The Modern Age of Stamp Collecting

With a long history of philately (the correct term for stamp collecting!) in the Principality of Monaco, the museum of Stamps and Coins offers visitors the chance to discover a very different side to the history of the area.

Within the museum you will find the collections of the sovereign prince and the full chronology of currencies since 1641 and Monegasque stamps since 1885. There is also the chance to view some of the rarest and most expensive stamps in the world, some are even priceless.

"The stamps of the Principality of Monaco are highly sought after because the prints are proportional to the size of the country. They are limited compared to the prints of the major global postal administrations," says Magali Vercesi, the current Director of the Office of Postage Stamp Emissions.

"The Consultative Commission of Philatelic and Numismatic Collections of the Prince choose the topics that will be stamped."

In the past the Monaco Pavillion at the Milan World Expo and legendary F1 drivers such as Michele Alboreto and Graham Hill have been the subject of new stamp collection,. However this spring it will be the turn of the new Royals, the Crown Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella who will have a philatelic block to honour their birth in December 2014.