...China - 2000 Specially Protected Wild Animals of China In A Hard Cover Album

中国邮政集团有限公司

(China Post Group Corporation Limited)

Here I have posted 19 sets of mint stamps and miniature sheets issued in a hard cover folder. In all there are 59 mint stamps and 3 miniature sheets. The front of the folder reads as follows:- 

Specially Protected Wild Animals Of China

国家重点保护野生动物

I am not sure if this was an official issue or someone or entity put all these stamps and miniature sheets all into one folder. Inside the cover, it says that this folder was released on 06.06.2000. The stamps and miniature sheets were issued between 1989 to 2000 and are all in mint condition.

 

This folder consists of 15 chapters with each chapter dedicated to one protected wild animal in China. However, the theme of the animal in a chapter may not be related to the stamps attached to the topic. However the stamps that link to the chapter are related to the inhabitant of the endangered animal. 

Here I have only scanned the mint stamps and miniature sheets but not the contents or the front of the hard cover folder as it is just too large for my scanner.

The stamps and miniature sheets posted here are quite common and they are cheap to buy too.

Theme - Brown-Eared Pheasant

Series 1989, T.134

Theme - Ibis

Stamps - Huashan (Hua Mountain)

Series 1989, T.140

Ibis is a kind of wading bird. These birds are almost extinct in the world and as such they are first-class protected animals in China. These birds are also known as the 'Jewel of the east' and have their home in the Hua Mountain area.

Theme - Snow Leopard

Series 1990, T.153

Theme - Wild Sheep

Series 1991, T.161

Theme - Storks

Series 1992-2

Theme - Wild Camel (double humps)

Series 1993-3

Series 1994-4, China desert afforestation

Theme - Manchurian Tiger

Stamps - Zhangbei Mountains in Heilungjiang

Series 1993-9

The Manchurian Tigers are another first-class protected animal in China. These tigers can be found living in the Minor Xingan and Zhangbei mountains in the Heilungjiang and Jilin provinces in China.

 

Theme - Chinese Sturgeons

Series 1994-3

 

 

Theme - Red-Crowned Crane

Series 1994-15

Theme - Chinese River Dolphin

Stamps - The Three Gorges in Yangtze River

Series 1994-18

The Chinese River Dolphins mainly live in the area of the Yangtze Gorges 

Theme - Butterflies

Stamps - Guangdong Dinghu Mountains

Series 1995-3

Theme - Elephas Maximus (elephant)

Series 1995-11

This se-tenant was issued to celebrate the 20th year of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand. The stamps are also printed with Thai writing as well.

 

Theme - Chinese Alligator

Stamps - Four seasons of Taihu Lake

Series 1995-12

Theme - Giant Panda

Stamps - Jiuzhaigou (Nine Village valley - 九寨沟 - 长海)

Series 1998-6

Series 1998-6

 

Theme - Golden Haired Monkey

Stamps - Shennongjia Nature Reserve

Series 1998-13

Theme - Sika Deer

Stamps - Xilinguole Grassland

Series 1998-16

 

Stamp -20th Anniversary of UN Conference on Human Environment

Series 1992-6

Stamp - China National Key Protected Wild Animals

Series 2000-3 - a full list of China specially protected wild animals. This miniature sheet was issued on 25.02.2000

...Minolta Twin Lens Reflex Camera - Autocord LM-X, Built 1958-1959

Minolta Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Camera

Model Autocord LM-X

Made in Japan

This is my third and last twin lens reflex camera I have in my collection. I bought this camera just over a year ago and so far I have only used it twice. The first roll was a failure as unknown to me, the aperture lever was disconnected and I have to send it for a quick repair. Needless to say the photos taken were either under or over exposed. As for the second roll, I have not sent it off for development yet.

The Minolta Autocord was first introduced in 1955 and the production went on for 11 years until 1966. In all, more than 20+ models were made.

The Minolta Autocord LM-X was first made in 1958 by Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko. This camera comes with a light meter powered by Selenium cells. Everyone will tell you that Selenium light meters are not reliable and the cells tend to die off after a period of time. The light meter on this camera is still working after 62 years but I can't tell you if it is still accurate or not. All I can say is that the meter is still working when the nameplate is flipped up.

The LM-X was built between 1958 to 1959 and in those days it was selling for around US$124.50 (or about US$1,200 today's money). Like my other Yashica TLRs, it takes 6x6 medium format pictures (120 film). Prior to me buying this camera, it was CLA (Clean, Lubricate & Adjust) by an expert in Oregon in the USA. Like my Yashica Mat 124G, I also paid a bit too much for this camera. This Autocord LM-X came with a case, strap, lens cap, all original. The seller also provided me with the original manual, the warranty card and a few other bits and pieces too. In addition to all these, it also came with the Minolta pocket size flash gun with 13 fan-shapes blades when it is fully opened. This flash gun is powered by a 22.5V dry battery and a condenser (capacitor) which can discharge more than 300 flashbulbs. I have not tried this as I do not have any flashbulbs or the dry battery to try it on.

