Category: Stamps

Last month, Singapore Post gave its customers a Freepost envelope, similar to a postage prepaid envelope. This means that the postage to any local address is free. This C5 sized envelope is valid for postage up to 40 grams. On the back, there are different advertisement designs featuring the services provided by Singapore Post. However, this envelope is no longer available to customers since the promotion is over. If you would like one, try requesting excess stocks from the counter staff.

Today’s new stamp issue features the anniversaries of four organisations: Housing & Development Board (HDB), People’s Association (PA), Singapore Customs (SC) and Singapore Scout Association (SSA). This year, HDB and PA are celebrating their 50th anniversary and are featured on the portrait 50c stamps, while SC and SSA turn 100 and are portrayed on the landscape $1 stamps.

The following is extracted from the information sheet provided by Singapore Post:

Housing & Development Board (HDB)

HDB, Singapore’s public housing authority, was established on 1 Feb 1960 as a statutory board, to tackle Singapore’s acute housing shortage. At that time, a large number of people were living in unhygienic, potentially hazardous slums and crowded squatter settlements. By 1965, the HDB had built over 50,000 flats to house the people. The work of the HDB has continued over the years; and Singapore has seen the unparalleled transition of slums and squatter housing to high-rise living in vibrant and sustainable towns. Today, 82% of Singapore’s resident population lives in HDB flats, with more than 95% of them owning their homes.

Beyond the provision of homes in comprehensively planned towns, the public housing programme has played a crucial role in strengthening social cohesion through policies and programmes that encourage different segments of the population to live harmoniously together. Various estate renewal programmes have also been implemented to bring the standard of the older towns to the new ones. As a result, the vibrancy of the towns, the urban landscape and the value of HDB flats have been enhanced for the benefit of many Singaporeans.

People’s Association

The People’s Association (PA) was set up on 1 July 1960, in the turbulent pre-independence period, marked by political upheaval and racial tensions. Its mission then, as it is today, is to foster social cohesion and racial harmony, to build a united and resilient nation. PA offers the common space and creates opportunities for people of different races and religions, from all walks of life, to come together to interact, make friends and bond.

From just 28 Community Centres in the beginning, the PA today offers a wide range of courses, programmes and activities, through its network of 105 Community Clubs, 550 Residents’ Committee Centres, Outward Bound Singapore and 8 Water-Venture outlets. The Community Development Councils, the National Youth Council, and the National Community Leadership Institute are also part of the PA family, together with a 28,000 strong corps of volunteer community leaders serving in 1,800 grassroots organisations.

PA will forge ahead to strengthen community spirit and engagement, in support of its mission of building and bridging communities to achieve one people, one Singapore.

Singapore Customs

The Customs department’s history dates back to the Straits Settlement period. Established in 1910 under the name Government Monopolies Department, the main role of the department then was to regulate the opium trade. Over the past 100 years, the department has gone through several organisational and name changes. In 2003, the department was re-constituted to become Singapore Customs (SC), with the mission of assuring the integrity of Singapore’s trading system and supporting Singapore as a global trade hub.

As the lead trade regulatory authority, SC is committed to advancing the economic development of Singapore by making trade easy, fair and secure. To fulfill this commitment, SC maintains an effective and robust regulatory regime that adapts quickly to the ever-changing business landscape. One example is the first supply chain security programme in Asia, Secure Trade Partnership (STP) launched by SC in 2007 to address the global concern about trade security. As a key revenue collection agency for Singapore, SC safeguards Government revenue and takes firm enforcement actions against those who attempt to evade duties and taxes by bringing in contraband goods.

Going forward, SC remains committed to be an active and valuable partner for the business community as well as providing excellent service to our customers. The agency will continue to strive to enhance Singapore’s global competitiveness and facilitate opportunities for economic growth from the many exciting challenges ahead.

Singapore Scout Association

In 1907, Lord Baden-Powell successfully experimented his ideas on Scouting for Boys at a camp on Brownsea Island in England and Scoutmaster Frank Cooper Sands from UK started Scouting in Singapore on 22 July 1910.

Currently, the Singapore Scout Association (SSA) is 10,000 strong and has been a member of the World Scout Bureau since 1966. There are about 900 Adult Volunteers who serve the movement with dedication and commitment in various positions in the organisation.

