[1]

In 1878, the Post Master General’s Postal Guide contained a notification: “Box holders may mark stamps. Box holders (but box holders only) are at liberty to mark their postage stamps on the back or face, or by perforation, so as to prevent their being stolen. If a mark be on the face it must be such as not to interfere with the clean appearance of the stamp. Stamps so marked will not be purchased.”

However, according to Cel Webb, “the practice grew to such an extent that in about 1890 an order was issued that in future firms were only to perforate their adhesives and not to deface them”.

[2]

See Group I - 3

[3]

See Group I - 3B

[4]

See Group II - 4

[5]

The company was formed in 1902, when the United Kingdom's Imperial Tobacco Company and the American Tobacco Company of the USA agreed to form a joint venture, the British-American Tobacco Company Ltd.[6] The parent companies agreed not to trade in each other's domestic territory and to assign trademarks, export businesses and overseas subsidiaries to the joint venture. James 'Buck' Duke became its chairman and the British American Tobacco business began life in countries as diverse as Canada, China, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, but not in the United Kingdom or USA.

Wikipedia

PS BAT was formed in China in 1905 when the American Tobacco Company combined with Imperial Tobacco Company

Rod Sell

This well-known firm have for many years been at the head of the tobacco trade in Canton and South China. Their different brands of cigarettes are sold in immense quantities all over the provinces of South China, and the walls of Canton City and the delta towns are literally covered with the brightly coloured advertisement posters used by the Company. Both the cheap and high grade brands of cigarettes are in great favour with the Chinese, and their well known "Three Castles" are to be obtained in every part of the Empire. The Company are also agents for, and do a large business in the high-class cigarettes " Bouton Rouge " and " Felucca," manufactured by Maspero Freres, Limited. Cairo, Egypt. The head office for the South China territory is at No, 18, Bank Buildings, Hongkong, and there are branch offices in Canton and all the important coast ports,

Source: p 796 Wright, Arnold, : Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and Other Treaty Ports of China: Their History. People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources. London: Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company, Ltd., 1908.

[6]

See Group also I – 16

Are we sure that the III-5 B / & Co, 40 holes perfin (13 / 12 + 8 + 7 = 40 pinholes), belongs to the firm Bradley and Company?

I raise this point this because there is no supportive proof as yet to indicate that the set of B & Co perfin belongs to the firm of Bradley and Company. I fear that, like with some of our other perfins, it is very likely that the naming of this particular type had been done by association through guesswork. This fact had not been verified with proof from a cover. There are other firms trading in early Hong Kong with names that could fit in with the set of B & Co set of initials.

But, I do question the suggestion that the III-5 B / & Co 40 hole perfin belongs to Bradley and Company. The postmark shown on Mr Coaker's cover is a Hong Kong cds dated JY 14? 81. The information I have on the firm Bradley & Co (shown in blue below) suggests that they first established a branch in Hong Kong in 1893. There is a 12 year time gap between the date on Mr. Coaker's cover and the date of establishment of a branch office in Hong Kong.

The firm of Bradley & Co. was first established in Swatow, and now has branches in various parts of China. The trade carried on by the Company covers a very wide area, and consists chiefly of coal, shipping, and general imports. There is a branch of the business in Shanghai, and in 1893 offices were opened in Hongkong. This policy of extension has been amply justified by results. The partners in the firm are Messrs. T. W. Richardson (Swatow), R. H. Hill (London), A. Macgowan (Swatow), A. Forbes (Hongkong), and G. A. Richardson (Shanghai). Mr. A. Forbes is the partner in charge of the Hongkong branch.

The III-5 B / & Co, 40 holes perfin, is recorded only on the QV issues and struck with the B62 obliterator. There is, as yet, no report of a dater chop present with the III-5 perfin type. This information suggests that the firm to which this particular perfin belonged to had used it only for a short period of time and likely that the firm had ceased to exist before the end of use of the B62 obliterator (around 1890? time period)

With Mr Coaker's cover, a possible clue might be to trace the name to which the letter had been sent, a Mrs Jameswalker, to see if there be a match with any named persons on the directory name list of companies or from the then Juror's list in the 1881 era.

