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| 5630 Dunbar St. at 41st Ave. 604-684-4613 |
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Canada Post 2004 Year of the Monkey Stamps inspire Monkey Mania |
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Canada Post ushered in the New Year and the Lunar New Year with a pair of remarkable new 49c and $1.40 issues, based upon the 16th Century Journey to the West tale, featuring the rebellious monkey king. The stamps are printed in nine colours, embossed, and are enhanced with holographic foil, pearlescent ink for margin highlights, and gold ink highlighting. Anita Kunz' watercolour illustrations show the Monkey King confronting the Jade Emperor on the 49c value, issued in inscription sheets of 25, and the Monkey King on his way to India for the $1.40 value, which is available in souvenir sheets with and without a 2004 Hong Kong Stamp Show overprint in gold, and as an uncut press sheet of a dozen. Only 200,000 overprinted souvenir sheets were prepared and few seem to have found their way to Vancouver Post Offices. Just 25,000 Uncut Press Sheets were made. |
 Official First Day Covers exist for the souvenir sheet and single, but not for the overprinted souvenir sheet. There is a speculative frenzy on all the sheets, and especially for the first day covers, which contain a date difference in the commemorative text on the back. According to the English language text, the Lunar New Year is January 22, 2004, while the Chinese text dates the Lunar New Year as January 21. The stamps were officially issued January 8th, but were not necessarily available in all post offices on that day. Sellouts were common and resupplies have been spotty. A Three Country Lunar New Year Pack has not yet appeared.
The Lunar New Year window is short this year. The rate change for which these stamps were issued went into effect January 12. The official Vancouver Stamp Launch is January 15th. Canada Post is committed to attending the five day Sunbrite Lunar New Year Festival at the Pacific Coliseum, billed as the largest Chinese New Year Fair held outside China, and presumably needs material to sell at the Hong Kong Show also. The demand is very strong here and it will be interesting to see how the supply holds up. Canada Post will have a tough time topping their Monkey King mania. |
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5630 Dunbar St. at 41st Ave. Phone: 604-684-4613 e-mail: collect@direct.ca |
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