Chance to See the "Mona Lisa of Stamps" at COEX Next Month

Next month, the World Stamp Exhibition will be held at COEX in Seoul.

The Korea Post Headquarters (hereafter referred to as Korea Post) announced on the 25th that it will host the 'World Stamp Exhibition Philakorea 2025' from the 17th to the 21st of next month at COEX and Magok in Seoul.

The '1 Cent Magenta' stamp will be publicly exhibited at the 'World Stamp Exhibition Philakorea 2025' from the 17th to the 21st of next month. Provided by the Korea Post Headquarters

The exhibition is held every ten years to promote the history and culture of each country through stamps and to expand exchanges between nations.

Notably, this year's exhibition will feature the '1 Cent Magenta' stamp, considered the most expensive stamp in the world, on public display in Korea for the first time.

This stamp was issued in 1856 by the postmaster of British Guiana (now Guyana) as a provisional stamp during a storm when regular stamps could not be supplied. Only one copy remains today, making it extremely rare and valuable.

At a Sotheby's auction in New York in 2021, the stamp was sold for $8.3 million (equivalent to 11.5 billion won at the time), becoming the most expensive stamp in the world. The 1 Cent Magenta is also nicknamed the "Mona Lisa of the stamp world."

At the exhibition, visitors will also be able to see many other rare stamps, including Korea's first issued stamp, the "Moonwi Stamp," some of which are valued at several hundred million won.

Korea Post stated that visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to experience the historical significance and rarity of each stamp while also enjoying the global "philatelic culture."

The exhibition will showcase a total of about 200,000 outstanding stamp works from 65 countries, including the "1 Cent Magenta" and the "Moonwi Stamp."

Cho Haekeun, head of Korea Post Headquarters, said, "The exhibition is an international event that facilitates the exchange of world history and culture through stamps. We hope that this exhibition will shed new light on the value of stamps and provide more opportunities for people to enjoy culture in their daily lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.