One other thing about this camera is that it does not come with an in-built self-timer. To do that, you will have to buy a separate self-timer unit. There are plenty of secondhand self-timers available and cheap too, but not all of them can be used on a TLR camera. To be able to use a self-timer on a TLR camera, the self-timer has to be specifically made for these types of cameras. The shape of the self-timer has to be slightly bent to avoid blocking the taking lens when it is attached to the camera. Most self-timers available in the market were made for SLR cameras. Later models of Minolta Autocords all came with the inbuilt self-timer.

Again, I am not going to compare or review this camera as I am not qualified to do so. However, many experts or serious users will tell you that this camera is as good as those made by Rollei and more importantly it was much cheaper to get one too. A basic Rollei TLR would cost you around US$200 in those days.

Whilst there are many good features about this camera, there is one common complaint about this camera. This Autocord LM-X features a focusing helicoid lever located at the front bottom of the camera. The focusing lever is made from a metal called Zamak, an unstable alloy and as such can break easily if it has not been used for a long time or not serviced. In addition to this, the way this lever is positioned may also damage the camera body and the focusing lever when the back cover is opened for loading or unloading films. To avoid this, the focusing lever will either have to move all the way to the left or to the right before the back cover is open.

One other good feature of this camera is that you can do multi exposures where a Yashica Mat 124G can't. This feature is designed in such a way that you will not accidentally expose your film more than once unless you want it to, and for this, I find this feature very unique and useful. 

Film Type: 120 Roll Film (twelve 6cm x 6cm exposures per roll)
Lens: 75mm f/3.5 Chiyoko Rokkor coated 4-elements (taking),
75mm f/3.2 View-Rokkor coated 4-elements (viewing)
Focusing distance: 3.3 feet to Infinity Viewfinder:
Coupled Reflex Waist Level Viewfinder Shutter:
Seikosha-MX Leaf Speeds: B, 1 – 1/500 seconds Exposure Meter:
Coldshoe: Yes
Self-timer: No

Minolta Autocord LM-X

Camera attached with Kaiser 6385 Double Spirit level on the coldshoe

Left side view

Right side view

With flash (no bulb) and Kopil self-timer (made in Japan)

I am sure there are plenty of experts out there with these kinds of cameras. If you are one of them, I would like to know how to take a double exposure with the same person appearing on both sides of the photo. I do know how to operate the multiple exposures on this camera but I need to know what accessories do you need to attach to the taking lens. Many years ago, we had a family friend who took double exposure with a TLR and I am trying to learn this trick. I have seen some accessories on sale on the Internet but the sample photo shows an overlapping band in the middle. There must be a way to avoid this and I am keen to find out. Anyone out there can help?

...Yashica - Twin Lens Reflex Camera Model Mat 124G Built in 1985/6

Yashica Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Camera

Model Yashica Mat 124G

Made in Japan

This is my second Yashica TLR camera and the model is Mat 124G. I bought this camera in 2018 from Japan. It was a bit expensive but the condition of this camera is in excellent condition and because of this, I have no issue in paying a little bit extra. This camera is quite popular especially for those who want to go into medium format photography. I have tested this camera and the photos came out all right. The serial number of this camera is 211844. I believe this camera was made between 1985 to 1986, or almost the last few batches of the production before they discontinued this model due to the falling demand for these kinds of unique cameras. Needless to say, this was the last TLR camera made by Yashica. Even though Yashica ceased manufacturing this type of camera, the Mat 124G is still a very popular TLR camera and plenty of these are still available in the market.

Like all Yashica TLR cameras, the operations are fully mechanical. For this model, it has the option of a light meter powered by a PX625 mercury battery, which is no longer available due to the mercury content. There are other alternative batteries in the market such as the Wein zinc-air battery but it didn't work out for me. Firstly, it is expensive and more importantly, it didn't last long at all. There are also battery adapters to allow you to use a hearing aid battery but then many experts will tell you that due voltage differences, it may not give you an accurate light reading. The other options would be a cheap hand held light meter such as a Sekonic Twinmate Model L-208 or simply use the famous Sunny Rule of 16 method instead.

