Date of Issue : 1 Sep 2017
Postmark : Singapore
Denomination : 1st Local, 2nd Local, 60c, 70c and S$1.30
Stamp Size : 40 mm x 40 mm
Paper : Unwatermarked
Printing Process : Offset Lithography
2017 is a special year in remembering and appreciating the history of postage stamps of Singapore. Under the British colonial rule, Singapore, Penang and Malacca were then collectively known as the Straits Settlements, controlled by the British East India Company prior to 1 Apr 1867. The Settlements later became the British Crown colony on 1 Apr 1867, and came under direct British control. In conjunction with this new status, the British authorities introduced the Straits Settlements currency of Dollars and Cents denominations to displace the widely used Indian Rupee currency. It was also considered appropriate that new stamps be introduced denominated in the new currency. On 1 Sep 1867, stamps of India overprinted with a crown and various postage rates were released, becoming the first postage stamps of the Straits Settlements. To commemorate the first postage stamp issued in Singapore, this stamp issue is released exactly 150 years to the day the first stamps were launched.