Grounded on time-proven values and practices, SSA seeks to remain relevant by preparing the members to meet ever-changing needs. The core values and practices include a culture of peace, developing socially committed members, inclusiveness and gender balance. They prepare the members to contribute to World Peace, people-to-people relations and racial harmony in the community. Above all, SSA exemplifies this by maintaining unity within the diversity of its membership.

With a mission and vision based on the Scout Promise and Law to contribute to the education of young people and to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society, and to provide quality scouting for more young members so as to remain relevant and attractive as one of the premier uniformed organisations, all these helped SSA to be directed to their motto of “Be Prepared”, and to work “Towards a new millennium in Scouting”.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner! A pair of lanterns has appeared on the cancellations by the C4 machine, encouraging everyone to post early. Delays in mail delivery are expected due to the larger volume of mail processed every day. From 21 January to 10 February 2010, letters which are randomly sorted for cancellation by the C4 machine will be postmarked with this festive slogan.

For some time, machines have been used the production of pre-cancelled first day covers. From the sticking of stamps to printing the cancellation, these processes have been automated. That also explains why the stamps are always in the correct position, straight and equally spaced. The cancellation is then printed on the stamps by a machine.

However, machines make mistakes, too. Recently, I have got a first day cover of the Singapore-Indonesia Joint Issue without any cancellation. This is the joint commemorative cover featuring stamps from both Singapore and Indonesia, on an envelope with a white background. Furthermore, the unstamped covers sold at post offices have a yellow background, which means that I did not paste the stamps myself.

The semi-mysterious C8 cancellation machine returns once again. It was previously mentioned that the C8 machine was used to cancel C4 sized (229 mm × 324 mm) envelopes containing printed matter. This is evident from the large number of C4 sized envelopes received over the past three years bearing the C8 cancellation mark.

However, it seems that the C8 cancellation went onto a recent C6 sized (114 mm × 162 mm) envelope, which is four times smaller. This cover is dated 2 January 2010.

As mentioned in the previous post, postage is comparatively more expensive in Australia. Sending a standard letter to Singapore costs A$1.45 (S$1.80), even though a 7-Eleven cashier claimed that it was $2.10, thinking that Singapore is a country in Europe. Postcards require A$1.40 worth of stamps.

However, it seems that one can send a letter out of Australia, at a fraction of the cost. In fact, letters affixed with 55 cents worth of postage were successfully sent and received. Surprisingly, there was no postage due label.

On Tuesday morning, this letter was dropped into a post box located one kilometre above sea level. I was in Katoomba, a town located in the city of Blue Mountains, 103 kilometres west of Sydney. Monday was a wet day, where clouds were so low that I was standing among them.

In Australia, there is only one post box for both domestic and international mail. The red post boxes are found all over the country. In Singapore, the sender has to drop his letter into the correct box, whether to Singapore or to other countries. The yellow post boxes are for express mail.

Arriving in my letter box on Friday afternoon, this letter was postmarked in Sydney West on Tuesday at 18:00. Three working days was all it took, despite possible delays during this festive season. I’m not suggesting that it is alright to underpay, but it’s good to know. Since I paid $2.10 each for all other letters (as recommended by the 7-Eleven cashier), it probably cancels out the underpayment.

While clearing away some things from the back of my cupboard, I came across a torn corner of an envelope postmarked 7 January 2009. It was not the date that caught my eye, but it was the cancellation machine number C10.

(Yes, it’s the classic story of finding treasures during spring cleaning.)

If you would take some time to observe the cancellations on recent mail items received, chances are that you would not be able to find one cancelled by the machine number C10. Supposedly, this cancellation machine is seldom used. Perhaps, it is only activated during festive seasons where a larger volume of mail is expected.

Unfortunately, this corner is somewhat stained by beverages and covered with a thin layer of dust. The bright white colour of the $1 machine printed label was also filled with dark spots. Well, at least the C10 mark can still be clearly seen! Just like the C8, the C10 cancellation machine is a dot matrix printer. However, the printed text appears to be slightly smaller.

Since the festive season is just around the corner, why not try your luck by sending some cards to your family and friends. Of course, if you have no idea who to send the cards to, you could always send one to me! Don’t forget to write your own address at the back of the envelope.