From the Guangdong office of China Post, this 2012 product is a hardcover book encased in a translucent sturdy (hard) plastic sleeve.  Scan for this entry 20307481A is the cover of the book, and 20307481B is one of the four facings with postcards in maximum style but without postmarks.  Other facings in this book of four hard pages (so a total of ten facings, including front and back inside covers) include mint stamps and envelopes.  With bilingual captions in Chinese and English, this item–which is all about jade–can best be described as elegant, and a piece of art all on its own.  The product when in the plastic cover measures 7-3/4″ x 10-5/8″.  Grade: 1

See entry 20307481A.  As a reminder, this is one of the pages with one of the postcards.  All are different.

Introduction:  Items 20307484, 485, and 486 are similar.  Each consists of two pieces: (1) a heavy, hardcover book (9-1/8″ x 10-1/8″) of many pages of stamps, art, and bilingual Chinese/English text; and (2) a smaller softcover book (4″ x 9″) bound with 12 corresponding postcards, this time not including any pre-printed postage.

Item 20307484 is entitled “The ‘Lingnan – Elegance’ Stamps Collection Album”.  484A shows the cover of the book of postcards.  We are not showing any more from item 20307484, because each of these three different sets is similar.

Item 20307485 is “The ‘Lingnan – Charm’ Stamps Collection Album”.  485A shows the cover of the book of postcards.  485B shows the cover of the large book’s case.  485C shows two pages within the large book.  They were impossible to scan, but they have elaborate art, and mint stamps.

Item 20307486 is “The ‘Lingnan – Linger’ Stamps Collection Album.”  486A shows the cover of the book of postcards.  We’re not showing any more from 486, because it is similar to the other two sets.

So, altogether, three sets of two items each.  They are heavy.  This price is for all three sets (six items).  Grade: 1

 

See item 20307484A.

This item from China Post measures 6″ x 8-1/4″ and opens up to reveal two folded pages of text.  Open each of those pages in turn and the entire set, completely unfolded, is therefore about 33″ long with each of the four facing sides having a plastic sleeve containing a pre-printed postage postcard bearing a different “snake” legend.  The title in this scan more or less says “The Spiritual Serpent Can Disguise into Human Figure to Return Gratitude” and this entire thing is rich in artistic symbolism.  Grade: 1

See our entry 20307488A.

Sorry for the photo quality, but at 11-3/4″ x 30″ for each of the four different sheets in the set, they wouldn’t fit in the scanner.  Entitled “Welcome to 2010 Asian Games Guangzhou,” each sheet contains 14 postcards (pre-printed postage) of 14 different sports.  These are perforated, so one could–if one wanted to do it–just separate the cards and mail them.  If you wish to buy, we will get a sturdy round mailing tube and send these rolled instead of folded if we’re allowed to do that.   Grade: 1

Captioned card mailed in South Dakota (not Manchuria!) in the early 1900s–stamp is there, but postmark is not distinct.  We think these cards of this style were produced for domestic sale in the USA, though welcome your input on this.  Grade: 3

First, please see our item 20307478 (all photos) and read those descriptions.  Here is the difference between this item and that one:  first, this one is bigger (6-3/4″ deep x 10-7/8″ across x 4″ high).  Second, this one is much heavier.  Third, this one has one larger sectional scroll, not two, and a wooden platform to hold it.  Fourth, this one has the chariot outstanding on the inner box cover.  And this one comes with a dainty white cloth glove to handle everything.  The certificate you see is actually–yes–a postcard, with pre-paid postage.  All this is unused, as received from China Post.  Special postage rate will apply, depending on whatever method you choose.  Grade: 1

See our entry 20307495A.

See entry 20307497A.

The scan shows the cardboard cover (top left) and three of six different, high quality glossy unused cards in the set issued by China Post in 2009.  Postage stamps are pre-printed.  All captioning and text is in Chinese, highlighting such Confucian values as Good Faith, Virtue, and Filial Piety.  These are neither the only values nor the only cards.   Grade: 1

If you are even remotely interested in such icons, these unused maximum cards should be hard to resist.  It’s a set of six:  two are pictured in our scan.  All six are captioned in both Chinese and English, representing several dynasties:  Guanyin Bodhisattva (Five Dynasties), Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Song Dynasty), Sakyamuni (Ming Dynasty), Amitayus Buddha (Ming), Samantabhadra (Ming), and Manjusri Bodhisattva (Ming).  Eight sets are available.  Grades: 1

 

Not so much “odd” as “richly designed,” and should be compared with 20307505 and 20307506.  OCT refers to Overseas Chinese Town, an eclectic section of Shenzhen.  This is a set of six unused cards, issued by China Post with pre-printed postage, and the scan shows the front and back of the set’s cover.  What appears as a rock on the front cover is actually part of one card, seen through a cutout window.  The back cover shows all six cards.  The reverse of each card has a coloured miniature version of the front’s design, taking up most of the message area.   Two sets are available.  Grades: 1

Scan shows cardboard cover (upper left) and three of 12 glossy cards in this unused set issued by China Post in 2009.  All in Chinese except for the astrological signs.  The cards have pre-printed postage.  Two sets are available.  Grades: 1

One would think we have a standard way to describe items like this by now.  They each pose different obstacles.  Issued by China National Philatelic Corporation, this is a book in a 10″ x 10-3/8″ cardboard sleeve (pictured here).  Its informative captions are in Chinese and English, but not usually both languages on the same page.  It’s a book containing maximum cards (postmarked) and sheets of 15 mint stamps each on alternate pages, so there are eight facings with cards (one is shown as 20307508B) and eight of corresponding sheets.  After all that, there are several pages of first-day covers and miniature stamp sheetlets, followed finally by a “Philatelic Passport: Ancient Towns of China (I)” embedded in the inside back cover, though it can be removed.  We haven’t tried.

See what we mean?  If you want to know more, please ask.  It is a nice item, so busy with different things.  Grade: 1