2002 / 2014 The Year of the Horse.

      2002 and 2014 celebrated The New Year under the Chinese lunar sign The Year of the Horse. In both years New Zealand issued stamps and a miniature sheet to mark this event. Following on with my series of Chinese New Year issues I will be looking at both these issues in this post. When we reach the Year of the Horse for a third time I hope to include that issue here as well.

      See my complete collection of Chinese New Year Issues.

2014   The Year of the Horse.

        In 2014 NZ Post, followed what has be an annual issue, by issuing a set for four stamps and a miniature sheet for Chinese New Year. This time the theme was the horse since the year is the Year of the Horse.

       As has happened for the last few years, four stamps were issued, each showing a different aspect of Chinese culture. First is the pictogram on the lower value. The second value again shows the paper-cut horse.   

                                                 

    70c - Pictogram.                                                             $1.40 - Paper-cut Horse.

                   

     $1.90 - Equestrian.                           $2.40 - Rotorua Museum.

Equestrian comes next on the third value and finally the highest value has the New Zealand icon, this year the Rotorua Museum. The equestrian theme is about New Zealand's love of horses from the local pony club up to sporting men and women competing in and winning international competitions.

Of course most New Zealanders have heard or seen that famous Tudor style building which was originally built as the famous Rotorua Bath-house. Today it is no longer used as place where people can enjoy the therapeutic benefits of natural thermal water, instead has become a museum. Well worth a visit if you are in Rotorua.

The miniature sheet followed a similar format to the pervious Chinese New Year Issues since 2010 by featuring the four stamp in a strip across the centre of the sheet. Below is the miniature sheet on a especially designed First Day Cover.

 

There was also a First Day Cover designed for the set of five stamps as can be seen in the example below. I really like the cancellation strike, using the Chinese character for the horse. It is interesting to compare this strike to the pictogram on the 70c value.

Limited Edition Gold-foiled Miniature Sheet.

The Year of the Horse stamp issue is complemented with two unique gold-foiled miniature sheets. These premium miniature sheets are made from 24-carat, 99.9-gold foil, and are sure to please any Chinese New Year enthusiast. They are replicas of the miniature sheet in the stamp issue but are not part of the official stamp programme.
Presented within an individually numbered frame (measuring approximately 39cm x 27cm), the large miniature sheet was limited to only 128 worldwide! The smaller miniature sheet was mounted in a perspex display stand and makes a beautiful gift.

2002   The Year of the Horse.

           In 2002 New Zealand again issued stamps to celebrate Chinese New year, the Year of the Horse. Like all the Chinese New Year issues around this period, the stamps do not carry anything to say they are celebrating the Year of the horse. The issue was also called the superstars of horse racing issue. Two of these stamps were then used on the Chinese New Year miniature sheet, seen below these stamps.
        Again I must say it is a disappointment that this issue of stamps didn't display anything to do with Chinese New Year. It is almost as if they were attached to the miniature sheet below as an after thought. 

                                   

Christian Cullen - 40c.                                                                    Lyell Creek - 80c.

                                 

Yulestar - 90c.                                                                        Sunline - $1.30.

                                  

Ethereal - $1.50.                                                               Zabeel - $2.00.

This format was again used in 2002 featuring the current animal in the centre surrounded by a circle of the other 11 animals. Two stamps from the set above were added on the left hand side. 

  The two First Day Covers issued with this set.

Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ

You can visit their web site and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/