Stamp Collectors Gather at Major International Show in NYC

— -- For die-hard stamp collectors, New York City is the center of the universe for the next seven days.

The city is hosting the World Stamp Show-NY 2016, a major international event for philatelists that is held only once every 10 years, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The last time an international stamp show took place in NYC was 1956.

The event kicked off Saturday and will run through June 4.

According to its website, the World Stamp Show will feature more than 150 stamp dealers and 50 postal bureaus, including the United States Postal Service and the United Nations Postal Administration.

It is estimated that 250,000 people will attend the eight-day event.

Several new U.S. commemorative stamps are scheduled to be issued for the first time at the show throughout the week, including "View of Our Planets," "Colorful Celebrations," and "National Parks."

Among the show highlights are displays of the 1856 British Guiana 1-cent magenta stamp, which sold at auction in 2015 for $9.5 million--and rock legend John Lennon's stamp collection, which he started when he was a child.

The World Stamp Show-NY 2016 is free and open to the public.