Frank Drake
Dec 1, 2010

[7]

See Group I – 15A

[8]

See Group I – 17

[9]

Bank of Canton (Chinese: 廣東銀行) was the first Chinese-owned bank in Hong Kong. At the time, all the other banks in Hong Kong were foreign, primarily British, including the locally incorporated but British-run Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.
1912 Several Chinese residents of the US, including members of the Fok family, founded the Bank of Canton (BoC).
1921 BoC established a branch in Bangkok.
1922 BoC established a branch in New York.
1931 BoC closed the New York branch.
1935 BoC failed. At the time it had branches in San Francisco, Bangkok, Shanghai, Canton and Hankow.

Wikipedia

[10]

The Bank of Communications Limited was founded in 1908 in Shanghai and it opened a branch in HK on in 1934. It still exists today.

Michel Houde
August 2011

The Bank of Communications Limited was the second bank in China by 1920. It had about 70 branches, among which one in Hong Kong. The Chinese Government held an equity in the bank.

Philippe
October 2011

[11]

See Group I - 9

[12]

Behn, Meyer & Co. was established in Singapore on 1 November 1840 as a partnership between two Germans, Theodor August Behn and Valentin Lorenz Meyer. In its initial years, the firm dealt with the trading of tropical produce such as coconut oil, copra, pepper, camphor and rattan, but it subsequently ventured into shipping and insurance. Meyer's younger brother Arnold Otto Meyer later joined as a clerk, and was soon admitted as a partner. The younger Meyer subsequently returned to Germany, and founded Arnold Otto Meyer Co.
….
Between the period 1849 to 1899, the firm had no less than twelve partners, entering and leaving the firm. Of these, Adolf Lapse and Franz Heinrich Wiithoefft, who joined the firm in 1893 and 1896 respectively, were recorded as key figures who guided the company to its next stage of growth. During this period, the company's business interests expanded to include the chartering of ships, insurance, and coastal shipping. The firm also sealed important deals with major shipping lines like the Norddeutscher-Lloyd. By 1913, the firm had eleven branches in the Far East, comprising Penang, Manila, Sandakan and Iloilo.
...
History after the 1900s
On 1 January 1906, Behn, Meyer and Co. became a limited liability company, and the control of the company shifted from Singapore to Hamburg. The first board of directors were Hans Becker, Ad. Asmus, A. G. Faber, F. Katenkamp, and H. Riege. The firm experienced more crises in 1907 and 1908 when pepper prices fell. The firm recovered and survived through World War I and World II, despite experiencing huge losses. The company still exists today as the Behn Meyer Group. The company has businesses in chemicals, fertilizer/crop protection, engineering, general trading, export, and paper and board, and offices in Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Jamaica.

Wikipedia

[13]

See Group I - 17

[14]

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, founded in the United States in 1955, has roots in 19th-century England, where two young American pharmacists formed a partnership to establish an innovative pharmaceutical company.

Silas Burroughs and Henry Wellcome, both of whom were educated in the United States and had represented U.S. drug companies in the United Kingdom, recognized that a revolution then taking place in the American pharmaceutical business offered great opportunity for expansion and success abroad. This revolution, which had originated in England but was finding its fullest expression in the United States, centered on the development of "compressed" medicines--pills--that could be mass-produced and packaged for wide and rapid distribution. Because they delivered standardized, reproducible dosages, these new tablet formulations were viewed as being safer and more effective than the common potions and powders of the day.

The two men formed their partnership in London in 1880, and their enterprise--known as Burroughs Wellcome and Co.--prospered. After Silas Burroughs died in 1895, Henry Wellcome directed the growth of the company into an international network, with notable expansion in the first two decades of the 20th century. New subsidiaries were opened on several continents and in numerous countries, including the United States. As the business grew, Wellcome held firm to his strong belief that research was basic to the development of excellent pharmaceutical products--a belief he put into practice by establishing the industry’s first research laboratories.

