In the hundred years from 1841 to 1941, Hong Kong only issued four sets of commemorative stamps. The first was printed in 1891 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hong Kong’s opening as a free port. In view of the tight schedule, the Hong Kong government had not applied in time for permission from the Colonial Office for a special design. As a result, the 2-cent definitive stamp had to be overprinted, making it the world’s first overprinted commemorative stamp. The 50,000 stamps sold out in three days.

A new set of commemorative stamps was issued when Hong Kong celebrated the centenary of British rule in 1941, and these were illustrated for the first time with design elements proposed by a local, albeit expatriate, resident. Two other commemorative stamps were also issued to mark royal occasions, in 1935 and 1937 respectively, and these were the earliest Hong Kong stamps to be produced using the intaglio printing process.