Guernsey
Post is proud to announce that its Year of the Rat stamps have been awarded seventh
place in a global competition organised by The
Chinese Shengxiao (Zodiac) Philatelic Society. Designed by Chrissy Lau, the
stamps were released on 8 January 2020 in celebration of Chinese New Year,
which began on on 25
January 2020 and ends on 11 February 2021.
Now in its eleventh year, the competition included Year of the Rat stamps issued by 60 postal administrations in late 2019 or early 2020. The winning stamps were selected by members of The Chinese Shengxiao Philatelic Society and a jury of 28 philately experts, who awarded Hong Kong’s stamps the top spot.
Guernsey’s stamp set, Rags to Riches, depicts a rat on each intricately designed stamp, which feature accents of gold reflecting the belief, in Chinese culture, of the rat’s association with wealth, abundance and prosperity, as well as fertility and reproduction. The Chinese symbol for rat appears in red and sits on the top left of each stamp.
Bridget
Yabsley, head of philatelic at Guernsey Post said: - “We are absolutely
thrilled that our Year of the Rat stamps have been recognised by The Chinese
Shengxiao Philatelic Society and panel of experts. We have worked with designed
Chrissy Lau since our Chinese New Year series began in 2012 and we continue to
be impressed by her ability to convey elements of Chinese heritage and culture
into the beautifully designed stamps.”