The Standard Catalog of Korean Revenue Stamps & A Listing of Korean Government Bonds

This 79-page combined catalogue of Korean revenues and a list of Korean Government bonds was self-published via computer in 2005. It is spiral plastic bound with heavy front and back covers and standard white paper. 

According to the author’s introduction:

“It has been over 35 years since I started to collect the Revenue Stamps of Korea. My first catalog describing these Revenue Stamps was prepared in 1981, but was never published.

Then in 1998, my old friend in Korea, Mr. DOUK IN OH, asked me to prepare the Revenue Stamps section of the Korean Standard Stamp Catalogue. This catalog was published in 1998. My section on the Revenue Stamps of Korea, illustrated in color, was the first published description in history of these very interesting stamps.

I have published the present, more comprehensive catalog to provide an up-to-date description of Korean Revenue Stamps… Also included in this catalog is a listing of Korean Government Bonds. It is the first such published catalog list of these documents.”

At the beginning of each of the two parts of the catalogue, a checklist is provided. I really like this feature. It creates a very easy way to maintain one’s inventory without damaging the actual catalogue pages, as I have done in the past. The printing is also very nicely done. All illustrations are clear and in full color. Some of the illustrations of documents are a little difficult to see because of the difficulty of copying the brown backgrounds. I also really like the inclusion of additional illustrations—of documents, multiples, and varieties. Even collectors who have never spent much time working with revenues will find the catalogue easy to use, and identifying stamps will also be relatively easy. I also appreciate the illustration of imprint types. There are some typographical and language errors, but I do not find them to be too distracting.

Local issues under Japanese Occupation are shown, but that is the limit of locals or municipals. As Hale stated earlier in this issue in the Letters to the Editor, providing such in any kind of complete inventory would be difficult, if not impossible. However, it would be nice to pull together what we do know about this intriguing field. Perhaps in Hasegawa’s next edition, or as he suggests in the Letters to the Editor, in an upcoming catalogue, we can hope to see the beginning of this process.

I happen to have a copy of Hasegawa’s 1981 unpublished catalogue, and it is interesting to compare the prices between the two catalogues. I own 6 of the 7 stamps in the first set issued, used, printed 1905-1907 under the Korean Empire. Under the 1981 catalog, this set was worth $122 with two stamps (#6-7) un-priced. Today, the first five stamps are catalogued at $140, a fairly small change, but the two stamps that were unpriced are now priced at $200 and $250. In that same set, mint, three stamps were listed as Unknown, and only two were priced. Today, only the last stamp in the set is listed as unknown in mint, and all are priced. Throughout, the prices appear to be appropriate, given what such stamps, when they do occur in auction (especially, eBay) realize.

I don’t know much about the bonds, and it does appear that this is a first effort to bring these together. Bonds are also nicely illustrated. They are not priced, however, but a general rarity scale is used.

Anyone interested in Korean revenue stamps will find this catalogue a “must have.”

(Originally from KP August 2005, Vol. 50, No. 3)

In the same Korean Philately Stephen Hasegawa also wrote about Korean revenue stamps:

An Update on Korean Revenue Stamps
By Stephen Hasegawa

Since writing my last article on Korean revenue stamps in KP, I have discovered a half dozen new revenue stamps. This article provides an update based on these new discoveries over the past five or so years. The numbers referenced are from my new catalog.

1. Correction. Formally listed as JK3 and JK7, these two stamps have been deter-mined to be forged overprints on the 3 Rin and 3 Sen stamps. (See Figure 1.) These revenue stamps were discovered in Japan in 1990 and listed in the catalog of the Korean Standard Coins, Bank Notes and Stamps Catalogue. But I have found that, in March, 1993, a detailed study by a few experts in Japan came to the conclusion that these stamps had forged over-prints. Therefore, there are only ten overprint issues from JK1-JK10, 1 Rin to 5 Yen. Only two complete sets are known.

2. Newly discovered revenue stamps. Chung Chong Nam Do 10 Sen Dark Orange, catalog number CN 4. I assume that a 1 Yen revenue of this series might exist. Chung Chong Puk Do 1 Sen, Grayish Blue, #CP1. A 5 Sen might exist, but it has not been seen. CP6-9 are newly discovered. These were discovered in 2005.

3. The most important discovery has been KR60A, 10 Won, Dark Olive revenue stamp. So far, only 3 used copies are known. The difference between this stamp and KR60 is that the Hangul value is colored instead of intaglio. I think only a very small number were printed before it was changed to KR60. So far, I have not seen any copy in any collection in the world. So it is worth checking your own collection.

4. So called Passport stamps have still not been discovered in any number in either mint or used condition. I have listed these from my copy of the Korean Government Specimen record book. Because these are available offi-cially only in used condition, only a very few copies are likely available in mint, and I do not know how scarce these are, I priced them at just $25 used and $50 mint at this time. I think that there may be as many as 10,000’s that ex-ist within passports, but how many of these will pass on to a collector? So the availability is very small.

5. I have listed all known North Korean revenue stamps in the new catalog. I will be revising the catalogue to incorporate any new discoveries in my next edition, so please let me know if you have any revenues that are not listed.

6. Since this catalogue is printed by computer, there are only a few copies in stock. Anyone who wants a copy should order right away before it is sold out.

7. I am working on Dr. Sherwood Hall’s Christmas and New Year seals of Korea (1932-1940); this includes all known seals, sheets, booklets, postcards, envelopes, bonds, posters, announcements, calendars, etc. There are many items that are newly listed. This is also the result of over 35 years of research. It will be available in early July.