Rare chinese stamps of Chinese zodiac "Golden Monkey" auctioned for 1.2 million RMB

NANJING, Jan.5 (Xinhua) - A complete sheet of 80 Chinese zodiac "Golden Monkey" stamps was bid for 1.2 million yuan on Wednesday at an auction in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province.

At the 2011 Suzhou Auction for Rare Stamps, the sheet of "Golden Monkey" stamps with complete paper margins and no folding marks set a new record for the sale of the "Golden Monkey" sheet.

Further, a single monkey stamp also set a record, selling for 10,000 yuan, which was 125,000 times more than its original price of 8 fen.

Since 1980, China has issued annually the animal year stamp to commemorate the 12 Chinese astrological animals signs. The "Golden Monkey" stamps were released in 1980 and were the first of this kind.

Five million "Golden Monkey" stamps were released for circulation in 1980. Except for the massive pieces being used then, there are few that can still be found.

In recent years, Chinese zodiac stamps have become increasingly popular among stamp collectors. The 1980 "Golden Monkey" garnered much attention among buyers.

Source:  http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-01/05/c_13678008.htm