U.N. unveils first 2023 issue, updates program

By Linn’s Staff

The United Nations Postal Administration unveiled on Oct. 19 the pane of 10 stamps that will begin its 2023 program: the Year of the Rabbit pane to be issued Jan. 14.

The pane celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with 10 $1.40 stamps and labels for use at the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City. This is the 13th pane in UNPA’s Chinese Lunar Calendar series.

Each stamp depicts a white rabbit. Five of the stamps show the rabbit facing left and five show the rabbit facing right. Text on the bottom of the pane credits Tiger Pan (or Pan Hu) with the illustration. Pan also illustrated UNPA’s 2022 Year of the Tiger stamps (Scott 1290 and 1291) and 2018 Year of the Dog stamp pane (1187).

The labels on the Year of the Rabbit pane can be personalized. Customers can visit UNPA stamp shops in New York or Vienna or upload their photos to the UNPA website to personalize the labels.

The UNPA also announced on Oct. 19 that it has decided to replace its planned 2023 International Day of the World’s Indigenous People issue with something else.

As reported in the Oct. 31, 2022, issue of Linn’s, the UNPA originally scheduled this issue for Aug. 9 in the 2023 stamp program outlined in its bulletin for collectors, Fascination (issue No. 139).

The program said the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People issue would include panes of 20 60¢, $1.40, 1.10 Swiss francs 1.50fr, €1 and €1.20 stamps and souvenir sheets with $1.40, 2fr and €1.90 stamps to commemorate the day, which has been observed annually on Aug. 9 since the U.N. passed a resolution in December 1994.

The other themes, dates and denominations in the 2023 program are tentative and subject to change.

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