Monkey stamps become a hit for investors in China

China's newly issued Lunar New Year monkey stamps are becoming a surprise hit for disappointed investors amid unstable gloomy markets such as stocks, the exchange rate and real estate.

中国最近发行了农历新年猴邮票。在股票市场动荡、汇率波动不稳、房地产市场低迷的情况下，这套猴邮票让信心渐无的投资者眼前一亮。

The stamps, issued on Jan 5, are sold out soon after release and are experiencing a rocketing increase in value. The resale price increased from 420 yuan on the day of issue to 820 yuan within a week, 21 times its face value of 38.4 yuan.

1月5日，猴邮票一经发行便被抢购一空，邮票价值大幅飙升。邮票转售价格在一周之内，从发行日的420元上涨到820元，达到其面值38.4元的21倍。

A merchant in Changchun, Jilin province is surprised by the price surge of the monkey stamp market, saying: "I'm quite experienced in the stamp market but cannot understand the unreasonable price of the monkey stamps."

猴邮票市场价格飙涨，吉林长春的一位商人对此非常诧异，他表示："我在邮票市场算是比较有经验的，但我还是不能理解为什么猴邮票的价格会出奇的高。"

The crazy price does have its reasons.

这套邮票价格高是有道理的。

The stamps are the first sign of the Chinese zodiac to be commemorated in the fourth series of China's zodiac stamp collection. The monkey stamps contain two designs. One is a monkey holding a peach as a symbol of good luck; the other one is a female monkey carrying two babies, a hint of China's two-child policy.

这套猴邮票是我国第四轮十二生肖邮票开篇之作。此套邮票共两款，第一款中，一只猴子手托桃子，象征好运。第二款中，一只母猴怀抱两只小猴，表示中国的二胎政策。

The designer is 92-year-old Huang Yongyu who designed the first monkey stamps 36 years ago. The price of stamps commemorating the 1980 Year of the Monkey has rocketed to a historical high.

邮票由92岁高龄的黄永玉先生创作，而36年前，同样也是黄永玉先生设计了首款猴邮票。1980年版纪念猴邮票的价格已经达到历史最高价。

As the first of its kind, the stamps are sought-after items, with a single stamp fetching 12,000 yuan, considerably more than its original face value of 0.8 yuan. A complete set sells for 1.5 million yuan.

单枚邮票的价格就高达12000元，这一价格水平是其面值0.8元的数万倍，而整套邮票的价格更是达到了150万元。邮票受到这般追捧，这尚属首次。