Home > 2010 Issue Summary > Christmas Island Lunar New Year: Year of the Tiger
Since 1994, Australia Post has issued an annual Lunar New Year issue. This year is the Year of the Metal Tiger, and runs from 14 February 2010 to 2 February 2011.
Issue Information
The annual Lunar New Year issue has grown from a pair of stamps and a miniature sheet to, two stamps, a miniature sheet, gutter strips, postage paid envelopes, postcard, a sheetlet, prestige booklet, special event sheet, and for 2010 a circular Zodiac sheet!
Stamp Design:
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Dani Poon
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Printer:
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McKellar Renown (more information)
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Printing Process:
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Lithography and die-stamping (more information)
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Designs:
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10c x 4 Rat, Ox, Dragon, Snake
20c x 4 Tiger, Rabbit, Horse, Pig
25c x 4 Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog
55c Illustrative Tiger
$1 Flower design with Chinese characters
$1.65 Chinese symbol for Tiger
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Usage:
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10c, 20c, 25c Make-up stamps (together a set of three values adds to 55c)
55c Small letter rate within Australia (details)
$1 Make-up stamp
$1.65 Large letter rate within Australia (over 125 up to 250 grams) (details)
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Gummed Sheet Stamps
The 55c and $1.65 values were issued in individual sheets.
Sheet stamps
Issue Date:
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12 January 2010 (more information)
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Gum:
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Ordinary gum
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Paper:
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Tullis Russell (incorporating phosphor) (more information)
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Issued In:
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55c in sheets of 50 (2 panes of 25 (5 x 5) with illustrated gutter) (more information)
$1.65 in sheets of 50 (2 panes of 25 (5 x 5) with traffic lights in gutter) (more information)
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Stamp Size:
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26 mm x 37.5 mm
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Perforations:
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Comb perforated 13¾ x 14½ (more information)
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Gummed Gutter Strips
As with past issues, the 55c gutter strip features the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, with the Tiger highlighted in gold.
Gutter strip
Gummed Miniature Sheet Stamps
Stamps from the miniature can be identified by the slight colour difference in the value. Both of the sheet values have the face value in grey, while the miniature sheet stamps have the face value in grey-blue.
Enlargement of $1.65 value from sheet (left) and miniature sheet (right)
Gummed Miniature Sheets
This year's miniature sheet was the same format and size as the last two year's sheets.
Sheet stamps
Gummed Zodiac Sheet
Again, a sheet of sheet of 14 stamps was issue, and included an 'enlarged' miniature sheet, and a block of 10 make-up stamps (four each of 10c, 20c and 25c). Together a 10c, 20c and 25c add to make the domestic rate of 55c.
Gummed Zodiac Sheet
Prestige Booklet Stamps
The twelve low value stamps from the gummed Zodiac sheet also appear in the prestige booklet.
The prestige booklet includes three new stamps. The colour of 'AUSTRALIA' on the $1.65 stamp in the first pane is very different from the sheet and miniature sheet versions. The first pane also includes the Tiger and Rabbit 20c stamps with values in a lighter shade of grey.
Enlargement of the $1.65 value from the sheet (left) and prestige booklet (right)
Some of the 55c stamps from the prestige booklet also show the die-stamping slightly misplaced, giving the tiger 'white teeth' and a 'white strip' on its back. The number of these stamps various between booklets - some have none, while my first booklet had six stamps (three panes) effected.
55c with the die-stamping misplaced slightly to the left
Prestige Booklet Panes
The prestige booklet contained six panes of four. Each pane had either two 55c stamps (Panes 2 to 6) or two $1.65 stamps (Pane 1), with the 10c, 20c, and 25c values making up the blocks of four.
The first and second prestige booklet panes (click on each pane for an enlargement)
The third and fourth prestige booklet panes (click on each pane for an enlargement)
The fifth and sixth prestige booklet panes (click on each pane for an enlargement)
Booklet Pane Size:
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150 mm x 104 mm
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Prestige Booklet
The above six panes were issued in a prestige booklet. The back of the booklet states the price is $12.95, but the booklet was sold for $13.95. Australia Post has informed me that post offices were instructed on the day of issue to place a price label over the incorrect price.
Prestige booklet cover
Back of prestige booklet showing incorrect price
Issue Date:
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12 January 2010 (more information)
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Booklet Size:
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150 mm x 104 mm
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Contents:
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Pane 1: 2 x $1.65, 20c Tiger, 20c Rabbit
Pane 2: 2 x 55c, 10c Dragon, 10c Snake
Pane 3: 2 x 55c, 20c Horse, 25c Ram
Pane 4: 2 x 55c, 25c Monkey, 25c Rooster
Pane 5: 2 x 55c, 25c Dog, 20c Pig
Pane 6: 2 x 55c, 10c Rat, 10c Ox
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Selling Price:
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$13.95
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Self-adhesive Zodiac Sheet Stamps
Back in 2007, Australia Post celebrated a complete 12 year cycle with the release of a circular self-adhesive sheet containing thirteen stamps - one for each animal and a circular $1 stamp in the middle. Australia Post will now release a similar sheet every three years, celebrating the past three lunar years.
