South Korea's postal service to sell Faker stamp cards, 507 in limited metal edition
In short
The Postal Service Headquarters under South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said on 22 October it will release three merchandise products to mark the commemorative stamp for esports player Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok). A metal stamp card is limited to 507 units. Sales start on 23 October.
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The Postal Service Headquarters of South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said on 22 October that it will release merchandise to mark the commemorative stamp for esports player Faker (페이커), whose name is Lee Sang-hyeok (이상혁). Asia Economy and Seoul Economic Daily said there are three products. They are a commemorative stamp card, a "My Own Stamp" (나만의 우표) and a "My Own Stamp Card" (나만의 우표카드). [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
The commemorative stamp card combines a stamp with a photo card and comes in a metal version and a regular version. The metal card is made with two types of 1,000-won commemorative stamps and is limited to 507 units. The regular card is a photo card carrying 8 of the 10 commemorative stamp designs, with the stamp on the front and Faker's photo and signature on the back. Newsis and Yonhap reported that the regular cards are sold at random. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
According to the outlets, the My Own Stamp is made so that Faker's records and the meaning of his challenges can be kept in stamp form. The My Own Stamp Card pairs a stamp made from a photo of the player with the in-game skin that matches the year the photo was taken. Asia Economy said the postal service explained that this links the player's path with his iconic in-game appearance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
The products go on sale from 23 October. They are sold at Seoul Central Post Office on weekdays and at the Stamp Museum on weekends. They are also sold for 10 days from 23 October at the League of Legends pop-up store at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil. Asia Economy and Newsis added that the commemorative stamp itself can be bought from 23 October at head post offices and the Internet Post Office. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Park In-hwan (박인환), head of the Postal Service Headquarters, said he hoped the merchandise would mark Faker's achievements and give younger people a new way to experience the appeal and culture of stamps, according to Asia Economy and Newsis. The documents do not give prices for the products. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The documents present the products as a way to mark the player's achievements and to draw younger people to stamps, in the words of the postal service head. They give no sales figures or prices, so the response is not yet known.
Key facts
- The Postal Service Headquarters of the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on 22 October three merchandise products tied to the Faker commemorative stamp. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The products are a commemorative stamp card, a "My Own Stamp" (나만의 우표) and a "My Own Stamp Card" (나만의 우표카드). [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The metal stamp card uses two types of 1,000-won commemorative stamps and is limited to 507 units. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The regular stamp card carries 8 of the 10 commemorative stamp designs on a photo card, with Faker's photo and signature on the back. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Sales begin on 23 October at Seoul Central Post Office on weekdays and the Stamp Museum on weekends. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The League of Legends pop-up store at Lotte World Mall in Jamsil sells the products for 10 days from 23 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The commemorative stamp itself goes on sale from 23 October at head post offices and the Internet Post Office. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The postal service said on 22 October it would release a stamp card, a My Own Stamp and a My Own Stamp Card to mark the Faker commemorative stamp. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The metal stamp card is a 507-unit limited edition made with two types of 1,000-won commemorative stamps. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Sales start on 23 October at Seoul Central Post Office (weekdays), the Stamp Museum (weekends) and the League of Legends pop-up store at Lotte World Mall for 10 days. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Prices of the products are not stated. None of the documents gives a price.
- How many regular stamp cards will be made is not stated. Only the metal edition has a stated quantity (507).
- Whether the regular cards are sold at random. Newsis and Yonhap say the regular cards are sold at random; the other two documents do not mention it.