# 5744a - 2023 First-Class Forever Stamp - Imperforate Lunar New Year: Year of the Rabbit
U.S. #5744a
2023 Year of the Rabbit (Imperforate)
Lunar New Year
- The fourth stamp in the Lunar New Year series begun in 2020
- Celebrates the Year of the Rabbit
- Showcases the same style mask design as previous stamps in the series
- Foil stamping brings out the intricate details of the design
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Lunar New Year Series (begun in 2020)
Value: 60¢ First-class mail rate, Forever
First Day of Issue: January 12, 2023
First Day City: San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 22,000,000 (Includes die-cut AND imperforate stamps. The exact quantity of imperforate stamps is unknown, but it is only a tiny fraction of the total print quantity, making the imperforates much scarcer than traditional die-cut stamps.)
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Foil Stamping, Flexographic, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Imperforate
Self-adhesive
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was issued to commemorate the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac of the Lunar New Year – the rabbit. It’s the fourth stamp in the Lunar New Year series that began in 2020.
About the stamp design: According to the USPS, the designs for this Lunar New Year series are meant to remind us of the “elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed in Lunar New Year parades.” Artist Camille Chew created the Year of the Rabbit mask by adapting techniques from traditional paper-cut folk-art crafts often used to create decorations during Lunar New Year. The stamp sheet includes illustrations of all 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac in columns on the left and right of the stamp pane.
Special design details: Foil stamping highlights details of the design and gives it an almost three-dimensional effect.
First Day City: The Year of the Rabbit stamp was issued in San Francisco, California, with the First Day of Issue Ceremony held at the Asian Art Museum. This location honors the cultural origins of Lunar New Year as well as the paper-cut folk-art used to create the stamp design. Attendees included London N. Breed (mayor of San Francisco), Derek Kan (member of USPS Board of Governors), Fiona Ma (state treasurer of California), and Jay Xu (director of the Asian Art Museum).
About the Lunar New Year Series: The USPS has been issuing Lunar New Year stamps for decades. When the previous series ended in 2019, a new one was begun the following year. This particular Lunar New Year Series has stamps picturing paper-cut masks of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, with the stamps following the cycle of rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat/ram/sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Every stamp includes a high-quality photograph of a three-dimensional paper-cut mask created by artist Camille Chew.
History the stamp represents: In the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is the fourth animal in the 12-year Lunar New Year cycle. In 2023, the Year of the Rabbit began on January 22.
In the Chinese myth about the zodiac animals, the rabbit was the fastest of all, but boastful and arrogant. He even made fun of how slow his neighbor, the ox, was. One day, the Jade Emperor sent out invitations to a party to determine the order of animals in the zodiac. The rabbit was sure he would arrive before all the other animals and claim the first spot. He was in the lead, however, since no one else was around, he decided to take a nap. By the time he woke up, the rat, ox, and tiger had all arrived ahead of him. It is a lesson similar to the one taught by the Western story “The Tortoise and the Hare,” – too much pride can be your downfall.
Today, people born in the year of the rabbit are said to be hardworking, ambitious, and kind. They are also charismatic and have high attention to detail. It is also said those born in the year of the rabbit tend to be more artistic and creative, finding jobs in art, music, architecture, and literature. It’s fun to discover the hidden meanings behind the animals of the Chinese zodiac!
U.S. #5744a
2023 Year of the Rabbit (Imperforate)
Lunar New Year
- The fourth stamp in the Lunar New Year series begun in 2020
- Celebrates the Year of the Rabbit
- Showcases the same style mask design as previous stamps in the series
- Foil stamping brings out the intricate details of the design
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Lunar New Year Series (begun in 2020)
Value: 60¢ First-class mail rate, Forever
First Day of Issue: January 12, 2023
First Day City: San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 22,000,000 (Includes die-cut AND imperforate stamps. The exact quantity of imperforate stamps is unknown, but it is only a tiny fraction of the total print quantity, making the imperforates much scarcer than traditional die-cut stamps.)
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Foil Stamping, Flexographic, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Imperforate
Self-adhesive
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was issued to commemorate the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac of the Lunar New Year – the rabbit. It’s the fourth stamp in the Lunar New Year series that began in 2020.
About the stamp design: According to the USPS, the designs for this Lunar New Year series are meant to remind us of the “elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed in Lunar New Year parades.” Artist Camille Chew created the Year of the Rabbit mask by adapting techniques from traditional paper-cut folk-art crafts often used to create decorations during Lunar New Year. The stamp sheet includes illustrations of all 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac in columns on the left and right of the stamp pane.
Special design details: Foil stamping highlights details of the design and gives it an almost three-dimensional effect.
First Day City: The Year of the Rabbit stamp was issued in San Francisco, California, with the First Day of Issue Ceremony held at the Asian Art Museum. This location honors the cultural origins of Lunar New Year as well as the paper-cut folk-art used to create the stamp design. Attendees included London N. Breed (mayor of San Francisco), Derek Kan (member of USPS Board of Governors), Fiona Ma (state treasurer of California), and Jay Xu (director of the Asian Art Museum).
About the Lunar New Year Series: The USPS has been issuing Lunar New Year stamps for decades. When the previous series ended in 2019, a new one was begun the following year. This particular Lunar New Year Series has stamps picturing paper-cut masks of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, with the stamps following the cycle of rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat/ram/sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Every stamp includes a high-quality photograph of a three-dimensional paper-cut mask created by artist Camille Chew.
History the stamp represents: In the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is the fourth animal in the 12-year Lunar New Year cycle. In 2023, the Year of the Rabbit began on January 22.
In the Chinese myth about the zodiac animals, the rabbit was the fastest of all, but boastful and arrogant. He even made fun of how slow his neighbor, the ox, was. One day, the Jade Emperor sent out invitations to a party to determine the order of animals in the zodiac. The rabbit was sure he would arrive before all the other animals and claim the first spot. He was in the lead, however, since no one else was around, he decided to take a nap. By the time he woke up, the rat, ox, and tiger had all arrived ahead of him. It is a lesson similar to the one taught by the Western story “The Tortoise and the Hare,” – too much pride can be your downfall.
Today, people born in the year of the rabbit are said to be hardworking, ambitious, and kind. They are also charismatic and have high attention to detail. It is also said those born in the year of the rabbit tend to be more artistic and creative, finding jobs in art, music, architecture, and literature. It’s fun to discover the hidden meanings behind the animals of the Chinese zodiac!