Internet: HISTORY OF THE BURROUGHS WELLCOME FUND

[15]

The Bank of East Asia Limited (Chinese: 東亞銀行有限公司) often abbreviated to BEA, is the largest independent local bank and the third largest bank in Hong Kong. Its chairman and chief executive is Sir David Li. Its head office is in Central {District in Hong Kong.}
It was founded in Hong Kong in 1918 and has since grown to a HK$68.4 billion (US$8.5 billion) market capitalization as at February 27 2011, with consolidated assets of US$50.85 billion (as at 30 June 2008). It is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as BEA. The Bank of East Asia has 91 retail branches in Hong Kong, as well as 60 in mainland China and around 30 in the United States, Canada and Britain. Worldwide, the bank employs more than 10,800 people. {in 2011}.

Wikipedia

The Bank of East Asia, Limited (1918-present)

Four Chinese families founded the Bank of East Asia, Limited in Hong Kong in 1918. The headquarters was in Hong Kong at 2 Queen's Road in 1919. The bank moved to 10 Des Voeux Road Central in 1920 and constructed a new building there, which opened in 1935.

The bank became one of the most successful locally owned banks in Hong Kong. The bank was able to continue operations under the Japanese occupation during WWII.

Over time, the bank developed an extensive network of branches and agencies. In 1938, there were branches in London, France, India, the Straits Settlements, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, the U.S.A., Canada and elsewhere. In China they were in Amoy, Canton, Hankow, Peking, Shanghai (1920), Swatow, Tientsin and elsewhere.

At present (2011), the bank has over 210 outlets worldwide, i.e., nearly 100 branches in Hong Kong, another 60 in mainland China and many others elsewhere. The main branch is still located at 10 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong. The Bank has a workforce of nearly 11,000 employees worldwide.

Michel Houde June 2012

[16]

See Group I - 8

[17]

See Group I - 19

[18]

1871 - Submarine telegraph cables were landed in Hong Kong at Telegraph Bay in Pokfulam.

1873 - Eastern Extension Australia and China Telegraph Company was formed and operated links from Madras, to Darwin, Singapore, Saigon, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

1877 - Telephone was introduced in Hong Kong, one year after Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention.

1882 - First public telephone service was introduced into Hong Kong by Oriental Telephone and Electric Company which later became China and Japan Telephone and Electric Company.

1905 - Cable was laid across Victoria Harbour to extend telephone services to Kowloon.

1925 - China and Japan Telephone and Electric Company was taken over by the newly formed Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited (HKTC). Hong Kong Government granted HKTC the sole right to supply and operate telephone services in Hong Kong for a period of 50 years commencing 1 July.

Office of the Telecommunications Authority.
The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

[19]

See Group I - 23

[20]

"The Chase National Bank was an American bank, and a leading wholesale bank in the 1920's. The Chase National Bank opened their Shanghai Office in 1921 and the Hong Kong office in 1924. The Chase National Bank expanded by acquired a number of smaller banks through its Chase Securities Corporation. Its most significant acquisition was the Equitable Trust Company of New York in 1930, the largest stockholder of whom was John D. Rockefeller Jr. This made it then the largest bank in America. In 1955, the Chase National merged with the Bank of Manhattan to form the Chase Manhattan Corporation. The subsequent merger of The Chase Manhattan Corporation and J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated was completed in December 2000 - the merged company was renamed JP Morgan Chase & Co. (also referred to as JPMorgan Chase)."

Frank Drake

The Chase National Bank was formed in 1877 in New York City. The name ‘Chase’ was borrowed from a former United States Treasury Secretary, Salmon P. Chase, who, surprisingly, had no connection with the bank. In 1930, the bank absorbed the Equitable Trust Company of New York, whose main stockholder was John D. Rockefeller Jr. This acquisition made the Chase National Bank the largest bank in the world. In 1930, the bank was the first tenant of the Rockefeller Center. The bank’s name was often shortened to Chase Bank.

Over time, the bank developed an extensive network of branches that covered the globe. It opened branches in Shanghai in 1920, Hong Kong in 1924, and Tientsin in 1929. In December 1935, the Hong Kong branch moved into new premises at 15 Queen’s Road Central.

As WWII approached, the bank closed its branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tientsin, but reopened them after the hostilities ended. The bank closed its branch in Tientsin in 1949 and that in Shanghai in 1950 after the Communists defeated the Kuomintang. The bank’s Hong Kong branch was closed in 1951 for political reasons.