This Mat 124G camera came with a standard genuine soft plastic lens cap. The soft plastic lens cap was first introduced in 1963. The one that is showing here is a Yashica cast metal hinged bayonet 1 lens cap which I bought separately recently. I was told that this cast metal lens cap will fit all makes and models that accept bayonet 1 (B30) twin lens cameras. Yashica introduced these kinds of lens caps in 1956. I do have the original soft plastic cap too, but I thought the metal cap looks nicer. This camera also came with the original case and strap which are not shown here. If you have one of these cameras and are missing the lens cap, whatever you do, do not buy those cheap and unbranded plastic lens caps which are on sale online. Those lens caps will not fit the Yashica TLR for all models that have the two round shutter speed control and aperture control dials located on the front. Believe me, as I bought one and it does not fit. These two dials on the front of the camera prevent the lens cap from fitting onto the two lenses. Furthermore, I believe that these kinds of cheap caps are about 1 to 2 mm too short to fit the two lenses on the camera. As the common saying goes, the original is always better than cheap imitations.

This Mat 124G replaced the previous Mat 124 model which was first introduced in 1968 and ended in 1970. The Mat 124G was first released in 1970 and ceased production in 1986. In terms of features, there are not many differences between the Mat 124 and Mat 124G models. The Mat 124G has more plastic components and mostly in black colour. Black was then very popular for cameras. The battery compartment cover is made of plastic and not metal like the Mat 124. Both cameras can take 12 or 24 exposures. The Mat 124G has gold plated meter contacts, as such the "G" is added to the model name.

Again, I am not going to do a review or any comparison of this camera with other TLR as I am not qualified to do so. Furthermore there are already many reviews available on the Internet and there is no need for me to do one, especially since I knew nothing about these kinds of cameras.

I always have a soft spot for TLR cameras as I remembered that my first home photos were taken by a TLR. Unfortunately I do not recall which brand of camera we used as the camera was borrowed from someone else.

Yashica Mat 124G

With 1956 cast metal hinged bayonet 1 lens cap

Right side view

Left side view

Warning

If you have one of these cameras, be very careful when you are playing with it and not taking any pictures. If you feel like releasing the shutter just for fun, please ensure the take-up spool is removed from the camera before you operate the film advance crank. If you operate the film advance crank with the take-up spool inside the camera but without a film, this may jam the mechanical systems of the camera. Should this happen, you may have to send in your camera for repair by an expert.

If any visitors have one of these cameras, please feel free to share your experience and opinion here. Your comments are always welcome here.

...Old Charcoal Pressing Iron - Made in Ipoh Malaya

Old Charcoal Pressing Iron
Made in Ipoh Malaya

No one for sure when charcoal pressing iron was first discovered, however during the 1st century BC, the Chinese were using metal pans filled with hot coals to iron their fabrics.

Below, I have posted one I believe was made in Malaya. This iron is at least 70 to 80 years old or even older. It has been in my family as long as I can remember. On the back of this iron, it has few Chinese characters written and it reads as - 店福生商. If you read these from right to left, and based on Google translation, it tells me that it literally means - "Fusheng Store". On either side of these writings, there are also two more characters each. On the right it says 怡保 (Ipoh) and on the left the two characters are 新街 (New Street). I believe the company that made this iron was called Fu-Sheng and was located at New Street in Ipoh. In case you wonder, Ipoh is a city located about 180 kilometer north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state. Ipoh (Kinta Valley) was once the richest town in the whole of Malaya due to tin mining and also the state (Perak) had their first car registered in the country. At one time, there were more Mercedes-Benz on the roads in Perak than in any other States in the country.

The condition of this iron is still in an excellent condition. We had two of these irons but the other one (slightly larger than this one) has gone AWOL.

The operation of a charcoal pressing iron is very simple. Like all others, all you need is to place burning charcoal in the center of the iron and let it heat up before using it. Some of these charcoal irons come with a cast iron mesh floor fire grate to support the heated charcoal for better burning and air circulation. I do not believe this one has that option. However it does have a cast iron ring to support the hot iron at intervals when it is not in use. This type of iron is not designed to have it stand upright like those current electrical irons.

Millions of this type of iron were made around the world. In the United Kingdom, they called this flatiron but they are not the same as the charcoal pressing iron. The flatiron has a solid base block of iron and does not use charcoal for heating up. Today, you can still find them on sale from secondhand shops or online. Needless to say, they are not rare, but I have not seen one that comes with a ring stand. In addition to these, I have also seen such irons that are made for the purpose of display only too. The reason I said this is because those that I saw do not have a smooth and flat base/bottom that you can use as hot iron. The finishing was not that great.

Some of the charcoal pressing irons that I saw are quite creative in their designs too but the one that I have is very simple and basic.

Today, I believe it is very rare to find anyone using such iron domestically, especially in the developing or the first world. The last time I used this iron was back in the late 90s and that was just for fun. Instead of charcoal, I used BBQ heat beats and it was not very effective as heat beats do not burn as fast as charcoal thus not generating sufficient heat for the iron.

