTED & REVERSED WATERMARK VARIETY

This item is supported by RPSL certificate No.192552 dated 18 Jan 2006 and stating that, in the OPINION of The EXPERT COMMITTEE the item described as "Hong Kong 1912-21, S.G.No.111dw (var), 50c Black/Blue-Green - Watermark Mult Crown CA - On Emerald back - but variety Watermark inverted and reversed - Used is Genuine".

Mr Ackerman believes that, from other enquiries made as well, this item may be unique.

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2005 - None of entries submitted were judged to be eligible for the award.
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2004 - Philippe Orsetti
JAPANESE OCCUPATION TAXED POSTCARD: A DOUBLE WHAMMY

This very inconspicuous 2 sen postcard was sent from Hong Kong to Guang Zhou Post Office on 19-5-27 during the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong, i.e. 27th May 1944.

This postcard seems to be the first reported piece of Hong Kong Japanese Occupation mail bearing a British marking. Click here for details.

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2003 - Philippe Orsetti

Earliest "F1" (Foochow) Obliterators on cover - 13 June 1874

It is recognized that these two covers (both showing c.d.s. of 13 June 1874) are not new finds. The 'discovery' is that they now represent the earliest recorded "F1's" on cover. Click here for details.

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2002 - Philippe Orsetti (joint winner)

Red oval 2 sen Masashige Kusunoke statue stamp imprinted postcard, up-rated by 1 sen orange-brown rice-harvesting, used locally from Tai Po sub-office to Stanley Military Internment Camp during Japanese occupation period of Hong Kong, dated "19-4-8" (8 April 1944), first known non-philatelic mail ever reported from this remote village in the New Territories of Tai Po.

2002 - John L. M. Rogers (joint winner)
'ADMIRALTY' naval marking on KGVI adhesives on cover dated '28 SEP 1945'.

Webb illustrates this 31 mm single circle datestamp on pg. 203 of his book and records it as being struck in blue and known on a 15c KGVI adhesive also dated 28 SEP 1945. He writes (pg. 204) - "This was the first day on which adhesives had been put on sale again in Hong Kong. This is, according to Mr. Goldup, the datestamp used throughout the Navy for their postal orders, and the postal use may have been at that particular period."

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2001 - Philippe Orsetti (joint winner)
Unrecorded postal stationery during Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong, 180 x 115mm pre-printed "PRISONERS OF WAR MAIL" envelope with text almost identical to pre-printed postcards issued for Stanley Civilian Internment Camp, sent from Stanley Camp to England, probably in 1943.
2001 - Charles Chan (joint winner)
QV 96c brownish-grey off-cover stamp cancelled Nagasaki "N2" killer in blue, over-struck with the first recorded boxed "MISSENT TO NAGASAKI" in similar blue inking.
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2000 - Andrew Cheung
Russian 4k postal stationery card sent on 25 June 1898 from St. Peterburg to Kiautschow of North China but missent to Hoihow, struck with the first recorded boxed "MISSENT TO HOIHOW" in black; obverse transit markings included Hong Kong (17 August), Shanghai (27 August) and Tsintau (5 September); reverse side also with Hoihow Webb Type E cds dated "AU 17 / 98".
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1999 - Andrew Cheung
February 1876 cover-front from the "Smith Correspondence" to England, franked QV 30c mauve and cancelled Amoy "A1" killer in washed-blue, being the first known bluish inking on cover and the earliest recorded "A1" cover; the front also had a red London arrival dated "MR 25 / 76" and a partial offset of Amoy Webb Type Dii cds of "FE (?)2 / 76".
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1998 - Alfred Chu (joint winner)

1898 QV 10c on 30c with Chinese, block of 36 (6 rows x 6) from north-east pane with 3 sides margins and Plate No. 2, showing double overprint for all 6 stamps of the second row, being the largest multiples of double overprint of all stamp issues in Hong Kong.