In 1955, Chase National Bank and The Manhattan Company merged to create the Chase Manhattan Bank.

Michel Houde (December 2011)

[21]

The China & South Sea Bank Limited (中南銀行) was established in 1921 in Shanghai as a commercial bank. It was founded by Huang Yizhu (黃奕住) (Oei Ik Tjoe) and Xu Jingren (徐靜仁) who were overseas Chinese from Indonesia. The bank became one of the few Chinese owned banks to gain public confidence and its banknotes were widely circulated in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The bank continued its mainland operations until September 1951, when its assets were nationalised by the government of the People's Republic of China.
The bank established a branch in Hong Kong in 1934. This branch continued to operate until 2001, when it was absorbed by the Bank of China (Hong Kong).

Wikipedia

[22]

See Group I - 18

[23]

See Group I - 40

[24]

This year (2004), the Thoresen Group celebrates the 100th anniversary of its office in Hong Kong. Thoresen started in Hong Kong as shipping agents for Norwegian companies trading on the coast of China and subsequently, in Siam.

The Bangkok Post

[25]

See Group I - 26

[26]

See Group I - 30

[27]

See Group I - 35A

[28]

See Group I - 13

[29]

See Group II - 40

[30]

See Group I - 34

[31]

See Group I - 62B

[32]

Hall & Holtz Limited, was one of then four large department stores in early Shanghai, and the oldest, being incorporated in 1842.

Frank Drake

Hall & Holtz Cooperative Company Ltd, Chinese name Fuh Lee was founded by Edward Hall and Andrew Holtz and began business in Shanghai in 1848 as a bakery and soon developed into a department store. They were located at 14 Na drapers and milliners. It was one of the "big four"nkin Roas and were provision merchants, bakers, tailors and outfitters, furnishers, drapers and milliners. It was one of the "big four" department stores. The others being Whiteaway Laidlaw, Lane Crowford and Weeks and Company. In 1925 the business was sold to a Mr. J. Neil. The store closed after WWTT..

Rod Sell
November 2013

[33]

See Group I - 125

[34]

These perfins were used by the local authorities to tie (and cancel) fiscal adhesives to official documents.

Philippe (October 2011)

[35]

See Group I - 64

[36]

H. Price & Co Ltd underwent a name change. Sometime in 1912 the firm changed its name to Gandy, Price & Co. Ltd (and also called Gande, Price & Co. Ltd) and continue to trade at the same address at 12 Queen's Road Central. They were Wine, Spirit and Cigar Merchants. They were still in business in the post war years and I remember our family buying port wine from them in the 1950 and 60s.
Frank Drake
9/14/2017

[37]

See Group I - 68

[38]

See Group I - 62

[39]

See Group I - 73

[40]

The Districts of Hong Kong are the 18 political areas by which Hong Kong is geographically divided. Each district has a district council, which was formerly known as a district board. The districts were established in the early 1980s, when Hong Kong was under British rule. However, Hong Kong police, fire department, hospital, and education do not follow these boundaries.

Wikipedia

There is no Kowloon District as such, Kowloon comprising 5 Districts. Among them Kowloon City district to which this perfin probably relates.

These perfins were used by the local authorities to tie (and cancel) fiscal adhesives to official documents.

Philippe

[41]

See Group I - 82

[42]

See Group I - 81

[43]

See Group I - 86

[44]

See Group I - 105

[45]

Importing House.in Shanghai.
L. Syka was Austrian

Philippe

[46]

See Group 1 - 89

[47]

See Group I - 93

[48]

See Group I - 91

[49]

