Goguryeo Era Gold Staps Record Prices In Auctions In Hong Kong

Auctioned gold stamps. (Source: China Guardian)

JAKARTA - A gold stamp, believed to have originated in the Korean ancient Goguryeo Kingdom (37 SM-668 AD), sold for an astonishing price of around 1.39 million US dollars (IDR 23,440,751,500) in a major auction in Hong Kong.

This number far exceeds its pre-sale forecast of more than nine times, making it a new record for the price of ancient stamps.

The gold stamp with a horse-shaped kenop was auctioned in the Chinese Guardian's spring auction in Hong Kong 2025, titled "Important Private Asian Collection of Ancient Seals and Bronzes" last week.

Initially, the estimated price ranged from 153,800 US dollars to 282,100 US dollars. But finally got a much higher final offer.

The 2.8-centimeter-high and 88-gram-weighted rally has a Chinese inscription that reads, "Marquis of Guiyi of Goguryeo, awarded by the Jin Dynasty."

According to Park Dae-jae, professor of Korean history at the University of Korea, these words show the Jin China Dynasty may use the provision of official stamps as a diplomatic strategy to win or strengthen relations with neighboring countries such as Goguryeo, which provides insight into the political and diplomatic dynamics of early East Asia.

Although the record-breaking sales invite excitement, it also raises concerns among academics. Professor Park expressed mixed feelings in response to the results.

"From what I understand, several Korean institutions have shown interest in the work. However, they cannot actively participate in auctions because of their high prices and questions about their authenticity," Park said, launching The Korea Times April 7.

"Nevertheless, this is the first gold stamp known to be linked to Goguryeo and may prompt more such artifacts to appear in the art market or at the upcoming auction," he added.

Park noted, if it is genuine, this artifact is very valuable in helping to understand the ancient diplomatic relations between Korea and China.

"I just hope the scholars can learn it more carefully. However, if this object falls into the hands of a private collector and from what I know, the buyer is not Korean that opportunity may be lost," he said.