Rate change and Lunar New Year dates coincided for 2023

Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke

Philatelic covers sometimes capture a particular moment in history very well. Linn’s Stamp News reader Dinggou Dai of Arizona captured such a modern postal history moment in January with the transition from the Year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit.

Shown nearby is his Jan. 21 cover with a sprayed-on Phoenix, Ariz., cancellation and the 2022 U.S. Year of the Tiger forever commemorative stamp (Scott 5662).

The cachet design features a cartoon tiger with Chinese characters that read “Goodbye, The Year of the Tiger,” according to Dai.

Text in English mentions that Jan. 21 is the last day of the Year of the Tiger and Jan. 22 is the first day of the Year of the Rabbit.

The extra philatelic connection is that the two dates straddled a first-class letter rate increase from 60¢ to 63¢, and this is mentioned in the cachet as well.

The cover was sent to my attention at Linn’s Sidney, Ohio, office. I appreciate Dai’s extra effort in creating it and even obtaining a hand cancellation from the Ocotillo Station in the Phoenix area.

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