North China Daily News (Chinese: 字林西報; pinyin: Zìlín Xībào) was an English-language newspaper in Shanghai, China called the most influential foreign newspaper of its time.[1]
The paper was founded as the weekly North China Herald (北華捷報 Běihuá Jiébào) by British auctioneer Henry Shearman (奚安門 Xī Ānmén) and was first published on 3 August 1850 in Shanghai. A notable editor during this period was Frederic H. Balfour. At that time, the British perspective held that Guangdong was southern China while the Yangtze valley and northward was northern China. Shearman died in 1856. A daily edition commenced publication on 1 June 1864, as the North China Daily News.
The North China Herald was also the Gazette of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan and the British Consulate. For much of the period it was published its name on the masthead was the North China Herald and Supreme Court and Consular Gazette.
The newspaper was an influential force in Shanghai and throughout China under editors who included R.W. 'Bob' Little (brother of Archibald John Little (李德立 Lǐ Délì) who had also served on the Shanghai Municipal Council and its circulation peaked at 7,817 copies. In 1901, the paper was purchased by a British Catholic real estate developer of Jewish descent, Henry E. Morris (馬立斯 Mǎ Lìsī). In 1920 the paper passed to his son, H.E. Morris, Jr., who also used his money to build a compound of luxurious houses (now the Ruijin Hotel)[2] and the Canidrome greyhound racing stadium and ballroom. (One of the two Morrises also purchased the Hellier Stradivarius[3].) In 1924, the newspaper moved into headquarters the new North China Daily News Building at Number 17 in the Bund, then the tallest building in Shanghai. The North China Herald and the daily edition ceased publication after 8 December 1941 during the Pacific war. Publication of the Herald was never resumed.
On 31 March 1951, the North China Daily News suspended publication at the orders of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, and the North China Daily News Building was seized by the People's Republic of China Shanghai municipal government.

Wikipedia (October 2011)

[50]

…. the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, founded in 1866 by Americans Charles and George Page, broadened its product line in the mid-1870s to include cheese and infant formulas. The Nestlé Company, which had been purchased from Henri Nestlé by Jules Monnerat in 1875, responded by launching a condensed milk product of its own. The two companies remained fierce competitors until their merger in 1905.
…....
The Company formed by the 1905 merger was called the Nestlé and AngloSwiss Milk Company. By the early 1900s, the Company was operating factories in the United States, Britain, Germany and Spain. In 1904, Nestlé added chocolate to its range of food products after reaching an agreement with the Swiss General Chocolate Company.

Condensed-milk exports increased rapidly as the Company replaced sales agents with local subsidiary companies. In 1907, the Company began full-scale manufacturing in Australia, its second-largest export market. Warehouses were built in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bombay to supply the rapidly growing Asian markets..

Nestlé’s History

[51]

- 1812 June 16: New York State charters City Bank of New York with authorized capital of $2 million and paidin capital of $800,000.

September 14: City Bank opens for business to serve a group of New York merchants.

- 1865 City Bank joins the new U.S. national banking system and becomes The National City Bank of New York.

1897 - First major U.S. bank to establish a foreign department; begins foreignexchange trading.

- 1902- Expands into Asia, Europe and India, with offices from Shanghai to Manila.

- 1915 Opens National City Bank office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Now America's leading international bank, with the largest overseas branch network of any U.S. bank.

- 1918 International Banking Corporation, a U.S. overseas bank, becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of National City.

- 1955 The bank changes its name to The First National City Bank of New York.

- 1976 First National City Bank becomes Citibank, N.A. (for National Association).

1998
October 8: All Citicorp and Travelers Group divisions merge to become Citigroup Inc.

Citi's History

The National City Bank of New York (1927-1955)

The National City Bank of New York was an American bank founded in 1863 on the merging of two banks. Its headquarters were located at 55 Wall Street, New York City. On 29 October 1915, the International Banking Corporation and its 16 branches became a wholly owned subsidiary of the bank. On 1 January 1927, the IBC merged with the bank. Until the acquisition of the IBC, the NCBNY paid little attention to the Asian market, however, with this acquisition it became overnight the largest international bank in China.

The NCBNY became heir to the branches of the IBC in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canton, Dairen, Peking, Hankow, Tientsin, Tsingtao, Harbin and Dairen. By 1930, the bank had 100 branches in 23 countries in Europe, the Americas, Japan, India, the Straits Settlements, China and elsewhere.

With war looming, the branches in Japan closed in 1937 and those in China in 1940-41. After the surrender of Japan, the branches in Shanghai, Tientsin and Hong Kong were reopened. The Shanghai branch finally closed on 14 August 1950 after the People's Republic of China was proclaimed. The Tientsin branch closed in December 1948.

