A week after thousands lined up outside Bank of China (Hong Kong) branches to buy Olympic banknotes, limited amounts of Games stamps and other merchandise will go on sale from today.
An official licensed retailer is teaming up with the Plaza Hollywood shopping centre in Diamond Hill to sell 26 series of stamps and jewellery. Only 400 people per day will be allowed to purchase one selection each.
The top-of-the-line item is the full series of stamps featuring the five Olympic fuwa mascots, selling for HK$3,580. There are only 12 copies of this collection available; the package contains 32 individual stamps in an album, an explanatory booklet and a rolled-up, enlarged photo of the five mascots.
There are only 40 to 50 copies available of each of the other 25 stamp series. They include the Olympic Torch Stamp and Envelope Album and the Olympic Emblems Stamp and Envelope Album.
The Torch Stamp and Envelope Album contains stamps, postcards and souvenir covers with the designs of torch logos used in past Olympic Games. The album costs HK$1,320.
The Emblems Stamp and Envelope Album features logos from past Games. The logos are made of silk, and each album costs HK$1,485.
The stamps in the various series are the first batch of limited Beijing Olympics stamps to be sold in Hong Kong. They are also for sale on the mainland. Some stamps carry images of Olympic cities and Olympic stadiums.
