A new set of stamps commemorating Chinese New Year were released earlier this month, and collectors are already going bananas for them.
One of the stamps, released January 5 by China Post, depict a monkey being kissed by not one, but two baby primates, a playful nod to the new family planning policy. The other shows a smiling monkey holding a peach.
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CNN reports that many people across Beijing lined up on release day to purchase the stamps, with some lining up a day before. One buyer reportedly queued for over 27 hours before purchasing RMB3,300 worth of stamps.
China Post commissioned renowned 92-year-old artist Huang Yongyu to design the commemorative stamps earlier last year. The company was said to have originally asked for a female monkey holding a baby. Yet according to reports, Huang insisted on drawing two, saying, "Now that China has launched the two-child policy, it should be fine to draw two baby monkeys.”
Huang also designed the first set of animal zodiac stamps in 1980. The value of those stamps, originally RMB0.08 in 1980, has increased by 200,000 times since then, according to China Daily.
This year's stamps are valued at RMB1.20, and buyers are hopeful that they'll be a good investment.
[Image via CNN]
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