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Angpow hunt
by Chin Kee Leong. Posted on February 19, 2012, Sunday
Ng Sian Hup’s angpow envelopes with a four-design front and a single-design back. A full set forms a Chinese brush painting.
PEOPLE love receiving angpows (red packets) — an important tradition of giving blessings during Chinese New Year (CNY).
Money, usually bank notes, is put in a small red envelope-like packet or angpow to be given away on New Year’s Day to family members and relatives — and even friends nowadays. Long ago, angpows also contained coins — like 40 cents or $1.10. But such a practice has all but died out — no thanks to inflation!
Angpows are sometimes stuffed with other items such as chocolates in the shape of coins.
I first saw this done at an open house with lots of visitors.
To some, the amount of angpow money equates the value of the receiver but social status aside, it’s the thought that counts.
Like stamps and coins, angpow envelopes have become a collector’s item because of their traditional significance as well as colourful and creative designs on the front and back.
Angpow wrappers may have started from small plain red envelopes — red being an auspicious colour to the Chinese.
These evolved into envelopes with elaborate designs and pictures conveying messages of blessings in shades of red or other colours except white — which is for funerals.
Corporate angpows
As the practice of giving ‘corporate angpows’ caught on, businesses took the opportunity to advertise themselves in name, logo, address or website, among others.
The hunt for angpow envelopes should start early — say one week from CNY before stocks run out — and can continue through exchanges of spare angpow envelopes with other collectors.
Great Eastern’s single-design two-piece angpow envelope for a wrap-around picture.
Although generic angpow envelopes can be bought off the shelf, they are not as meaningful as the corporate variety which conveys the goodwill of commercial houses to clients.
Traditionally, banks were the first and largest sources of angpow envelopes but other enterprises soon saw the added goodwill from such a trend and started producing their own.
According to two Miri printers, the minimum order is 3,000 to 5,000 envelopes each New Year but it can go up to millions for big customers.
Normally, large quantities of angpow envelopes are not produced in Miri due to lack of specialised equipment.
Angpow envelope hunting is also a time to find out which organisations issue their own. In fact, not all banks give out angpow envelopes for CNY — some only give out green envelopes for Hari Raya.
Single-design envelopes
Most angpow envelopes come in single designs which are cheaper to print.
After a few weeks hunting around, I collected almost 200 angpow envelopes and observed some new trends this year, including the use of full-sized envelopes with dragon motifs to hold banknotes without folding; tuck-in flaps instead of gum to seal the envelope, and less use of gold or metallic colours.
Ubah’s angpow envelopes with a six-design front and back on three yellow, two red and one orange backgrounds.
Grand Palace Hotel business development manager Mary Choo gave me two stacks of 10 full-sized packets for the 2011 and 2012 editions.
“We have been issuing our own angpow envelopes to guests for several years. They are made of good quality matt paper printed in peninsular Malaysia,” she said.
Mark Ghazali, Giant hypermarket general manager at Permy Mall, gave me five packs of five full-sized angpow envelopes (all single-front design) but different packs may have different corporate partner logos at the back.
“We have many partners who share the angpow envelopes with us, and this year we decided to halve the minimum purchase required to RM50 for our customers,” said Mark from Kuala Lumpur.
I also obtained two pretty pink Great Eastern full-sized angpow envelopes with red dragon-and-floral motifs — one each from insurance managers Lee Kee Bian and Tong Shih Yee.
“We didn’t order angpow envelopes this year. We have to do it four months in advance,” Tong said, adding that it was limited to a one-time order for their insurance agents.
Multiple-design envelopes
Angpow envelopes also come in two or more designs as added attractions for collectors who seek the full set.
According to a salesgirl, Ng Sian Hup, supermarkets did not have a new design this year but used stocks from the previous year which came in a pack of four different front designs, forming a picture of a Chinese brush painting when placed side by side.
Another salesgirl from the Lea Group shoe store helped me obtain four packs of five-piece small-sized angpow envelopes from two of their outlets at Permy Mall.
Customers were given only one pack of a single design, and it takes four packs of different designs to form a full set.
From the Des Optics optical chain store in Krokop, the salesgirls came up with a pack of five full-sized angpows containing four different designs and a spare.
Boulevard IT’s angpow envelopes with a six-design front and single-design back on red background.
They said angpow envelopes were seldom printed in Miri but mostly in Sibu or elsewhere, and the ones they obtained came in thick yellow envelopes with embossed gold characters and colourful patterns.
A salesgirl Sarah Lee of Boulevard IT at Permy Mall gave me a pack of six small-sized angpow envelopes and an angpow pack of six designs.
“We are given only small quantities from time to time and they’re for customers with a minimum purchase of RM30,” she said.
Only some Chinese associations issue their own angpow envelopes in Miri.
On the political front, former Pujut assemblyman Andy Chia and Federal Minister Datuk Sri Peter Chin said they would consider issuing SUPP angpow envelopes next year.
With more sources of angpow envelopes in the future, things can only get more interesting for collectors. It may not be too late to collect angpow envelopes from original sources and making a list of the latter will give the hobbyist a headstart. Happy angpow-envelope hunting!
