The Year of the Rat.
2020 completes two circles of the Chinese calendar, a total of 24 issues in all.
In 2020, Chinese New Year was celebrated on 25 January, bringing in the Year of the Rat. The Chinese zodiac is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year being represented by an animal sign. The rat ranks first in the animal signs of the Chinese zodiac, preceding the cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
People born in the Year of the Rat are clever and adapt quickly to new environments. They prefer to live quiet and peaceful lives.
Optimism and energy are key traits for those born in the Year of the Rat. They tend to be sensitive to others’ emotions and comments but are known to be stubborn with their own opinions. While the Rat personality is kind, their words may seem impolite or rude due to a lack of communication skills.
Rats are great at seizing opportunities that present themselves but can sometimes lack courage. They love to be organised and place great value on family. They like saving money and can be known to be a bit ungenerous. Their love of hoarding will sometimes cause them to waste money on unnecessary things.
The most outstanding characteristics of people born in the Year of the Rat are alertness, resourcefulness and intelligence. Owing to their positive contributions and strong flexibility at work, Rats are popular with their leaders. They are vigilant, well organised and full of ideas.
2020 The Year of the Rat.
NZ Post again issued stamps for Chinese New Year. Again there were the four stamps, each with a different theme concerning Year of the Rat, plus the usual miniature sheet and other collectables.
I expect this will be the last time this format will be used as we have now completed our second 12 year cycle of Chinese New Year.
$1.30 Calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese characters with a brush. It’s a key part of Chinese culture, traditions and everyday life. Couplet writing and calligraphy continue to have an essential role in Chinese New Year celebrations today, and feature in the design of this year’s $1.30 Year of the Rat stamp.
$2.60 Paper-cutting
Chinese paper-cutting is a type of folk art that has been part of Chinese culture for thousands of years. Paper-cutting art is known to be very intricate, with clever use of negative space. While used mostly for decorative purposes, paper-cutting is a common art form for Chinese New Year decorations.
$3.30 The Rat
The ship rat is the most commonly found rat in New Zealand, having stowed aboard the vessels of early European settlers. Common on New Zealand’s main islands, the rat poses a threat to native species who are vulnerable to this imported predator. This stamp celebrates the spirit of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac.
$4.00 Sky Tower
The Chinese New Year celebration is one of Auckland’s event highlights. The Sky Tower is a landmark of Auckland city and is represented in this year’s $4.00 stamp. The bright red light on the Sky Tower represents the Chinese New Year and Auckland’s multicultural community and diversity.
The 2020 Year of the Rat First Day Cover.
The 2020 Year of the Rat Miniature Sheet.
The 2020 Year of the Rat Miniature Sheet First Day Cover.
The 2020 Year of the Rat Presentation Pack.
This informative presentation pack provides some background detail to the Chinese lunar calendar, as well as elaborating on the characteristics of someone born in the year of the rat. Take a closer look at the products and discover the animals for the upcoming years with the helpful key provided.
Lunar Series 12 Year Miniature Sheet Pack Presentation Pack.
The 2020 Chinese lunar series special edition pack includes information about each of the 12 animal signs, and every miniature sheet from the past 12 issues.
2020 Lunar Calendar Commemorative gummed stamp sheet marking the second cycle if Chinese year that NZ Post has issued stamps for. To see all these stamps together go to our thematic page Chinese New Year.
2008 The Year of the Rat.
Pocket Pets.
50c - Rabbits.
Rabbits join cats and dogs as among the most popular of pets, with their friendly nature, easy care requirements and the ability to live indoors and out. The two rabbits on our stamp – the Netherland dwarf seal point on the left and the Dutch dwarf on the right – are among 40 species of rabbits and hares worldwide. These tiny examples weigh less than a kilogram, with round bodies and faces, short ears and big, bright eyes.
