The Year of the Rat

Available now, this set of stamps in red with accents of gold, is the seventh instalment of Guernsey Stamps' Lunar New Year series. Chrissy explains, "2020 is the year of the Metal Rat; gold is a precious metal and a glaring symbol for fortune. In Chinese culture the rat is associated with wealth, abundance and prosperity as well as fertility and reproduction. A common Chinese practice is displaying Feng Shui animal ornaments with coins/gold etc to attract good fortune. All these themes run throughout the Rat Collection – in essence the stamps can be displayed like Feng Shui ornaments to attract good fortune. Rat was the first animal in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, which corresponds to the popular tale that when the Buddha called the animals to him, Rat was the first to arrive, earning him a decorative place on the Buddhist conch shells that call the faithful to prayers." See them here.