1998 - J. L. M. Rogers (joint winner)
KVII postal stationery registered envelope, reverse with Insurance Type A, used to England, franked KVII 4c purple/red and cancelled Ningpo Webb Type Eii cds "MR 9 / 05" (earlier than Schonfeld's record), obverse with previously unrecorded "R in Circle" (Webb Type R(1), Norton standard type B) registration marking in black inking.
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1997 W. H. N. Scawin (joint winner)
Essay of 50c/48c yellow-brown specimen (with lower margin showing Current No.15) supplied by De La Rue to the Crown Agent for transmission to Hong Kong Government on 23 August 1890 with a note of no more was heard of the matter; the specimen copy was with 4 Chinese characters hand-drawn in the left column.
1997 - Nick Halewood (joint winner)
Airmail cover to UK rated $1.47 and cancelled Kowloon cds in red dated "9 DEC / 32", the latest record of red inking which confirmed the thought of possible red airmail inking for mails leaving Hong Kong during 7-10 December 1932 (HKSC Jn. 295/10).
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1996 - W. H. N. Scawin
Local cover of Japanese Occupation period of Hong Kong, franked 2 sen overprinted (issued on 16 April 1945) and late cancelled on 20 August 1945, an unrecorded use well after Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945.
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1995 - Michael Goldsmith
First recorded use on receipt dated "1/7/1926" of KGV fiscals overprinted "WEI HAI WEI" 1c on 10c/3d x 3 copies and 2c on 10c/3d, all with Chinese surcharge; kiss-double overprint to the word "Cents" of "Two Cents"; the "TEN CENTS" overprint be effected in London whereas "One Cent" and "Two Cents" be local Chinese overprintings.
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1994 - I. G. Nessel
8 December 1941 airmail cover manuscript "VIA CNAC" addressed to Australia (re-addressed to Canada) franked KGVI adhesives total $1.50 cancelled Webb Type J Kowloon Hong Kong cds dated "8 DE / 47" (7 days later than records of Proud and Schoenfeld); cover front struck with "DETAINED IN HONGKONG / BY JAPANESE / FROM DECEMBER 1941 TO SEPTEMBER 1945", "NO SERVICE" and "RETOUR" markings; cover back struck with Victoria Hong Kong cds dated "8 DE / 41" and Japanese Occupation period datestamp of Kowloon dated "17-2-11" (11 February 1942), previously not seen in conjunction with the Detained in HK handstamp.
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1993 - A. J. Cutner
Unrecorded type postal stationery of registered envelope with "R in Oval Circle" at top left and without the box for sender's name and address, KGVI 25c registration stamp on flap and 25c acknowledgement printed on the reverse; forced mail use, purchased and paid in HK currency at an Indian Army camp in Kowloon after the Liberation and posted there to London, franked with two Indian KGVI 3 Annas adhesives paying the airmail rate of 6 Annas and cancelled Field Post Office Webb Service Type 2 "No.127" double-circle cds of 27 April 1946 and with a registration label of F.P.O. Another similar example of envelope dated 1947 was known to Mr. Baker but sent through the GPO as civil mail.
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1992 - I. Baker
1918 Active Mail to London struck with unrecorded form of censorship marking "COMMANDER'S OFFICE * CHINA STATION" oval datestamp (believed to be Wei Hai Wei) dated "20 SEP 1918", manuscript "censored" and initial signature above and below date respectively; travelled by naval bag and struck with boxed "RECEIVED FROM H.M. SHIP / NO CHARGE TO BE RAISED" in London upon arrival and London arrival cds dated "16 NO / 18".
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1991 - R. J. Newton
13 September 1896 Transvall 1d postal stationery postcard from Johannesburg to Kowloon Customs, backstamp Hong Kong arrival cds of 7 November 1896, ppc front struck with a previously unrecorded 34mm circular marking "RECEIVED / IN / FORWARD / BAG" in four straight lines of 4mm letters. (A similar type of 32mm with identical wordings was also known in 1904 on a Malta 1/2d stationery wrapper uprated 1/2d to China Station but with the word "RECEIVED" around the top rim instead of straight line.)
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1990 - I. Baker
Cover from India to Dairen, China, on the reverse struck with a new type Marine Sorter double-circle datestamp "SINGAPORE TO HONGKONG", letters around the top rim, curve line at bottom, index M and date in two lines, dated "10 SP / 09". (A further example was also illustrated in HKSC Jn.269 p.11, on a ppc from England to HK also of same date.)
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1989 - R. J. Newton

1c postal stationery envelope added with 4c adhesive sent from Hong Kong (23 May 1901) to Wei Hai Wei struck with arrival Liu Kung Tau Oval Datestamp of 3 June 1901, forwarded to F.P.O. No.13 (3 June, at Wei Hai Wei), back to Kowloon Base Office (16 June), then to Jhansi (India, 4 July) and Abbottabad (7 July) where the addressee who was a soldier in the Royal Garrison Artillery apparently found there. Opposed to previously recorded "belted" type, this F.P.O. No.13 was in plain type, latest use beyond 6 months of previous record and the only known example showing the combination of use of Liu Kung Tau Oval and F.P.O. No.13 datestamps.

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1988 - I. Baker (joint winner)
18 April 1901 registered envelope to London with uncommon "INSURED" label of black lettering on magenta paper; franked 4 copies QV 10c and struck with uncommon Webb Type R(iv) boxed "R / HONG-KONG G.P.O." registration handstamp with thick "R" variation, suggested to be used in branch offices at Kowloon and Western (see HKSC Jn. 238 of July/Aug 1982, Appendix III, p.4) and the "thin R" type was known use at Kowloon.
 
1988 - P. D. Richardson (joint winner)

1905 registered envelope (uprated insurance fees overprinted) franked two KEVII 4c cancelled Webb Type B Liu Kung Tau cds dated "JU 29 / 05" and Type Ri "R in Circle" registration marking, two years later than the latest date recorded by Messrs. Goldsmith and Goodwyn in The Crown Colony of Wei Hai Wei.(published by RPSL, 1985).

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1987 - None of entries submitted were judged to be eligible for the award.
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1986 - F. J. Rogers
1945 N.A.A.F.I. On Active Service Letter Form (used by British force members overseas) to London struck with unrecorded double-circle FIELD POST OFFICE 365 cds with two thick side bars dated "8 DE / 45" (where F.P.O.366 was widely known). Upon Japanese surrendered at the end of August 1945. a Commando Brigade disembarked at Kowloon on 12 September 1945 and had its F.P.O.366 in operation from 16 September. Another military cancellator F.P.O.365 had allocated to the Special Service Group 1 on 27 August 1943 and returned to the Home Post Centre in December 1946 but no previous reports of its use in Hong Kong, and this is the first recorded example.
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1985 - Andrew Cheung

1921 quadruple-rate registered cover to England franked CHINA overprint 10c x 3 and 8c cancelled Registered Shanghai B.P.O. Oval Datestamp dated "JA 17 21", struck with the new found third type boxed "R/ SHANGHAI B.P.O." registration marking in blue inking (all letters in upper case vs. the second type rubber chop with upper and lower case letterings), clearly a rubber made handstamp showing severe wear and wavy frame-line appearance.

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