2020 Year of the Rat

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. 

Issue information 

The lunar calendar is 12 months long, with each month corresponding roughly to one cycle of the Moon’s movement from a new Moon, through to a full Moon, and back to a new Moon. The lunar calendar is also known as the agricultural calendar as it divides the year into seasons. Agriculture was the principal economy of ancient China. Today, the lunar calendar still has great significance for many Chinese people, who use it to set the luckiest dates for traditional events and activities such as weddings, funerals, launching new ventures and moving to a new house. 

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. 

Miniature sheet and first day covers

The miniature sheet and first day covers featured Chinese symbols for each of the animals in the lunar calendar - the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig in blue and gold, the colours of the rat. 

Presentation pack

The presentation pack provided further detail about the characteristics of people born in the Year of the Rat. Extra information regarding the Chinese lunar calendar was also provided for a bit more understanding. This was accompanied by a key showing the 12 animals of the Chinese New Year and the years they will fall in for the coming future. The presentation pack contained a complete set of stamps, a miniature sheet, first day cover and an intricate paper cut-out of a rat. 

Gold-foiled miniature sheets and gold-plated medallion

To go with these bright, festive stamps, there were also be a range of gold-foiled products available as well as a gold-plated medallion. These products made a very special gift for celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Product listing for 2020 Year of the Rat

Image	Title	Description	Price
	Single Stamp	Single $1.30 'Calligraphy' gummed stamp. 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.	$1.30
	Single Stamp	Single $2.60 'Paper-cutting' gummed stamp. 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.	$2.60
	Single Stamp	Single $3.30 'The Rat' gummed stamp. 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.	$3.30
	Single Stamp	Single $4.00 'Sky Tower' gummed stamp. 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.	$4.00
	Miniature Sheet	Mint, used or cancelled gummed miniature sheet.	$11.20
	First Day Cover	First day cover with four gummed stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue.	$11.70
	Miniature Sheet First Day Cover	First day cover with gummed miniature sheet affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue.	$11.70
	Presentation Pack	This informative presentation pack provided some background detail to the Chinese lunar calendar, as well as elaborating on the characteristics of someone born in the year of the pig. You could take a closer look at the products and discover the animals for the upcoming years with the helpful key provided.	$29.90
	2020 Lunar Calendar Commemorative Stamp Sheet	Celebrating the full lunar cycle, this limited edition 2020 Chinese lunar calendar commemorative stamp sheet featured 12 x $1.30 stamps, each with a paper-cut from the 12 years of stamps up to the 2020 Year of the Rat.	$15.60
	2020 Lunar Series 12 Year Miniature Sheet Pack	Celebrating the full lunar cycle, this limited edition 2020 Chinese lunar series special edition pack included information about each of the 12 animal signs, and every miniature sheet from the past 12 issues.	$98.00
	Silver Foiled Miniature Sheet in Perspex Stand	Made from 92.5 silver foil, this miniature sheet had been embossed and etched with micro fine detail and was mounted in a perspex display stand (measuring 18cm x 10cm).	$188.00
	Silver Foiled Miniature Sheet with Coloured Stamps in Perspex Stand	Made from 92.5 silver foil, this miniature sheet had been embossed and etched with micro fine detail and was mounted in a perspex display stand (measuring 18cm x 10cm). It featured vibrant coloured stamps and was produced in limited numbers.	$288.00
	Gold Foiled Miniature Sheet in Perspex Stand	Made from 24-carat 99.9 gold foil, this miniature sheet had been embossed and etched with micro fine detail and was mounted in a perspex display stand (measuring 18cm x 10cm)	$188.00
	Gold Foiled Miniature Sheet with Coloured Stamps in Perspex Stand	Made from 24-carat 99.9 gold foil, this miniature sheet had been embossed and etched with micro fine detail and was mounted in a Perspex display stand (measuring 18cm x 10cm). It featured vibrant coloured stamps and is produced in limited numbers.	$288.00
	Framed and Numbered Large Gold Foiled Miniature Sheet	This large miniature sheet was one of only 103 produced. It had been embossed and etched with micro fine detail from 24-carat 99.9 gold foil and was presented within an individually numbered frame (measuring 39cm x 27cm).	$560.00
	Gold Plated Medallion	This limited edition, gold-plated medallion featured the calligraphic character for ‘rat’ on one side, and an illustrated paper-cut rat as seen on the $2.60 stamp, on the other side. This collectable medallion was limited to only 999 worldwide and came with an individually numbered certificate that gave further context and background to the Chinese Year of the Rat. It was presented in a specially designed case.	$69.00

Technical information

Stamps

Gold Plated Medallion