Philatelic News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2002
Stamp Release #02-012
U.S. Postage Stamp Celebrates Lunar New Year
'Year of the Horse' is Tenth Stamp in Series Commemorating Chinese New Year
NEW YORK - The U.S. Postal Service honored the Chinese Lunar New Year today with the issuance of a new commemorative stamp. This Year of the Horse is the tenth in the Postal Service's award-winning Lunar New Year commemorative stamp series.
The stamp was issued at a ceremony held at the Asia Society and Museum in New York City and will be available at post offices nationwide beginning tomorrow, Feb. 12.
"The Postal Service takes great pride in issuing the new Lunar New Year stamp," said Einar Dyhrkopp, a member of the presidentially appointed Postal Service Board of Governors, who dedicated the stamp. "With this stamp we celebrate the diversity of our workforce and of this great nation."
The colorful ceremony included a traditional dragon dance performed by local postal employees, the national anthem sung by a group of Asian American New Yorkers, and a live performance of an excerpt of a commissioned opera by composer Bun-ching Lam.
The horse is the seventh of 12 animals associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. People born in the Year of the Horse are said to enjoy being in the spotlight. Often in need of reassurance, they are hard-working, honest, independent and sociable. Also called the Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of a new season. It is a time of renewed hope for a prosperous future. The Lunar New Year is celebrated by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan and Mongolian heritage.
In the United States, many people participate in the colorful festivities that the Lunar New Year brings. The Year of the Horse begins Feb. 12, 2002 and ends Jan. 31, 2003.
Joining Dyhrkopp were David Solomon, Vice President, New York Metro Area, USPS; artist Clarence Lee, who designed the Lunar New Year series; George Ong, President of the Organization of Chinese Americans and Betty Wu, Commissioner of New York City Department of Employment.
To commemorate the Year of the Horse, Lee created an intricate paper-cut design of a horse. The Chinese characters drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun translate into English as "Year of the Horse." The greeting "Happy New Year!" is in English.
The Year of the Horse stamp and the previous nine Lunar New Year stamps (Rooster, Dog, Boar, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon and Snake) have all been designed by Lee. He has been commissioned to design the remaining two stamps in this series, including the Year of the Sheep in 2003, and will complete the twelve-stamp series in 2004 with the Year of the Monkey.
The Asia Society is America's leading institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. For more information, contact the Asia Society at www.asiasociety.org.
To see a color image of the Lunar New Year stamp, as well as other stamps, visit the Collector's Corner at the Postal Store at www.usps.com.
Additionally, current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are available toll free by calling 1 800 STAMP-24.
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TECHNICAL DETAILS
Issue: Lunar New Year - Horse
Item Number: 451900
Denomination & Type of Issue: 34-cent Commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Lunar New Year
Issue Date & City: February 11, 2002, New York, NY 10199
Designer: Clarence Lee, Honolulu, HI
Engraver: N/A
Artist: Clarence Lee, Honolulu, HI
Art Director: Terry McCaffrey, USPS
Typographer: Clarence Lee, Honolulu, HI
Modeler: Banknote Corporation of America, Inc. (BCA)
Manufacturing Process: Offset/Microprint "USPS"
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America, Inc. (BCA)
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Man Roland, 300
Stamps per Coil/Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 70 million stamps
Paper Type: Type III, Phosphor Tagged
Gum Type: Self-adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Inc. (BCA)
Colors: Black, Yellow, Cyan, Magenta, PMS 272 (Purple)
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.39 x 0.820 in. / 35.306 x 20.828 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.990 in. / 39.624 x 24.750 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.26 x 5.40 in. / 184.404 x 137.16 mm
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: "B" followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings: © 2001 USPS · Price · Plate Numbers in four corners· Plate Position Diagram · Barcode
Catalog Item Number(s): 451940 Pane of 20 w/plate no. - $6.80
451930 Block of 10 - $3.40
451920 Block of 4 - $1.36
451961 First Day Cover - $0.55
HOW TO ORDER THE FIRST DAY OF ISSUE POSTMARK
Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase the new stamps at their local post office, affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to: LUNAR NEW YEAR - HORSE COMMEMORATIVE STAMP, POSTMASTER, 421 8th AVENUE ROOM 2029B, NEW YORK NY 10199-9991.
After applying the first day of issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by March 13, 2002.
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first day covers for new stamp issues and postal stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by writing to: INFORMATION FULFILLMENT, DEPT 6270, US POSTAL SERVICE, PO BOX 219014, KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014, or by calling 1 800 STAMP-24.
First day covers remain on sale for at least one year after the stamp's issuance.
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For 226 years, the United States Postal Service has been the gateway to the household, binding friends, families and neighbors together. It is an independent federal agency that handles 42 percent of the world's mail volume, with annual revenues of $65 billion. The Postal Service is not funded with taxpayer dollars, but derives its revenues solely from the sale of postage and other products and services it provides. Through its unrivaled service network, the Postal Service delivers money, messages and merchandise daily to 137 million addresses, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world.