The ten animal stamps (Tiger to Pig) are smaller than the ordinary gummed versions, with the Rat and Ox stamps being reprints of the 2008 50c and 2009 55c stamps. The two reprinted stamps contain a small '2009' microprinted date. The sheet also includes a $1 circular stamp featuring a flower and Chinese characters.
The decision to include these stamps is curious. The 10c, 20c and 25c self-adhesives are the lowest value self-adhesives issued by Australia Post, and are unequal in number. 50c is the pre-2008 letter rate, and the $1 does not match any postal rates. The sheet is also sold for $9.95, more than double the $4.40 face value. Personally, I would've preferred a sheet of twelve 55c animal stamps and a $1.10 circular stamp (face value $7.70). Collectors would have more chance of seeing the stamps postally used, even if it was sold at $9.95.
No information is known on the paper used. I have suggested B100 as the backing paper is similar to that used for booklet stamps, and the extra thickness would give the sheet extra strength.
Size comparison of self-adhesive (left) and gummed stamps (right)
Circular $1 stamp
Location of '2010' year date on the reprinted 50c Rat (left) and 55c Ox (right) stamps
Self-adhesive Zodiac Sheet
This year the Zodiac sheet was only issued in a folder, and sold for $9.95.
Circular Zodiac Sheet
Issue Date:
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12 January 2010 (more information)
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Sheet Size:
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170 mm diameter
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Selling Price:
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$9.95
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Personalised Stamps
In 2009 Australia Post released the first personalised sheet on Lunar New Year stamps. Again, a personalised stamp sheet will be released for the 2010 Lunar New Year Festival in Melbourne, with a generic version available from mail order. The release date for this sheet is 12 February 2010, the first day of the festival.
The colour of '55c' on the stamp is a more solid grey, when compared with the sheet stamps.
Personalised stamps sheetlet
Personalised stamp
Postal Stationery
Again, Australia Post released a postcard and two pre-paid envelopes with this issue.
Postcard (click on the postcard for an enlargement)
Front and back of domestic pre-paid envelope (click on each image for an enlargement)
Front and back of international pre-paid envelope (click on each image for an enlargement)
Printer:
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GEON, Tasmania (more information)
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Printing Process:
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Lithography (more information)
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Designs:
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In the stamp area both envelopes feature the Tiger from the 55c stamp and the Chinese character from the $1.65 stamp
(Domestic) Tiger and Character with repeated '2010' background
(International) Tiger and Character with Chinese papercutting(?) in background
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Usage:
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(Domestic) Small letter rate within Australia (details)
(International) Letter to overseas destinations (to 50 grams)
(Postcard) Postcard to overseas destinations
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Postcards
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Size:
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160 mm x 118 mm
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Selling Price:
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$1.50 each
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Stamp Imprint:
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Three bars (picture)
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Pre-paid Envelopes
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Size:
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220 mm x 110 mm
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Selling Price:
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Domestic 65c
International $2.35
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Issue Summary
The table below summarises the above information. The cost of each item is given, along with a total for each section. In some cases the stamps are only available from self-adhesive booklets (sold at face value), or from prestige booklets, souvenir sheets or folders (sold above face value).
Item and Description
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Cost
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For the General Collector
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Gummed sheet stamps
2 values from sheets (55c, $1.65)
Miniature sheets
Miniature sheet
Zodiac sheets
Gummed sheet of 14
Self-adhesive sheet of 13
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$2.20
$2.20
$4.40 $9.95
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Total
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$18.75
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For the Specialised Collector
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Miniature sheet stamps
2 values from miniature sheet (different value colour)
Prestige booklet stamps
3 values from first pane ($1.65, 2 x 20c in different colour)
Gutter Strips
Gutter strip of 10 (Animals of the Zodiac)
Blocks, pairs and strips
Horizontal pair from miniature sheet*
Block of 12 from Zodiac sheet
Blocks of 4 from prestige booklet panes
* Can be obtained from Zodiac sheet
Personalised Stamp Sheetlet
Sheetlet of 9 stamps with tabs
Personalised stamps
55c stamp with tab
Booklet panes
6 panes from prestige booklet
Prestige Booklet
Prestige booklet
Postal stationery
Postcards
Prepaid envelopes
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$2.20
$13.95
$5.50
* $4.40 $13.95
$15.95
$15.95
$13.95
$13.95
$1.50
$3.00
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Total
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$104.35
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Grand Total
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$123.10
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References
Wikipedia, Chinese New Year, Tiger (zodiac) and Chinese Calendar, accessed 10 January 2010
Australia Post, Australian Stamp Bulletin, No. 302, January-February 2010
If you have more information, or spot an error, please e-mail me.
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