New Year’s Greeting Postage Stamps (Issue of 2002) (D442)

Stamp SN : D442
Stamp Name : New Year’s Greeting Postage Stamps (Issue of 2002)
Stamp Cat Standard : Special Stamps
Stamp Cat : Lunar New Year,Zodiac
Issue date : 2002-12-02
Dimension of stamps(mm.) : 26 x 34（mm）
Size of souvenir Sheet (mm.) : 78x102(mm),齒度:12 1/2 x 12
Printer : China Color Printing Co., Ltd., R.O.C.
Sheet composition : 20 ( 4 X 5 )
Print color : Colorful
Process : Deep etch offset
Paper : Phosphorescent stamp paper
Perforation : 12 1/2 x 12
Designer : Ben Wang

Stamp design:
This year the Chinese lunar New Year falls on February 1, 2003. It is the year of the sheep. To welcome the year of the sheep, the Directorate General of Posts has chosen the work of Mr. Ben Wang, who won a competition for drawing the ani-mals of the Chinese zodiac, to print a set of two New Year's Greeting Postage Stamps (Issue of 2002), as well as a souvenir sheet and stamp booklet. The two stamps will have denominations of NT$3.50 and NT$13. The souvenir sheet is composed of two sets of these stamps, worth NT$33. The stamp booklet is composed of twelve NT$3.50 stamps, with a total value of NT$42.
The Chinese have traditionally used double-revolving combinations of the Ten Celestial Stems and the Twelve Terrestrial Branches to designate years. The full 60-year cycle is called a chia-tzu, for the first stem and first branch. The Twelve Terrestrial Branches also have animal representations: tzu (rat), chou (ox), yin (tiger), mao (rabbit), chen (dragon), szu (snake), wu (horse), wei (sheep), shen (monkey), yu (rooster), hsu (dog) and hai (pig). Each year the Directorate issues New Year's Greeting Postage Stamps taking the upcoming year's animal sign as the theme. These stamps are known as the "animal zodiac stamps.
(2) Folder especially prepared for the stamps to be sold at NT$5.00 apiece.
(3) Folder with crystal mount for better protection of the stamps to be sold at NT$5.00 apiece. Folder with crystal mount for better protection of the souvenir sheet to be sold at NT$8.00 a piece.
(4) Loose-leaf stamp album page with plastic cover to be sold at NT$16.00 apiece.
(5) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a low-valued stamp to be sold at NT$5.50 apiece.
(6) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a complete set of stamps to be sold at NT$18.50 apiece. (7) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a souvenir sheet to be sold at NT$36.00 apiece.