2022 Lunar New Year：The Tiger Postage Stamps
2022 Year of the Tiger – Lunar New Year Series
- The third stamp in the Lunar New Year series begun in 2020
- Celebrates the Year of the Tiger
- 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
Series: Lunar New Year
Value: First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: January 20, 2022
First Day City: New York, NY
Quantity Issued: 24,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Foil Stamping, Flexographic, Microprint
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor, block tag
Why the stamp was issued: To celebrate the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Lunar New Year. It’s the third 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 Tiger 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 2022 Year of the Tiger stamp was issued in New York City, with the First Day of Issue Ceremony held at Peter Norton Symphony Space.
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 tiger is the third animal in the 12-year Lunar New Year cycle. In 2022, the Year of the Tiger began on February 1.
Different countries have different ideas about what animal is the king of beasts. In China, that animal is the tiger. The tiger represents power and fearlessness in Chinese culture as well as energy, royalty, protection, generosity, illumination, and unpredictability. It is also a symbol of luck. The tiger is associated with the Sun, summer, and fire.
Tigers are said to prevent household disasters such as fire and burglary. They also keep ghosts away. Temples often picture tiger paintings, tapestries, or sculptures for protection. Soldiers once painted tigers on their shields in order to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies on the battlefield. Chinese folk tales and literature commonly feature tigers, as well.
A different-colored tiger is said to rule over each of the seasons: white for fall, black for winter, blue for spring, and red for summer. A yellow tiger rules over all of the others and represents the Sun. It’s amazing to think how a single animal can have so many different meanings to a culture!
Frequently Asked Questions
How it works?
A Forever® stamp is for sending domestic mail weighing up to 1 oz via First-Class Mail®.
Purpose: Send letters and cards up to 1 oz (approximately 4 sheets of regular, 8-1/2" x 11" paper in a rectangular envelope)
within the U.S., including U.S. territories and military bases overseas.
Value: Always valid for the First-Class Mail 1 oz rate, even if postage rates increase. Visit First-Class Mail and Postage to view
current rates.
Other Uses: Pair this stamp’s value with other postage to meet mailing costs when additional postage is required.
Use the Retail Postage Calculator to determine the exact cost of your mail.
Why is "FOREVER" crossed out in the image?
So the lines in your picture:
- It does not mean that the stamp has expired;
- It does not mean that you cannot continue to use it;
- Nor a postmark;
- It's just an artificial anti-copying line added to the display image.
Note: If the physical stamp you receive actually has this crossed line printed on it, be cautious. It may be a display sample, a replica or a fake stamp, rather than a normal usable stamp.
What are the common types of stamps, and how do they differ?
- Forever Stamp: Valid for standard domestic letters within the U.S. These stamps typically do not bear a fixed face value; they remain valid for mailing a standard one-ounce letter at the current rate, even if postage prices increase in the future.
- Global Forever Stamp: Primarily used for standard international letters or postcards sent from the U.S. to other countries. The main difference between this and a standard Forever Stamp lies in its scope of use and postage value.
- Postcard Stamp: Designed specifically for domestic postcards that meet USPS size standards; the postage rate is typically lower than that for standard letters.
- Additional Ounce Stamp: Used to cover the cost of weight exceeding the first ounce; these are usually used in conjunction with a Forever Stamp or other stamps.
- Two-Ounce and Three-Ounce Stamps: Suitable for heavier letters, greeting cards, wedding invitations, or multi-page documents, eliminating the need to combine multiple stamps to cover the required postage.
- Fixed-Value Stamps: These stamps display a specific monetary value (e.g., 1¢, 5¢, or other amounts) and are primarily used to make up postage differences or in combination with other stamps.
- Commemorative and Thematic Stamps: Typically issued to mark historical events, cultural or artistic themes, holidays, notable figures, animals, or natural landscapes. While suitable for regular mail, these stamps are also popular among collectors due to their unique designs and limited release periods.
It is important to note that a stamp's theme and its postage class can overlap; for example, a holiday-themed stamp might also be a Forever Stamp. When purchasing, check for markings such as FOREVER, GLOBAL, POSTCARD, ADDITIONAL OUNCE, or a specific face value to confirm the stamp's intended use.
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