Inside this four sided mini-folder awaits the beautiful, vibrant set of four stamps, held within a black card carrier and the story of the Year of the Rat.
This stamp issue is a continuing theme in Lunar New Year collections, and follows on from 2019’s Year of the Pig issue, and 2018's Year of the Dog.
The illustrations featured within this four page, glossy folder depict the personality aspects of someone born under the year of the Rat. Within the ancient tale of The Great Race, the cunning Rat intelligently wins the contest by using the qualities of its opponents in order to gain an advantage. Although the artwork itself does not illustrate this race, the designs evoke the spirit and personality of the Rat, a character that is much celebrated within Chinese cultures.
Megan Hindley, better known as Stedhead, is a young Manx artist whose distinctive graphic style lends itself to the theme. She is an illustrator, tattoo artist and muralist who currently lives in Italy. She has undertaken mural commissions in London as part of a women’s collective and her work can be seen on the Island.
The text featured, is supplied by Dominic Naughton, of Naughton Design, based in Hong Kong.