Canada Post Year of the Pig stamp and souvenir sheet to be issued Jan. 5
By Rick Miller
On Jan. 5, Canada Post will launch its 2007 stamp program by issuing a 52¢ Year of the Pig stamp and $1.55 Year of the Pig souvenir sheet.
This is the 11 th in the series of Canada Post stamps and souvenir sheets commemorating the Chinese New Year and the lunisolar zodiac.
The design of the 52¢ domestic letter rate stamp, shown below, depicts a stylized pink pig decorated with flowers and cavorting against an orange background.
The design is based on a Chinese legend about a pig race. The stamp design depicts the pig at the beginning of the race.
The $1.55 souvenir sheet, shown at the right, features a stamp design of a red pig against an emerald green background. The design depicts the pig at the end of the race. The $1.55 stamp pays the international letter rate.
The design of the 52¢ stamp is repeated in the selvage of the souvenir sheet, above the $1.55 stamp.
Silhouettes of the 12 animals of the zodiac are printed in the selvage at the right of the souvenir sheet. The pig is at the bottom in red. The other 11 animal silhouettes are in gold.
Each Chinese year is named after an animal sign in the lunisolar zodiac in a 12-year cycle that begins with the Year of the Rat. As with other recent Canadian Chinese New Year souvenir sheets, the Year of the Pig souvenir sheet is irregularly shaped. Both the souvenir sheet and the stamp are inscribed "Year of the Pig" in English, French and Chinese. The stamp and souvenir sheet were designed by John Belisle and Kosta Tsetsekas. In Chinese culture, the pig is a symbol of wealth and stability. Pigs were first domesticated circa 7,000 years ago in China, and there is little genetic difference between the domestic porker and its wild cousins. Domestic pigs were easily maintained because of their omnivorous diet. Pigs have mostly been raised for food, but their hide, bones and bristles have been used for weapons, tools and decoration.
Pig meat is consumed as pork, ham, sausage and barbecue. Pork ranks third in meat consumption in the United States behind beef and chicken.
More recently some breeds of pig have gained popularity as pets in parts of the world where food is not scarce. Pigs are among the most intelligent of all domestic animals, rivaling or surpassing man’s best friend in intelligence.
Adherents of two of the world’s great monotheistic religions, Islam and Judaism, consider pigs to be ritually unclean and not to be eaten or even touched.
Canada Post’s Chinese New Year stamp series began in 1997 and will conclude in 2008 with a Year of the Rat issue.
Previous issues in the series include the 45¢ Year of the Ox stamp and 90¢ (two stamps) souvenir sheet (Scott 1630-30a), the 45¢ Year of the Tiger stamp and 90¢ (two stamps) souvenir sheet (1708-08a), the 46¢ Year of the Rabbit stamp and 95¢ souvenir sheet (1767-68), the 46¢ Year of the Dragon stamp and 95¢ souvenir sheet (1836-37), the 47¢ Year of the Snake stamp and $1.05 souvenir sheet (1883-84), the 48¢ Year of the Horse stamp and $1.25 souvenir sheet (1933-34), the 48¢ Year of the Ram stamp and $1.25 souvenir sheet (1969-70), the 49¢ Year of the Monkey stamp and $1.40 souvenir sheet (2015-16), the 50¢ Year of the Rooster stamp and $1.45 souvenir sheet (2083-84) and the 51¢ Year of the Dog stamp and $1.49 souvenir sheet (2140-41).
According to lunisolar astrologers, people born in a Year of the Pig are chivalrous, gallant, studious, taciturn, honest, determined and quick tempered.
Well-known Canadians born in a Year of the Pig include Prime Minister Stephen Harper, actors Donald Sutherland and Tom Green, World War II hero Romeo Sabourin, singers Bryan Adams and Burton Cummings, artist Mary Pratt (who will be honored with a stamp in the Art Canada series to be issued March 15), violinist Laura St. John, skier Lucille Wheeler, hockey player Willie O’Ree, ice skater Guy Owen, and race car driver Jacques Villeneuve.
The 52¢ Year of the Pig stamp and $1.55 souvenir sheet were printed by Lowe-Martin. The stamp uses eight-color offset lithography plus two foil stampings and embossing.The souvenir sheet uses nine-color offset lithography plus two foil stampings and embossing.
Stamps and souvenir sheets have general tagging on all four sides.
The pane stamps and the stamp in the souvenir sheet are perforated about gauge 13.
The stamp was printed in a quantity of 8 million. The souvenir sheet was printed in a quantity of 700,000. The souvenir sheets will also be sold in uncut press sheets of 12 of which 15,000 are available. All will remain on sale until Jan. 4, 2008.
The pane of 25 stamps is Canada Post item No. 403670107. The souvenir sheet is item No. 403670145.
The uncut press sheet of 12 souvenir sheets is item No. 403670149. It has a face value of $18.60, but is being sold for $26.95.
The official first-day cover for the stamp is Canada Post item No. 403670121. The official FDC for the souvenir sheet is item No. 403670144. Both FDCs bear a Toronto, Ontario, cancel.
Stamps and FDCs will be available by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre, Canada Post Corp., 75 St. Ninian St., Antigonish, NS B2G 2R8, Canada, or by telephone from the United States and Canada at 800-565-4362 and from other countries at 902-863-6550.
Stamp information may also be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post’s web site located at www.canadapost.ca.
Stamps and stamp products may also be obtained from Canada Post’s agent in the United States, Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557.
Canada Post will issue this 52¢ Year of the Pig stamp Jan. 5. The stamp is the 11 th in Canada Post’s series of Chinese New Year stamps.
The Canadian $1.55 Year of the Pig souvenir sheet to be issued Jan. 5 is irregularly shaped. The 12 animals of the lunisolar zodiac appear in the selvage at the right of the sheet.