Def.122 Personal Greeting Stamps (Issue of 2004)

Actively promoting the concept of personal greeting stamps, Chunghwa Post is once again issuing a set of personalized stamps featuring ten lucky phrases. Each of these will contain the design of a number from one to ten that resembles a mark created by a chop. The stamps will also include images associated with an auspicious phrase that includes the number. These images include a sailboat, auspicious animals or plants (lions, dragons, bats, fruits and flowers), figurines, an embroidered panel of the eight immortals or food. The stamps will be released on October 10, 2004. Each of the designs will be printed in two denominations: NT$3.5 and NT$5. These stamps have been painted by Mr. Hung-tu Ko and printed in color deep-etch offset by China Color Printing Co., Ltd.

Chunghwa Post has successively issued three different sets of personal greeting stamps—“Best Wishes,” “Chinese Knots” and “Expressions of Good Will”— respectively. These custom-made stamps serve both as postage stamps and souvenirs for oneself or greetings to one’s family and friends, offering the right phrases and designs. In the way that one matches one’s own pictures to the stamps, one can demonstrate one’s own personal taste.

All Taiwanese hope for good luck, and these ten postage stamps are each based on an expression of auspiciousness: “One Sea of Smooth Sailing,” “Two Lions Bring Good Fortune,” “Three ‘Suns’ (or Goats, its Chinese Homophone) of Auspiciousness,” “Safety in All Four Seasons,” “Five Blessings at the Door,” “Six is Silky Smooth,” “Married for Seven Lives,” “Eight Immortals Wish for Your Longevity,” “Nine Means Success,” and “Ten is All-Around Perfection.” With these commonly used auspicious expressions and matching novel designs, these stamps are great for sending greetings to friends or family members before they go on a long trips; to elders so as to convey wishes for their longevity; to someone when they have a new baby, get admitted to new school or get hired for a new job; to someone who passes an entrance exam, gets married or promoted; or even for just ordinary correspondence.

The non-personalized stamps that will be available in the post office will be printed in a format of 20 stamps per sheet. The personalized ones, to meet different needs, will be printed in two formats: a sheet with all ten designs with denominations of NT$3.5 each, and another sheet of all ten designs with denominations of NT$5.00. Both formats will be printed either with marginal inscriptions or without. To make the stamps, the public can go directly to the post offices, or order on line at http://stamp.post.gov.tw.

(1) First Day Cover in large size to be sold at NT$3 apiece.

(2) Folder especially prepared for the stamps to be sold at NT$8 apiece.

(3) Folder with crystal mount for better protection of the stamps to be sold at NT$8 apiece.

(4) Loose-leaf stamp album page with plastic cover to be sold at NT$16 apiece.

(5) Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with five stamps denominated at NT$3.50 each to be sold at NT$41 apiece, which are composed of 2 FDCs, but could be respectively sold at NT$20.5 apiece.

1. Effective from 2004, the contents included in the Annual Stamps Album will no longer contain definitive issues (inclusive personal greeting stamps) and postage-due stamps.

2. Postage Stamps Album (Issue of 2004) is going to be released in November 2004.