In 1955, the NCBNY merged with the First National Bank to yield The First National City Bank, which was rebranded Citibank in 1976.

Michel Houde June 2012

[52]

See Group I - 98

[53]

The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (Simplified Chinese: 华侨银行有限公司), abbreviated as OCBC Bank (华侨银行), was founded out of the Great Depression with the merger of three banks in 1932 - the Chinese Commercial Bank (1912), the Ho Hong Bank (1917) and the Oversea-Chinese Bank (1919). The bank's name is often mistakenly thought to be incorrectly spelled, but is in fact a predominantly British usage of the word more commonly spelled as "overseas".

The combined entity prospered under the management of local business and community leaders, notably Dato Lee Kong Chian (1938–1964), Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan (1966–1983) and Mr Lee Choon Seng (acting Chairman during the Occupation), eventually becoming one of the largest banks in Singapore and Malaysia. In 1942 all the local banks in Singapore closed briefly during the early days of the Japanese Occupation. By April 1942 most, including OCBC, had reopened. OCBC Bank was one of only four foreign banks to have branches in China in the 1950s.

Wikipedia (October 2011)

[54]

P&O/BC

In 1920, Lord Inchcape of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company established the Peninsula & Oriental Banking Corporation. The bank lasted only seven years. In 1920, the P&O Bank established a branch in Colombo, Ceylon, which it followed by establishing branches in Shanghai Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canton. In 1927, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China acquired 75% of the shares of the P&O Bank. By the fall of 1938 the Chartered Bank owned 80% of the shares of the bank. It was agreed that the Chartered Bank should acquire the remaining shares of the P&O Bank to reduces overhead expenses and avoid further competition between the two Banks. The P&O Bank finally disappeared ca 1939.

Frank Drake

[55]

See Group I - 105

[56]

See Group I - 116

[57]

See Group I - 113

[58]

Firm from Manila, Philippines
used between 1870's and 1880's

[59]

See Group I - 124

[60]

Sandilands Buttery and Co Ltd was one of the earliest British trading firms to be established in Malaya. Like many of the early mercantile companies in the Straits Settlements, the company was associated with a host of other firms as exporters and importers, and manufacturers' representatives as well as insurance and shipping agents.

Early History
Sandilands Buttery and Co Ltd had its origins in Lorrain Sandilands, which was established in Penang by George MacFarlane Sandilands and Francis Currie Lorrain in the 1830s. It was the first firm of British traders in Penang. In 1856, the firm started business in Singapore. Later, a branch was established in Singapore in Malacca Street in 1859. Following Lorrain's retirement in 1862, the firm was renamed Sandilands and Co. The following year, it changed its name to Sandilands Buttery, when John Buttery of Glasgow was admitted as a partner.

Products and Services
As general importers and exporters, and agents for rubber, tapioca and tobacco estates and tin mines in Malaya and the East Indies, the company dealt with a host of products. In its heyday, it imported goods such as machinery, wine and spirits from Europe and exported from Malaya and the East Indies produce such as tapioca, spices, rubber, tobacco, sugar and tin to Europe and other parts of the world. The company was also agents for financial, insurance and shipping companies. In the mid-1870s, the firm became an agent for Ben Line in Penang. The firm also associated with other shipping lines such as Knutsen Line. In insurance, agencies held by Sandilands Buttery included those for underwriters' associations and insurance companies in Britain and other parts of the world

With time, as the economic landscape changed, the business profile of Sandilands Buttery also changed, with emphasis on being import agents for a wide range of companies, and less emphasis on being agents for insurance and shipping firms and a shipper of agricultural produce. As Singapore and the region industrialized, and the firm was aquired by or merged with other companies, its original role as East Indies merchants evolved further and Sandilands Buttery began dealing more with marketing industrial and consumer products rather than agricultural produce. Instead of traditional produce such as spices, rubber and tin, the company focused on products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and toiletries, and building materials.

Officers of Sandilands Buttery played an active role in the public affairs of Singapore and held important positions in the community. They also served on the Boards of the Port Authorities and in the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce.

