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By David Hartwig
New Zealand’s post office, NZ Post,
welcomes the Year of the Snake in the Chinese lunar calendar with a set of four
stamps to be issued Jan. 15.
Each stamp in the set of four
illustrates a different subject using images of a snake along with a young
child.
“The snake is an often
under-appreciated creature seen by many as sneaky, calculating, and
treacherous,” NZ Post said. “However, snakes also have an undeniable beauty.
Their elegant structure makes them a popular design in Chinese jewellery, each
snake painstakingly carved into jade pendants and charms.”
The subject of each stamp is named
with text running along the right side of the stamp: Hakeke Harvest
(denominated $2.30), Lucky Dumplings ($3.60), Roots of Ginseng ($4.90) and
Singing in the New Year ($7.20).
On the $2.30 stamp, a snake and child
appear with a type of wood ear mushroom called hakeke. NZ Post said that the
discovery of hakeke in New Plymouth, New Zealand, in 1875 led to a lucrative
business of exporting the fungus to China.
According to information from New
Zealand’s Science Learning Hub – Pokapu Akoranga Putaiao website, by 1883 New Zealand exports of hakeke, which loses
90 percent of its fresh weight when dried, totaled almost 2,000 tons by dry weight.
The $3.60 stamp features a snake with
a child hoisting a large dumpling. “Dumplings are traditionally eaten during
Chinese New Year to encourage prosperity and good luck,” NZ Post said, “with
their money-bag shape believed to symbolize wealth.”
The $4.90 stamp shows a child with a
snake, which is wrapped around a ginseng root. A popular gift for the elderly
during the Lunar New Year, ginseng is a prized root in Chinese medicine. On the
$7.20 stamp, a child playing a guitar
serenades a snake.
The stamps were designed by YMC
Design and printed by Brebner Print, Napier by lithography.
The stamps measure 30 millimeters by
50mm and are perforated gauge 13.33. The stamps are also available in panes of
20 for each of the four designs.
All four stamps also appear on a
single souvenir sheet, which measures 135mm by 90mm.
The stamp denominated $2.30 pays the
rate for medium letters sent within New Zealand. The $3.60 stamp can be used to
send large letters within New Zealand and medium letters to Australia and the
South Pacific.
The $4.90 stamp pays for oversize
letters sent within New Zealand and large letters sent internationally. The
$7.20 stamp takes care of oversize letters sent internationally.
NZ Post defines medium letters as not
exceeding 235mm in length and 130mm in width. Large letters can be up to 235mm
by 165mm, and oversize letters can measure 385mm by 260mm. Weight limits and
thickness vary depending on the destination.
In addition to the stamps NZ Post
offers, there is a presentation pack with commentary by poet, composer and
musician Cadence Chung, who studies at the New Zealand School of Music. The
presentation pack includes all four stamps, the souvenir sheet and a first-day
cover.
The first-day cover in the
presentation pack is franked with all four stamps. NZ Post also has a first-day
cover for the souvenir sheet. The postmark for all of the FDCs features a snake
and Chinese characters.
The stamps and other related
materials can be ordered from NZ Post’s website. In addition to the website, ordering
information also is available from NZ Post Collectables, Private Bag 3001,
Whanganui Mail Centre, Wanganui, New Zealand.
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