Updated March 7th: The Scott Catalogue number for this issue is 5057 and the imperforate single is 5057a.

Updated February 18th: Ink colors changed in Technical Specifications, per Postal Bulletin.

Updated January 21st: From the Postal Bulletin:
On February 5, 2016, in Jamaica, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Year of the Monkey First-Class Mail® stamp (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 12 stamps (Item 586500). The Year of the Monkey $5.88 pane of 12 stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The stamp will go on sale nationwide February 5, 2016.

The Year of the Monkey stamp is the ninth of twelve stamps in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Monkey begins on February 8, 2016, and ends on January 27, 2017. The stamp art depicts two bright reddish orange peonies against a purple background. Peonies symbolize wealth and honor in Chinese culture and often decorate the sides of the traditional drums played during the holiday festivities. Artist Kam Mak created this original painting. Art director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler incorporated elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps — Clarence Lee’s intricate cut-paper design of a monkey and the Chinese character for “monkey,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun — to create continuity between the stamps in the series.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Year of the Monkey Stamp
Jamaica MPO
8840 164th Street
Jamaica, NY 11432-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by April 5, 2016.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 586506, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $35.28, (print quantity 500).
• 586508, Press Sheet without Die-cut, $35.28 (print quantity 1,000).
• 586510 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (2 panes), $13.95.
• 586516 First-Day Cover, $0.93.
• 586518 First-Day Cover Full Pane, $8.38.
• 586519 First-Day Cover Cancelled Full Pane, $8.38.
• 586521 Digital Color Postmark, $1.64.
• 586524 Framed Art $39.95.
• 586530 Ceremony Program, $6.95.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Year of the Monkey
Item Number: 586500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 12 (1 design)
Series: Celebrating Lunar New Year
Issue Date & City: February 5, 2016, Jamaica, NY, 11439
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: Kam Mak, Brooklyn, NY
Modeler: Michelle Finn/Sandra Lane
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 12
Print Quantity: 15 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS 872 Gold
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 0.84 in./36.07 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.98 in./39.62 x 24.89 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.24 x 5.92 in./183.90 x 150.37 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 21.97 x 11.97 in./ 558.04 x 303.91 mm
Plate Size: 144 stamps per revolution
Marginal Markings:
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Product Barcode (586500) • Promotional text

Updated January 13th: According to the USPS Events Calendar, the first-day ceremony will indeed be at St. John’s. It adds that the dedicating official will be Richard P. Uluski, USPS Area Vice President, Northeast Area. The ceremony will start at 11 a.m.

Updated December 27th: Linn’s Stamp News reports the first day will be Friday, February 5th at the D’Angelo Center of St. John’s University in New York City (Borough of Queens).

From the USPS August 20, 2015:
Celebrating Lunar New Year series (ninth of twelve)
FDOI: January (Year of the Monkey begins on February 8, 2016)
Format: Pane of 12

The issue commemorates the Year of the Monkey.

The stamp art features two bright reddish-orange peonies against a purple background. Peonies symbolize wealth and honor in Chinese culture and often decorate the sides of the traditional drums played during the holiday festivities.

The stamp design incorporates two elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps: the intricate cut-paper design of a monkey and the Chinese character for “monkey,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy.

Artist: Kam Mak
Artist/Paper-cut design: Clarence Lee (deceased)
Calligrapher: Lau Bun (deceased)
Art Director: Ethel Kessler