8,000 philately passports sold in a matter of few hours across Karnataka
The Karnataka Postal Circle sold out 8,000 philately passports across four cities within two days. High demand led to long queues and crowd management by local police.
Why it matters
Demonstrates the enduring popularity of niche hobbies and physical collectibles in an increasingly digital age.
A few hours after the Karnataka Postal Circle launched a new set of Philately Passports for sale on October 10 and 11, all the 8,000 passports in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi were sold out fast. While Bengaluru sold 3,000 passports, 1,500 each were sold in three districts in two days.
According to the Karnataka Postal Circle officials, travel enthusiasts, philatelists and others lined up in queues of several hundred metres long as early as 2 a.m. on Sunday (October 11, 2026). Police personnel installed barricades around the General Post Office (GPO) in Bengaluru and guarded the place to prevent any untoward incident. People also brought speakers, played music and danced to vile away their time while waiting in the queue.
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