Later History
In 1920, the firm set up a branch at Medan, Sumatra for trading, as well as serving as rubber estate agents. Subsequently, offices were set up in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Port Swettenham. In 1946, Sandilands Buttery was acquired by Henry Gardner and Co. Ltd of London but continued to operate under its own name. In 1972, Henry Gardner merged its activities with British Metal Corporation Ltd, and Sandilands Buttery traded as a member of the Amalgamated Metal Corporation Group. In the mid-1970s, Sandilands Buttery became Jardine Sandilands and subsequently was renamed Jardine Marketing Services in the late 1970s.

Author
Joshua Chia Yeong Jia & Chan Fook Weng
written on 17-Oct-2006
National Library Board Singapore

[61]

The Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank.
The bank was established in Shanghai in 1915. In 1931, the Bank completed the construction of its head office building in Shanghai, which was the most modern banking edifice in China at that time. The Bank started its business with a capital of less than 100,000 silver dollars and with a workforce of four. In 1934, the Bank had become the nation’s top private bank, with employees over 2,700 and branches over 110.
During World War II, the Bank, with a new board of directors and supervisors, moved its head office to Chongqing, the wartime capital of Chinese resistance. The head office remained in Chongqing until the end of the war. In addition, the Bank extended its banking network from the southeastern, middle, and northern parts of the country, to the southwestern and northwestern parts. Unfortunately, due to political reasons, the Bank was forced to shut down in 1950.

Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank head office "Shanghai Bank Tower" in Taipei
In 1954, the Bank accompanied the government to Taiwan and was allowed to establish the head office in Taipei to prepare for the resumption of business. It was not until June 1965 that the Bank was approved to restart its operation in Taipei with a capital of NT$15 million. Mr. Chen was the chairman. The Bank was the only private Mainland bank to relocate to Taiwan. During the resumption, the Bank acted conservatively. The Savings Department and Kaohsiung Branch were set up in 1966 and 1971, respectively.

Wikipedia
October 2011

Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank, Limited (1915-1950)

A group of Shanghai bankers founded the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank, Limited in June 1915. Its head office building was completed in Shanghai in 1931. By 1936, it had become the major private bank in China, having over 2,700 employees and more than 100 branches. The Hong Kong branch was established in 1934 with offices at 6 Queen’s Road, Central. In August 1937, when the Japanese attacked Shanghai, the bank moved its head office to Chungking (now Chongqing). Due to political reasons, the bank was closed in 1950. [In 1954, the bank accompanied the government to Taiwan and was allowed to establish its head office in Taipei to prepare for the resumption of business. It was not until June 1965 that approval was given for the bank to restart operation.]

Michel Houde June 2012

[62]

See Group I - 137a

[63]

Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It covers the areas of Tai Po, Tai Po Kau, Ting Kok, Plover Cove and the northern part of Sai Kung Peninsula on both shores of Tolo Channel. It is located in the New Territories. The administrative centre of the district is Tai Po Town (the Tai Po New Town).

Wikipedia

These perfins were used by the local authorities to tie (and cancel) fiscal adhesives to official documents.

Philippe

[64]

See Group I - 133

[65]

See Group I - 134

[66]

UT/Co
Firm’s name: Union Trading Company
In 1902 the Imperial Tobacco Company and the American Tobacco Company formed a joint venture, the British American Tobacco Company, in a bid to end an intense trade war. Under the agreement, the two companies will not trade in each other’s domestic markets and acquire the right to use each other’s brands and trade marks in their own territory. Imperial Tobacco's and American Tobacco’s businesses outside the ‘home’ markets of the UK and US were transferred to British American Tobacco Company, Limited giving the new company operations in expanding markets overseas, including China. BAT opened its first factory in Pudong, Shanghai in 1902. In 1911, BAT attempted to create a mechanism that would facilitate an enormous reduction in the transaction costs of doing business. Setting up a fully owned subsidiary company in London to own certain of their cigarette brands, BAT then floated another company in China called the Union Trading Company which was granted the rights to sell these brands in the Chinese market. Shares in the UTC were owned 51% by BAT and 49% by its former comprador, WU Ting-seng.

