News
Souvenir Cover Text for Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlet on LNY Animals – Dog/Pig
In many cultures, gold and silver are the most precious metals and are cherished as symbols of wealth and honour. Hongkong Post's annual Gold and Silver Stamp Sheetlets on Lunar New Year Animals are highly sought-after by philatelists for their special printing technique, which incorporates genuine gold and silver hot stamping, and for their symbolic significance.
The seventh issue in the series presents the Dog and the Pig. The two stamps are in a denomination of $50 and both are embossed and hot-foiled – the Dog with genuine 24-carat gold and 99.9% pure silver, and the Pig with genuine 22-carat gold and 99.9% pure silver. The sheetlet comes with a certificate of authenticity.
According to Chinese tradition, each lunar year is named after an animal, running in twelve-year cycles. People born in each animal's year are believed to share some of the animal's characteristics. People born in the Year of the Dog, for example, are loyal and trustworthy, while those born in the Year of the Pig are honest and straightforward.
Similar to previous issues in the series, the contrast between light and shade is used to accentuate the image detail of the Dog and the Pig against their dark green and sienna backgrounds, producing a striking three-dimensional effect.