Special 420 The Zodiac Postage Stamps－Air Signs



The Zodiac Postage Stamps---Air Signs
To encourage stamp collecting among the younger generation, the Directorate General of Posts has chosen the 12 signs of the Western zodiac as the subjects of 12 stamps, which will be issued in four sets with three stamps each. The given sign's constellation chart will be the main theme of each stamp, which will also include smaller designs showing the constellation's location, as well as the sign's symbol, Chinese and English names, and dates. For a new and different look, in addition to the regular rectangular perforation of the stamps, there will be an interior oval perforation to suggest the orbit of a planet. The first set, the Air Signs (Aquarius, Gemini and Libra), is scheduled to be released on February 14, 2001, with denominations of NT$5.00, NT$12.00 and NT$25.00 respectively. Mr. Ben Wang has been commissioned to handle the planning for the stamps. Mr. Chen I-Sung created the drawings of the stamps, which are being printed in deep-etch color offset by China Color Printing Co., Inc.

Astrology is an ancient and profound erudition that relates the thoughts and behavior of man to the stars and planets above in the sky. It involves precise mathematics calculations about the movements of the heavenly bodies. People use the twelve signs of the zodiac to divine and tell a person's luck, to make conjectures about a person's personality, and to predict the future. Astrology dates back to the beginnings of civilization, and recently it has come back into style as a way for people to understand life, analyze human nature and know themselves. It has now become influenced by astronomy, fortune telling, psychology, myth and other social trends, and helps to provide a form of communication between people of different nations that transcends language.

First-day covers, folders with and without crystal mounts and loose-leaf album pages will be released along with the stamps. These will go on sale on February 12, 2001. Pre-cancelled FDCs with the full set of stamps or with just one lower-value stamp and stamp folios will go on sale February 14, 2001, the stamps' date of issue. For further information, please refer to the upcoming Philatelic Bulletin or Postal Service Today.

(1)First Day Cover in small size to be sold at NT$2.00 apiece.
(2)Folder especially prepared for the stamps to be sold at NT$5 apiece.
(3)Folder with crystal mount for better protection of the stamps to be sold at NT$5 apiece.
(4)Loose-leaf stamp album page with plastic cover to be sold at NT$8 apiece.
(5)Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a low- valued stamp to be sold at NT$7 apiece.
(6)Pre-cancelled First Day Cover affixed with a complete set of stamps to be sold at NT$44 apiece.