If you have one, feel free to share with us here too.

Fu-Sheng Charcoal Pressing Iron 

Left side of the iron

Rear side of the iron with details of manufacturer

Footnote➱
I am unable to locate any streets in Ipoh that are called New Street. I am not surprised if the name had changed as the authority changed many of the streets with British names some 40 years ago. If any visitors from Ipoh can confirm this would be great.

...Yashica - Twin Lens Reflex Camera Model 635 Built in 1970

Yashica Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) Camera
Model Yashica 635

Made in Japan

Here is a Yashica 635 TLR camera built in 1970 (based on the serial number on the camera). TLR cameras were once very popular cameras right up to the late 60s. If you have not used one of these cameras before, you will find this type of camera a bit hard to operate initially. For a start, the image you see on the viewfinder is opposite from what you can see from your naked eyes. Beside this, you also need to get used to holding the camera in level position and because of this, having the strap around your neck/shoulder for support may overcome this issue. No doubt having a camera spirit level would be a better option.

This Yashica 635 TLR model is a dual format camera (6x6 and 35mm), first released in 1958 and went on for the next 13 years. It ceased operation in 1971.

Apart from the above few disadvantages, there are few other restrictions on such TLR cameras as the fastest lens speed is only 1/500 second and I find it hard to use such a camera for shooting sporting events or fast moving subjects. There are no interchangeable lenses like those SLR cameras (except Maimiya), although some models do come with wide and telephoto lenses but only with fixed range. Another issue I have is the focusing screen which can take a while to get it ready. Some owners changed this with a split image screen but I like my camera to be as original as possible.

To advance the film, you wind the film advancing knob clockwise situated on the right hand side of the camera. To take a picture you then have to cock the shutter by pressing down the shutter cocking lever, located on the front of the camera. Most later models for Yashica TLR have these two operations combined into just one move with a crank lever. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages for having these two functions separately. The advantage is that you can take multiple exposures on one film, and the disadvantage is the reverse effect. To avoid having the same film exposed more than once unintended, I usually do not wind the next film after taking a shot. I will only do that when I am ready for the next photo. The Yashica 124G does not come with this double exposure option.

Despite some of these shortfalls, I still like this camera. I personally find it challenging to use them. For a start, this is a complete mechanical camera with no battery required. The only battery you need is for the light meter. You can always get a separate handheld light meter or use the Sunny Rule of 16. This Yashica 635 takes 120 medium format film (12 shorts) and it also comes with a special conversion kit that allows you to take 35mm film too. I believe, in those days, you had to buy this accessory separately as it did not come as standard for the camera.

Many of the TLR cameras were made and sold around the world between the 1940s and 1960s. The most popular, most sought after and also the most expensive TLR brand was the German made Rolleiflex. This is the state of the art TLR camera and until today, it is still in high demand by both amateur and professional photographers. Of course the price range is also expensive too. On the other hand, the Yashica TLR was also popular among amateurs as it was priced reasonably and was considered as an entry level TLR camera for those who wanted to take medium format pictures. Some even go as far as saying that a Yashica TLR is just as good as a Rollei. In reality, this is not correct as the Rollei TLR camera quality is much better.

I bought this camera in 1997 secondhand from a local camera shop and the condition of this camera is still in excellent condition. I won't go into how to operate this camera or compare the performance to other similar cameras as there are plenty of write ups about TLR cameras on the Internet. Besides, I am not an expert in this topic. Initially I wanted to get one with a light meter and when I saw the price range for a Rollei, I decided to go for a much cheaper Japanese made. I am not a professional and I only use this camera once in a blue moon so it was unwise to get an expensive one and just leave it on the shelf. At one time, I also considered getting a Chinese made Seagull too but this idea slowly faded away as this camera is very unreliable in terms of its quality.

If you own one of these and it's in good condition, keep it as long as you can. You can still buy this kind of camera but most of it is in terrible or poor condition. I paid a bit expensive (around US$180) and it came with the case (poor condition), strap, original plastic lens cap and the 35mm conversion kit. This 35mm conversion kit originally came from another camera and for some reason, this was added to this 635 camera when I bought it.

And for any reason and if your camera is not working, do not throw it away. Use it as a paper weight or display it on your bookshelf.

Yashica 635 TLR
(s/n SX 0060418)

Front view

Left side view

Right side view

Basic Specifications
Dual format twin lens reflex
Use 120 medium format and 35mm with adapter kit sold separately
Yashikor 80mm f/3.5 taking and viewing lens
Copal MXV shutter from 1 sec to 1/500 sec plus B
Thumb wheels in front for aperture and shutter adjustment

Please feel free to share your opinions here. Thanks