Curious and collectors: the first buyers of the stamps of Pope Leo XIV

One of the customs of the pilgrims traveling to Rome is to pass through the Vatican post, the Post Office of the Holy See located in the Plaza de San Pedro, to send a letter with a seal that carries the face of the Pontiff.

Today, May 27, 2025, it is a special day and there is a lot of tail. This morning the new stamps have been put on sale with the image of Pope Leo XIV.

One of the first to buy the new stamps has been Hugo, a young Canadian seminarian who visits Rome with a group: “We were lucky to see the White Smay here in the Plaza de San Pedro when she was chosen a few days ago. It was a pleasant surprise and today she wanted to buy her stamps,” he told Aci Press.

Bursa and Tom are a couple of Americans who have made Rome the last stop of a long journey through Europe:

While selecting some postcards that you will send home, Tom chooses one of the stamps with the portrait of Pope Leo XIV and comments: “It seems happy because he smiles.”

There is also a young man from China who sends a postcard to his mother.

Behind the postal service counter, there is Laura, one of the employees, who shares with ACI Press the high demand they have experienced since the choice of Pope Leo XIV.

“From the next day he was chosen, many people came who wanted to buy the stamps. But, not having the official photos of the Vatican, it was a bit difficult,” he says.

Next to him, Giorgio serves customers who ask him to stamp manually, with cancellation matsellos, the new postal stamps issued – in this case, those dedicated to Pope Leo XIV. This cancellation commemorates the day of emissionthat is, the official exit day of the seal.

The image of the Matasellos, which not only invalidates the postal use of the seal, but makes it a unique collection piece, linked to the exact date of its broadcast, shows Leo XIV greeting after Regina Coeli on May 11.

“This type of matsellos is especially valued by the philatelists, since it certifies the authenticity and historical context of the seal, making it a commemorative memory of the beginning of Pontified Pope Leo XIV,” he explains.

The Vatican Post Offices have been filled with pilgrims who did not want to miss the opportunity to send a postcard with the stamp of Pope Leo XI.

The series that the Vatican has launched this Tuesday, dedicated to the beginning of the Pontificate of Leo XIV, consists of four stamps.

The first two, a seal of 1.25 euros and another of 2.45 euros shows the pontiff while greeting the faithful from the central lodge of the Basilica of San Pedro after their choice. While the values ​​of 1.30 and 3.20 euros reproduce two moments of the Missa Pro Ecclesia on May 9 in the Sistine Chapel with the cardinals.