An auction of precious stamps in central China's Henan Province bagged 6.22 million yuan (910,000 US dollars) on Sunday.

The 2009 World Stamp Exhibition kicks off in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, April 10, 2009. The 2009 World Stamp Exhibition was the first of the kind that all 84 members of the International Philatelic Federation took part in the exhibition. With 3,200 frames of stamp collections on display, the exhibition is the largest of its kind in history. [Xinhua]

A collection of 875 precious stamps were for auction on Sunday at the 2009 World Stamp Exhibition in Luoyang City, of which 725 were sold.

The auction, running from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., received more than 500 bids.

The very scarce 100 "Study Science from Childhood" souvenir sheet stamps, issued in China in 1979 and in original packing, received the highest bid, 638,400 yuan (about 93,882 US dollars).

The 2009 World Stamp Exhibition runs through April 10 to 16. Coming from more than 110 countries and regions, philately organizations have brought more than 3,200 framed stamp collections.

(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2009)