The Postal Service celebrated the Year of the Ox with the issuance of a 32-cent stamp on January 5, 1997, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The stamp went on sale nationwide January 6.
Designed by Clarence Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, the stamp features a paper-cut design of an ox and Chinese calligraphy on the upper left corner of the stamp. The ox represents a successful harvest and is the second symbol of twelve in the Chinese zodiac. 1997 was the fifth year the US Postal Service commemorated the Lunar New Year with a design from the Chinese zodiac.
The stamp, in a pane of twenty, was printed by Stamp Venturers, Inc., in the gravure process.
Reference: Postal Bulletin (December 5, 1996).
Scott Catalogue USA: 3120
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Museum ID: 1998.2008.300