From the U.S. Postal Service announcement on October 22, 2019:

In 2020, the Postal Service is launching its third Lunar New Year series with the issuance of the Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat Forever stamp. The Year of the Rat stamp will be the first of 12 stamps in the series. The Year of the Rat observance begins Jan. 25, 2020, and ends Feb. 11, 2021. Calling to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon dance often performed in Lunar New Year parades, this three-dimensional mask depicting a rat is a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk art crafts created during this time of year. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original artwork by Camille Chew.

Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent at the top.

This stamp will be issued Saturday, January 11, in Monterey Park, Calif.

January 22nd:

VSC member Mary here and “Israel Stamp Reviews” in The VSC’s Facebook Group correctly figured out that Camille Chew’s masks will comprise a series of 12 Lunar New Year Stamps. “The silhouettes of the masks are included on the selvage design,” USPS spokesman Roy Betts tells us. Here’s a look at the entire sheet… and here are just the 12 masks, taken from the selvage to make them easier to see.

December 20th: Here are the first day cancels for this issue:

The DCP measures 2.29″ x 1.43″ The B&W pictorial measures 2.62″ x 1.22″

December 19th: From the Postal Bulletin

On January 11, 2020, in Monterey Park, CA, the United States Postal Service will issue the Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat stamp (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 475600). The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 11, 2020, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

In 2020, the United States Postal Service will issue the first of 12 stamps in its third Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Rat begins January 25, 2020, and ends on February 11, 2021. Calling to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon dance often performed in Lunar New Year parades, this three-dimensional mask depicting a rat is a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk art crafts created during this auspicious time of year. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original artwork by Camille Chew.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 475600, Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Pane of 20 Stamps
Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

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 May 11, 2020.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat Stamp
Item Number: 475600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Lunar New Year
Issue Date & City: January 11, 2020, Monterey Park, CA 91754
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Artist: Camille Chew, Providence, RI
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Foil Stamping, Flexographic, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Gallus RCS
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 24,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Pantone 7579 Orange, Pantone 7563 Brown, Gold Foil Luxor MTS 413 Gold
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./ 21.336 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.892 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.25 x 8.5 in./184.15 x 215.9 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 14.5 x 18.25 in./368.3 x 463.55 mm
Plate Size: 80 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by six (6) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2019 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (475600) • Plate position diagram (4) • Promotional text

Updated December 11th:

[press release]
Stamp of New Beginnings
USPS to Issue Lunar New Year Forever Stamp Celebrating Year of the Rat

WHAT: The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the Lunar New Year with the release of the Year of the Rat Forever stamp. The Year of the Rat begins Jan. 25, 2020, and ends Feb. 11, 2021.

The stamp features a rat mask that calls to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon dance, a hallmark of Lunar New Year parades. The mask is mostly blue, which is said to be one of the lucky colors for individuals born during the Year of the Rat, and incorporates elements with symbolic meaning. Several of the patterns were created with the style of Asian textiles, and the circle in the center of the rat’s head represents the new moon on which the Lunar New Year begins. The yellow motif atop the rat’s head, similar to a crown, highlights the importance of the animal’s position as the first of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the lunar calendar. A pop of red, another lucky color, ties the design to other common celebratory decorations.

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original artwork by Camille Chew.

News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #LunarNewYear.

WHO: Luke Grossmann, senior vice president of finance and strategy, stamp ceremony’s dedicating official, U.S. Postal Service.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, 11 a.m. PST

WHERE: Lunar New Year Festival
Garvey Avenue, between Garfield and Alhambra avenues
Monterey Park, CA 91754

RSVP: The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not necessary.

BACKGROUND:
Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the year for many Asian communities around the world and is primarily celebrated by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Malaysian and Filipino heritage.

Known as Tet in Vietnam and the Spring Festival in China and elsewhere, Lunar New Year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice and historically marks the arrival of spring. In communities across the United States, people shop for food and other supplies, hang decorations and ceremonially clean their homes and streets to welcome the new year with a fresh start. Filled with symbolic meaning, the colors red and gold appear everywhere during this auspicious time of year. Red is considered very lucky, while gold is said to bring wealth.

Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. Information on ordering first-day-of-issue postmarks and covers is at usps.com/shopstamps under “Collectors.”