Mon$y Mon$y
The mesmerizing traditional Chinese landscape has always captured many collectors heart and this year AmPrivate Banking piece absolutely hit the mark with a garden by the pond theme. The lovely maiden and her family can be seen spending a relaxing day at the pavilion (also called ting) admiring the fishes, flowers and appreciating the nature. The material is tissue like giving the packet an added elegance with a soft silky feel. Next on my favorite list is Kenanga Private Wealth glittering kitty that is small in size but stood out in style.
2018 Deutsche Bank has finally landed and they are gorgeous as ever... Though they do give me a mix feel of a little Raya mood but I am loving them, especially those vibrant floral prints.
I never had a chance to showcase the banks angpow from last two years so it is time to give them the spotlight this round. 2018 has quite a few stars from the banks and Maybank PW is definitely one of them with not only a beautiful picture perfect set of four but with a screen folder that has four different greetings using the boat, koi, swallows and bamboo from each of the four designs. Just a quick comparison of their 2017 design below as we appreciate the effort they have put in for the doggie year. Not forgetting Maybank 3P for 2018 which is using different flaps for all three festivals, CNY in their traditional red while their Raya and Deepavali in bright yellow with a family theme.
Next we have CIMB and their series from mass market to CIMB Preferred and finally their CIMB Private with a comparison of 2018 & 2017 designs as well as Malaysia vs Singapore; more colors this year but 2017 fabric material is much classier whereas the normal and preferred designs are definitely looking nicer this time round. As for Singapore, they have always given us better quality and still is. What do you think?
CIMB & CIMB Private Raya are back with their gorgeous floral piece, especially the private ones that are emboss with vibrant colors, truly a pretty sight and a beautiful feel as compared to their previous army green piece in 2017. Their 2016 piece was by far the least catchy but 2015 and 2014 both are stunning pieces (check them out under my multi festive album here). CIMB Deepavali is just as lovely, the last design of the year as we approach the year end, getting ready for the next Chinese Lunar year.
We have some lovely cranes this year from RHB Premier as well as HSBC. RHB paired their golden cranes with the majestic pheasants and little magpie, printed on thick velvety paper that comes in a box (click here for the photo view in my FB upload comment section here) While HSBC on the other hand has a golden crane and koi fish pair as their premier design and a more traditional painted cranes for their mass market packets. HSBC private and commercial both used back their lion mascot, the latter in gold and red with a Chinese fan flap that is looking grand. Both RHB and HSBC have also lovely Raya packets with a 3pc set from RHB and a pair of hot-stamping floral from HSBC. Deepavali is next and HSBC is a star this year with their gorgeous peacock duo and the "Kolam" flaps and just look at their 3P, the peacock sure is the queen!! Scroll all the way down to find another beautiful golden crane design.
Citibank never disappoint us with their angpow designs, this year they used the head and neck of the dog to incorporate the other eleven zodiac within. Many might not have notice the animals but for collectors it's a sure treat. The other design in red is more traditional and is also used as the cover design for the box that holds the four pairs. UOB as usual has a few variety version of their design for mass market, commercial, private and their investment chain Kay Hian. UOB Private has my vote for their soft pink and cream tone with velvety finishing. The family of UOB doggies are indeed a colorful and joyful bunch. Their beautiful peacock feathers from Deepavali definitely outshines the "green" lanterns (lol).
Above is Hong Leong Bank Priority and their mass market CNY, Raya and Deepavali design, both expressing how each festival is celebrated by our multiracial nation. Their priority version, the golden three pieces set (click here for the photo view in my FB upload comment section) is shining bright! Below is AmBank Signature from year 2015 to 2018 with their zodiac themed packets and looks like they have changed the size to a slightly smaller one.
MUFG has continuously given us the same portrait packet since 2013 up till 2017 (check them out below); This year it's landscaped butterfly that shines together with some simple floral and the word "fu" may be a beginning of another new series of collection hereon.
Standard Chartered is like the previous year, a little uncoordinated in terms of their 3P design; even though both CNY and Raya are the same size, flaps are different while quality wise they are both relatively good. Deepavali came in a different size, layout and paper which is kind of a puzzle. Looking back at their 2017 Deepavali there were definitely lovelier and better quality.
