Chinese Year Of The Monkey

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, hero of the Chinese legend "Journey to the West", issued by Canada in 2004 to celebrate the Chinese year of the Monkey.



More items related to this issue, I posted in the thread: "Journey to the West - the Adventures of Monkey King"
https://goscf.com/t/73385

Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2004, Australia - Christmas Islands.

This set was issued in SS with the image of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, hero of the Chinese legend "Journey to the West".

This SS was sold inside a folder.

Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2004, Australia - Christmas Islands.

In addition to the above set and SS, Australia issued for Christmas Islands an oversize sheet (about A4 page size) contains the SS + all 12 stamps of the Chinese zodiac animals, in which the monkey stamp is gold embossed (bottom row left).

Here is the stamp from the sheeet.

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, hero of the Chinese legend "Journey to the West", issued by Nevis to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2004.

Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, hero of the Chinese legend "Journey to the West", issued by Poland to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2004.

Last item I have for the Chinese Year of the Monkey 2004, is a set of six coins issued by Uganda to celebrate the Monkey year.






The front side of the coins is the same and features Uganda Coat of Arms.

Goodbye Year of the Monkey 2004 - Welcome Year of the Monkey 2016

Welcome Year of the Monkey 2016!

From now, I will post items issued to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Monkey 2016. Let's start with PR China which issued a set of two stamps.

The set on cover with different commemorative postmark + postal meter to add to the stamp value to send to Austria.

Postal meters issued for the Monkey Year.

Official PC issued for the Monkey Year, franked with stamps for the Monkey Year, but I can't find them in the catalogue. Probably, personnel stamps.

The face side of the PC depicting traditional Chinese auspicious children, often referred to tongzi, "heavenly boys" or "blessed children" in folk art. They are symbolic figures commonly used in New Year imagery. They symbolize good fortune and prosperity, happiness and harmony, abundance and a good harvest (clearly reinforced here by the pumpkins, grain, and crops) and family continuity and blessings for the coming year.

To celebrate the Chinese Year of the Monkey 2016, the Republic of China (Taiwan) issued a set of two stamps and SS.


Here they are on cover and posstcard.


FDC of the SS with commemorative postmark. It depicts two traditional Chinese lanterns with fireworks, symbolizing celebration, happiness, and good fortune during the Lunar New Year.

In addition to the above set and SS, a set of six ATM also issued by Taiwan to celebrate the Monkey Year 2016.

Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2016, Japan.

Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2016, Philippines.

Another monkey thread - let's see ....

The most (in)famous YotM issue appears not to have appeared yet, the first "realistic" issue for the occasion of the People's Republic of China, from 1980, a few years after the end of the cultural revolution, when maybe people were again allowed to celebrate New Year?

The stamps shows what is meant to be a stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides) and is the most valuable monkey stamp I know of, listed in Michel (nr 1594) for 2200euro, almost US$2600; cancelled stamps are still 800euro (more than US$900, and FDCs at twice that price.

Not surprisingly, the market is flush with counterfeit ones and there are several web sites where you can find what to look for so as not to be cheated.

Do I have one? Well, a cancelled one bought many years ago before the mania started, but even then it was not cheap. OK, here it is:

Cobie, welcome to this new monkey thread! thanks for posting the Chinese rare stamp.

Chinese Year of the Monkey, 2016, Vietnam.

The Philippines, like Hong Kong, have issued Chines Zodiac issues where the relevant animal has been "gold-plated". Usually, these are in MSs of three stamps, with the animal for that year flanked by those of the previous and following years:









Each of the MSs also shows small images of the actual pairs of issues for each of the three years.

Oh, and let me add one of my favourites; Sierra Leone, 2016 - actually issued in 2015, some countries are a year early issuing stamps in November or December ...



with green monkeys and baboons.