$1.00 Guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs (also known as cavies) make adorable pets; docile and accommodating, they enjoy being picked up. The tricolour Abyssinian (on the left of this stamp) has a distinctive-coloured, short, harsh coat, while the Sheltie on the right has soft, dense, long hair that flows back from the head. Both have their origins in South America and usually live for five to six years.
$1.50 - Rats.
While people may cringe at the thought of rats as pets, domestic rats can be a great choice! Clean, fun-loving, sensitive, affectionate and intelligent, they enjoy interacting with people and can be taught simple tricks and be litter box trained. The two rats on our stamp are a hooded chocolate rat on the left and an albino white rat on the right.
$2.00 - Mice.
Mice are intelligent, happy, friendly, playful animals that can make an inexpensive, fun-to-watch pet. They love climbing and are more active in the evenings than during the day, although with poor eyesight they rely heavily on their hearing and senses of smell, taste and touch. Our $2.00 stamp featured a fawn and white and a cinnamon satin mouse – lovely examples of this popular pocket pet.
First day cover with stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue.
Mint, used or cancelled miniature sheet ($1.50 and $2.00 stamps only).
First day cover with miniature sheet affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue.
Chinese lunar series special edition pack containing 12 lunar miniature sheets issued for the 1997 - 2008 series, each individually numbered to provide a prestigious collectable.
The sheets were accompanied by the fascinating history and legend of the calendar, as well as detailed descriptions of the personalities that are said to characterise people born in the 12 lunar years.
Taipei 2008 21st Asian International Stamp Exhibition.
Between 7 and 11 March 2008, Taipei hosted the 21st Asian International Stamp Exhibition, featuring 1,000 frames of competitive and non-competitive exhibits.
The exhibition logo featured the Mikado pheasant (Syrmaticus Mikado), a protected bird selected to represent the beauty of Taiwan and its commitment to preserving ecological environments. As the exhibition organiser said, "The bright colourful picture is a prelude to the opening of the joyous and cheerful exhibition to come in 2008."
New Zealand Post commemorated the exhibition with a miniature sheet and miniature sheet first-day cover. The miniature sheet featured the $2.00 stamp from the 2008 Year of the Rat/ Pocket Pets issue.
I sort of wonder why they put the rat stamp on this sheet considering 2008 was the Year of the Rat. Perhaps this stamp carried a higher value, adding to the value of the sheet.
Special First Day Cover.
Technical information - 2020 Year of the Rat.
Date of issue: 4 December 2019.
The number of stamps: Four gummed stamps.
Denominations: $1.30, $2.60, $3.30, $4.00.
Stamps, miniature sheet and first day covers designed: Asia works, Auckland, New Zealand.
Printer: Australia Post.
The number of colours: Four process colours.
Stamp size and format: 30mm x 40mm (vertical).
Paper type: 104g Tullis Russell Red-Phosphor, OBA-Free, PVA Gummed Paper.
The number of stamps per sheet: 25.
Perforation gauge: 13.33 x 13.
Period of sale: Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until 3 December 2020. First-day covers will remain on sale until 28 January 2020.
Technical information - 2008 Year of the Rat.
Date of issue: 7 February 2008.
The number of stamps: Four gummed stamps.
Denominations: 50c, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00.
Stamps, first-day cover and miniature sheet designed: Lindy Fisher, Auckland.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print Ltd - by offset lithography.
The number of colours: Four process colours.
Stamp size and format: 40mm x 30mm (horizontal).
Paper type: Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper.
The number of stamps per sheet: 25.
Perforation gauge: 14.
Special blocks: Plate/imprint blocks could be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps from a sheet. Barcode blocks were available in both A and B formats.
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 6 February 2009.
Technical information
Taipei 2008 21st International Stamp Exhibition.
Issue date: 7 March 2008.
Designed by: Stamps Business, Wellington.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print, by offset lithography.
Size of miniature sheet: 120mm x 90mm.
Paper type: Tullis Russell 104 gsm Red Phosphor stamp paper.
Perforation gauge: 14.4 x 14.
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 6 March 2009.
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
Information & images for this post came from.
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