Mizuho four blossom branches illustration in yellow, pink, red and gold backing. A little background about Mizuho; Kabushiki-gaisha Mizuho Finansharu Gurūpu, abbreviated as MHFG, or simply called Mizuho, is a banking holding company headquartered in the Ōtemachi district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The name "mizuho (瑞穂)" literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. We can now appreciate a little more of why and where the design for their red packets come from every year. Click here for my FB photo and see their 2017 design.
Before we take a look at some of the stars from the Insurance companies, we have Kenanga with their beautiful 2P above and 3P floral set below. Their 2P set in golden yellow for CNY and royal blue for Raya comes in both normal and VIP version while their very first Deepavali design, the creative and spiritual purple completes the 3P for the VIP version only which is bigger in size and silky smooth! More purple ray shining through from Ambank and BSN, both completing their 3P but the latter definitely did a better job with the matching lights from all three festive. Though I do like the peacock illustration from Ambank more.
The long awaited AIA 3P, a series that I look forward to every year. Using the number 2018, we have the Chinese Fu with the auspicious fish while the other two festive we have the Raya moon and the Deepavali lights, all incorporated into the number eight. With the variety of colors, this is definitely one colorful multi-festive celebration. Introducing the other Raya edition, Takaful Box set that is in a tranquil, serene and relaxing periwinkle, a pale, pastel indigo color. Do you know that name periwinkle is from the color of the blossoms that are produced by an herb called lesser periwinkle, myrtle or Vinca minor? The SDR within has the same design as the normal ones but with flaps folded. Well if you need to refresh your memory how their 2016 and 2017 3P looks like, just click here to find them under my SDR page.
Tokio Marine (General) blue gold fish with lily pads and dragonflies are quite a beautiful pair while Tokio Marine (Life) three origami doggies with front and back matching is definitely a crowd-pleaser. They have two versions, one with normal paper and another thicker with velvety finishing, both the same size, standing tall and beautiful. Tokio continues the festive celebration with their Raya set of four and their first Deepavali set of three. While the flaps and design are different for the Raya set, Deepavali complimented the CNY trio nicely.
Here we have another origami doggy themed, a charming pair filled with floral is by Great Eastern that got many of us collectors chasing after during the first few weeks while Manulife also did a great job with their twelve zodiac on carousel, showing off the twelve stages of life, from baby all the way to old age. This single piece definitely has a lot to say, both sides (front and back), big applause to the designer!
Allianz celebrated the new year with a pair of non-related design, a classy red floral portrait piece and another yellow cheery kids in landscape; both good quality and definitely beautiful in their own way. I had to go through quite a few (official) channels in order to get these, waited for weeks before I finally got them. Hope the management will be in better control next year ya... Raya was also another unsuccessful attempt to obtain their green duo to complete the 2P; Ended up trading a pair back and nope there is no improvement or whatsoever in the following year as at the time of this update, I have not got any resolution for my 2019 request, how extremely frustrating and sad...
Beautiful and graceful, varied and enchanting, small but approachable, butterflies lead you to the sunny side of life. And everyone deserves a little sunshine (by Jeffrey Glassberg)... in our case every collector deserves these gorgeous red packets from Sun Life l☀ve❤ Not forgetting those adorable lion dances that are just as beautiful and delightful!
Prudential CNY lion dancing kids theme is cheerful while Prudential BSN Takaful single floral design is blooming beautifully. Both combined during Raya for a catchy pair with a Malay village (kampung) theme. Zurich pair is a little plain, despite the blind embossing background with the pair of Koi and swallow, both embossed, still a beauty nevertheless. Tune Protect although just a single design is mesmerizing with their bold pink peonies and a lovely soft fabric finishing.
Let us gaze upon this lovely pair of sweet floral with the little fluttering butterflies from fundsupermart above while JP Morgan butterflies below are in two different style, hot-stamped and blind embossed, the floral fu character is just stunning with colors. Dream Union Manulife has also given us some floral and a different illustration of their orange butterflies. Eastspring impression shows lotus flowers 蓮花 (lian hua) on lotus pod, symbolizing purity because it rises out of the mud to bloom, meaning creation and rebirth like the sun. Public Mutual red hot stamping floral are a glittering delight,
The glimming portrait designs...
