Home > 2011 Issue Summary > Christmas Island Lunar New Year
The rabbit (or hare) is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. This Chinese New Year is the Year of the Metal Rabbit and runs from 3 February 2011 to 22 January 2012. Those born in the Year of the Rabbit are said to be gracious, compassionate, lucky, but can also be moody and stubborn.
Issue Information
As with previous Lunar New Year issues, this issue includes a miniature sheet, Zodiac sheetlet, postal stationery and this year a new version of the Hawkers' Bazaar sheetlet.
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Stamp Design:
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Dani Poon and Rachelle Flynn
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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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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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Designs:
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15c, 20c, 25c Animals of the Chinese Zodiac
60c Illustrative rabbit
$1.80 Chinese symbol for rabbit
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Usage:
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15c, 20c, 25c Make-up stamps (together a set of three values adds to 60c)
60c Small letter rate within Australia (details)
$1.80 Large letter rate within Australia (over 125 up to 250 grams) (details)
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Gummed Sheet Stamps
As with previous Lunar New Year issues, there are two sheet stamps, each issued in individual sheets of 50 (two panes of 25).
 
Sheet stamps
Gummed Gutter Strips
The 60c gutter strip features all twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, with the rabbit highlighted in silver.
Gutter strip
For a day the Australia Post stamp website showed the $1.80 stamp with an illustrated gutter. This image was quickly replaced. The actual gutter pair shows five traffic lights in the gutter; it is likely that the brown is the colour used for the value and country inscription.
 
Incorrect (left) and correct (right) $1.80 gutter
Gummed Miniature Sheets
The 60c and $1.80 stamps will also be issued in a miniature sheet of two stamps.
Miniature sheet
Gummed Zodiac Sheet
Again, a sheet of sheet of 14 stamps will be issued, and included an 'enlarged' miniature sheet and a block of 12 make-up stamps (four each of 15c, 20c and 25c). Together a 15c, 20c and 25c add to make the domestic rate of 60c.
Zodiac sheet
Miniature Sheet from Zodiac Sheet
For the second time in this series, the miniature sheet design in the Zodiac sheet has an image variation. The bottom left hand corner shows the part of the moon design from the surrounding Zodiac sheet. The last time this occurred was in 2009.
Miniature sheet from Zodiac sheet
Prestige Booklet Panes
As with previous Lunar New Year prestige booklets, this year's booklet contain six panes, containing a mixture of the twelve low value stamps, in blocks of four with the 60c and $1.80 stamps.
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)
Prestige Booklet
The above six booklet panes were issued in a prestige booklet which sold for $14.95.
Prestige booklet
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Issue Date:
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11 January 2011 (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 60c, 20c Tiger, 20c Rabbit
Pane 2: 2 x $1.80, 15c Dragon, 15c Snake
Pane 3: 2 x 60c, 20c Horse, 25c Goat
Pane 4: 2 x 60c, 25c Monkey, 25c Rooster
Pane 5: 2 x 60c, 25c Dog, 20c Pig
Pane 6: 2 x 55c, 15c Rat, 15c Ox
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Selling Price:
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$14.95
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Personalised Stamps
Once again Australia Post will attend the Hawkers' Bazaar at Melbourne's Crown Casino Complex from 4-6 February 2011 (the dates in Stamp Bulletin No. 308 are incorrect). As in 2008 and 2009 a personalised sheet will be issued for the occasion. The 2010 sheet differs by containing the twelve low value stamps. It will be interesting to see whether these stamps are die-stamped in silver or not.
Personalised stamp sheet
Postal Stationery
A postcard and two prepaid envelopes accompany this issue. These are actually issued for 'Australia', rather than Christmas Island.
Postcard
Domestic prepaid envelope
International prepaid envelope
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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 Rabbit from the 60c stamp and the Chinese character from the $1.80 stamp
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Usage:
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(Domestic) Small letter rate within Australia (details)
(Postcard) International postcards
(International) Letter to overseas destinations (to 50 grams)
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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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$1.60 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 70c
International $2.50
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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).
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Item and Description
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Cost 
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For the General Collector
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Gummed sheet stamps
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2 values from sheets (60c, $1.80)
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$2.40 
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Miniature sheet
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Miniature sheet
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$2.40
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Zodiac sheet
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Gummed sheet of 14
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$4.80
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Total
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$9.60 
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For the Specialised Collector
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Gutter Strips
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Gutter strip of 10 (twelve animals of the Zodiac)
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$6.00
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Miniature sheet from Zodiac Sheet
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Miniature sheet (with Moon in bottom left hand corner)
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$4.40
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Blocks, pairs and strips
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Se-tenant pair from miniature sheet
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*
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Block of 12 from Zodiac sheet
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$4.40
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Blocks of 4 from prestige booklet panes
* Can be obtained from Zodiac sheet
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$14.95
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Personalised stamp sheetlet
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Sheetlet of 12 stamps with tabs
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$15.95
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Personalised stamps
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15c, 20c, 25c stamps with photo tab
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$15.95
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Booklet panes
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6 panes from prestige booklet
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$14.95
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Booklets
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Prestige booklet
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$14.95
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Postal stationery
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Postcard
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$1.60
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Prepaid envelopes
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$3.20
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Total
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$96.35
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Grand Total
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$105.95
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References
Australia Post, Australian Stamp Bulletin, No. 308, January-February 2011
Wikipedia, Chinese New Year, Rabbit (zodiac) and Chinese Calendar, accessed 18 December 2010
If you have more information, or spot an error, please e-mail me.
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