Singapore, a vibrant island nation in Southeast Asia, boasts a rich history that is beautifully encapsulated in its postage stamps. These miniature works of art have not only served as a means of sending mail but have also become significant cultural artifacts that reflect Singapore's journey from a British colony to a thriving modern metropolis. In this article, we will delve into the captivating history of Singapore postage stamps, exploring their evolution, notable designs, and their enduring appeal to collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. 1. Colonial Era and Early Stamps: The first posta ..read more

Postage stamps depict history in a variety of ways. They may feature images of important historical figures, such as presidents or monarchs, or depict important events or landmarks. Some stamps also commemorate anniversaries or special occasions, such as the founding of a country or the birth of a notable person. Additionally, stamps can also be used to highlight aspects of a country's culture or heritage, such as traditional costumes or natural wonders. In general, stamps are a form of visual storytelling that can be used to educate people about the past and present of a country ..read more

It's been a long time since I last posted or even looked at my postage stamps.  One year perhaps?  Have been too busy and tied down with so many other things/engagements that I haven't really had a time to pursue this "hobby" of stamp collecting. Hope to be able to update soon on some of my new acquisitions via Ebay. Hope all stamps collectors out there are having a rolling good time ..read more

After staying off my hobby for some time, my passion has been reignited again.  I just bought a straits settlements stamp for $25 over Ebay.  Not certain whether it is a wise purchase or not since it could be an impulse buy ..read more

Most stamp collectors are perhaps familiar with the term philately.  Right at the start, when stamp collecting as a hobby was picking up, there were actually all sorts of terms used.  The term philately was actually invented by a French stamp collector named Herpin.  He used the term in a French magazine and the term stuck with the public and became the widely used term to describe stamp collecting. The origin of this term comes from the Greek expression philo (I love) and atelos(exempt from tax).  There was actually some discussion and debate on whether the correct term u ..read more

In the past, young runners who could run fast were chosen to become messengers.  In ancient Greece, these runners were called Hemerodromes.  They were often able to cover long distances in relatively short time.  The most famous of these Hemerodromes was perhaps the Greek messenger called Marathon.  As most people know, he was the one who covered the distance to Athens in such a short time that he collapsed shortly after delivering his message. Ever since the written word was used as a form of communication, these messengers were relied upon to carry both good news and bad ..read more

I wrote some time back about knowing your limits when buying stamps.  Essentially, every stamp collector comes to a point in time when they realise that they do not have enough money to buy stamps to improve their collection. I am sadly disappointed this weekend when I realised that SingPost had stopped selling some 2009 Singapore stamps which I have yet to purchased for my stamp collection.  Buying them off Ebay will definitely be more expensive. It makes me wonder whether I should set aside a budget each month to buy stamps ..read more

The Straits Settlements was actually a group of territories in Southeast Asia established in 1826 under the British East India Company.  In 1867, it became a crown colony and came under direct British control.  While Indian stamps were used prior to 1867, with the status of it becoming a crown colony, new stamps had to be issued.  In the interim however, stamps of India overprinted with a crown and the stamp value of "cents" instead of "annas" was used. In a sense, these can be considered the first official postage stamps that were distinctively "created" for the Straits Settlem ..read more

I wrote about where to buy stamps some time back. In that post, I explored the various options on where one could buy your normal postage stamps (for your snail mail) and also for collectors.  I have been using mainly Ebay for a long time now and have always felt comfortable with it.  But then, I realised that it was hard to get some of the stamps that I was looking for. Recently, a reader told me about 2 other auction sites that uses an auction method just like Ebay. They are : BidStart DelCampe I must say that I was pretty surprised to find these 2 auction sites because I manag ..read more

Part of my senseless buying rampage of stamps over Ebay includes the purchase of these fiscally used stamps featuring two beautiful judicial cancellations on a King George V 25 cents, $1 and $2 stamps.  It seems that there were holes punched into these stamps too to render them used.  Since these stamps were used as revenue stamps, they are really quite worthless in the philatelic sense but people still do purchase them off Ebay.  I think the beauty of them really lies in the judicial cancellation ..read more