Call me old fashion but 2018 floral theme is a sure kick for me. RBC, SMBC, Prudential BSN all given me my favorite texture and colors while MPI, Maccaferri, BNP and Agro shines bright with gold hot stamping.
These auspicious fish theme signifies the abundance wealth for their customers. Besides HSBC, Tokio Marine and Zurich above we have Credit Agricole, Manulife Asset Management, CTOS. Berjaya, OCBC, OCBC Premier, OCBC Private Client, BS and OTS Group below all having their lucky fishes swimming to a year of prosperity. More fishes from the IT world, Dell EMC silver hot stamping Koi is tall and beautiful while Konica Minolta colorful pair is sweet and captivating. Find the other fishes from Thinking Gifts, Cha Xiang Zhai, Brands, Berjaya Times Square, Pezzo, Vivo, QL Foods, HP, Dermalogica, Nu Skin, Wellous, Marie France, Nefful, Intermark, Sogo, Gama, Kellogg's, MKH at the main page (click here) and also Sangkaya at my lion dance group (click here).
One of the 5pc design from OTS is the lucky bamboo and so is one of Maybank PW design, let's see which organization has also given us the lucky plant next.
One of the 5pc design from OTS is the lucky bamboo and so is one of Maybank PW design, let's see which organization has also given us the lucky plant next.
Bamboo is one of the most recognizable and popular feng shui cures as it attracts auspicious chi energy. Since the bamboo plant is strong, it can energize our home and hence Bank Negara CNY bamboo with fine embossing is truly a golden treat; It's Raya abstract art piece is also a charmer. Their Museum series are as lovely as before which I am lucky to get them again from my mom's collector friend. Find their 2017 & 2016 designs over at my SDR page (click here)
Alliance CNY uses lanterns as their theme for both their mass market and privilege piece, it's Raya golden and silver floral theme are pretty elegant while Deepavali definitely brought much attention with the use of purple. Continuing with a few more Hari Raya packets from the banks and also comparing their past year designs; First up is the sweet pink floral piece from BNP Paribas (one of my favorite in 2018) while Agro Bank is also in pink, their paper quality is normal although the village scenery on the flap is quite a nice touch. Their previous year piece is of better quality with a unique flap shape. OCBC Premier is looking really earthy for both Raya and Deepavali which also pretty much matches their CNY pair. On the other hand their previous two years Raya were much more vibrant; 2017 in green with a floral handshake and 2016 in blue with the beautiful wau (kite). JP Morgan turned their sharp patterns in 2017 to rounded ones in 2018 on the other hand from a soft green and pink shades to sharper tones this year, I like the pink ones more of course! And lastly MUFG in blue this year with a white background as compared to their 2017 green piece.
After decades of giving the public and collectors 3P, Public Bank decided with three different some what unrelated designs for their 2018/2019 series with a tall and short design for Deepavali while maintaining the horizontal layout for Raya and changing the flap shape for 2019 CNY. At the time of posting, 2019 Raya is back to the tall and short pairing (hop over to my 2019 Vault page to find it) while we will have to sit back and see what happens in a few months time for 2019 Deepavali... feeling rather confused (mmm).
A little off track but still very much related to money is the Gaming Industry and in Malaysia there are a couple of legal operators that the Government allows with annual license fees and plenty of taxes collected. Magnum 4D is one of the gaming operators that actually has a 2P; Only CNY and Deepavali as gambling is prohibited in Islam. A quick look at the Deepavali packets that I only started to collect in 2015. Definitely not a popular series due to the nature of business but still it's part of the angpow family.
For exchange / trade please visit my facebook album. Those available for exchange are noted in the individual red packets description. Happy browsing!
View the complete red packet albums in facebook by years:
2019 (SG), 2019 (MY), 2018 (MY), 2018 (SG), 2017 (MY) , 2017 (SG), 2016 (MY), 2016 (SG),
2015 (MY), 2015 (SG), 2015/2016 (HK), 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010,
2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2000-2004, 1990s
2019 (SG), 2019 (MY), 2018 (MY), 2018 (SG), 2017 (MY) , 2017 (SG), 2016 (MY), 2016 (SG),
2015 (MY), 2015 (SG), 2015/2016 (HK), 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010,
2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2000-2004, 1990s