Frank Drake

[67]

See Group II - 98

[68]

V/&Co
Firm’s name: Vogel and Company
Vogel, Hagedon & Co. was a German trading firm, established in Hong Kong in 1868. They were general merchants. Frederick William Hagedon began his business career in Hong Kong in 1864 working as an assistant in another German trading firm. With partners, he formed the firm, Hagedon & Co. in 1865. In 1867, he took on two new partners, Emil Vogel and Heinrich Kirchhoff, and the firm's name changed in1868 to Vogel, Hagedon & Co. The firm traded under this name until 1877, when Fredrick Hagedon retired, and Emil Vogel continued in business as Vogel and Co. until he left Hong Kong in 1882.

Frank Drake

[69]

See Group II - 99

[70]

See Group II - 4

[71]

See Group I - 59D

[72]

I find myself in agreement with the views expressed by Lee, but I question Frank's argument that this was a perfin used "...in the early days of the Colony...", because the examples shown are on 1900 - 01 issues. If one excepts a minority of firms, including most notably HSBC, then my impression is that the remaining majority changed from printed initials/names to perfins at the end of the 19th century. So the use of the star perfin on the 1900 - 01 issue should not be surprising, and to go one step further, it suggests that we could be looking for a firm who, previously, had been using printed initials/names. Frank may be correct in suggesting that a 'symbol' perfin did not meet with the approval of the Hong Kong Post Office, but perhaps the firm was based in Shanghai.
Chris Norton 11-23-11

I don't have this perfin type. So I can add more to the discussions. I suspect that this perfin would have been used for a very short period during the early days of the Colony and then was withdrawn from further use. Since we do not have any other perfins on the Hong Kong adhesives with a symbol design, I suspect that any perfin symbol would have been a "no-no" restriction imposed by the then Hong Kong Post Office. And, the firm who had used this star symbol perfin may have been asked to have its use stopped and instructed to change over to the accepted practice of using initial letters for perfins punched on the Hong Kong stamps.
Frank Drake 11-22-11

Seems to me that the stamp with star perfin and Singapore arrival / transit cancel fits the often seen pattern for security marks on covers which were handed in on board ship before sailing. Some of these were consignees covers, others by this means, so that the most up to date business information could be transmitted.

A possible scenario for the other star perfin: a company applied the star perfin to secure its stamps from employee theft. The letter bering this stamp / perfin was then handed in at the Deutsch Asiatsche Line office. The German agent applied their security handstamp to tie the stamp to the cover against future stamp pilfering.
The very similar / identical perfin on the U.S. stamp could have been applied by the same company at its Shanghai office, which likely would have had a stock of U.S. stamps for mail to be carried across the Pacific to the U.S.

The fact that the user of the star perfins has not yet been identified only means that an example has not yet been found bearing some additional information allowing identification of the company that sent the letters. I don't recall that the star security handstamp has yet been traced to a company either.

As to the star perfin being bogus, how much was paid for these perfins? Unless a significant amount, what would have been the motive to design, fabricate, and apply the perfin? This questiion needs to be asked every time we suspect a philatelic forgery.
Lee Scamp 11-22-11

The star perfin looked familiar to me, something caught in the cobwebs in the back of my mind. I checked the Catalog of United States Perfins (1979 edition) and there it is - or at least one very like it. Please see scan.

I don't suggest that there is a connection between the U.S. and the Hong Kong star perfins, but the similarity is striking. Both are stars with six points, the design built of 4 holes in straight lines. If someone in our membership has the computer skills to overlay one upon the other, and if the overlay should match perfectly, that would be even more coincidental!

The U.S. catalogue identifies the perfin as Other No. 33. B indicates it is considered elusive (A would be rare, C mor common, and so on). Vertical height (measured from the center of the highest to the center of the lowest hole) is 5.5mm. The owner of the perfin has never been identified, and the catalogue does not specifiy the dates of use.

Perhaps this is only useless information, but the similarity is striking, at least to my eye.
Charles Jones 11-20-11

I think we may have addressed this subject before, but I would like to revisit it.
We have now two distinct adhesives with this star perfin.
What should we think about it, is it bogus?
Does anyone own such a perfin?
Philippe 11-20-11