Canada 1999 46c multicolored "Year of the Rabbit", left hand marginal example with tagging and red color missing, Unitrade 1767a.
A very fine unmounted mint, with full original gum, positional example.
One of the key modern Canadian printing errors with a dramatic colour omission from the Lunar New Year series.
The stamp shows complete omission of both the red ink (affecting the “CANADA 46” inscription panel) and the fluorescent tagging, leaving the background a smooth yellow gradient with the stylised black rabbit motif sharply dominant.
Unitrade Catalogue value: CAD$1,250.
Background
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The Year of the Rabbit issue was the third design in Canada Post’s celebrated Lunar New Year series (following the Ox and Tiger), issued to honour Chinese-Canadian cultural heritage.
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The elegant brush-stroke rabbit symbolises grace, intelligence, and calm, with the design rendered in a striking modern East-meets-West style.
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The printing error resulted from a partial press failure in one printing run at the Canadian Bank Note Company, omitting both the red ink and phosphor tagging layers. Only a very small number of panes were discovered before withdrawal, making it one of the scarcest modern Canadian errors.
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Since discovery in the early 2000s, very few certified examples have appeared on the market.
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Because the tagging omission rendered these stamps unsuitable for automated postal use, all surviving examples are mint, enhancing their desirability.
