Stampede Philately

  Here’s to wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! Hope 2022 would be a better year for philately, I am excited to think of what new stamps I may be getting this year.   Also, I was fortunate enough to witness a spectacular display of fireworks at my neighbourhood during the countdown yesterday, have a look at the video and enjoy. All the best for the year ahead!

Merry Christmas, everyone!  A few days ago, I met up with a couple of friends for a pre-Xmas dinner and we had loads of fun catching up over awesome food and drink. After we have had our desserts, I showed them the stamps that I have bought earlier in the afternoon before we met up. One of them decided to test his new iPhone 13’s macro capabilities and the results turned out to be rather spectacular.  Here’s the first stamp shot with macro mode to demonstrate that stamps are a miniature work of art. Just follow this format to avoid confusion, I will first post the entire stamp to show you how it looks like, then followed by the macro shots for you to compare. All macro photos are taken by Dave Ng.

A cover made by Punggol Stamp Club. An interesting cover I found bearing the letters M.P.O.I. on their postmarks which means that this cover was cancelled on a mobile post office. Mobile post offices were first used in 1955 to serve remote areas of the community in Singapore without a post office. They travelled on a fixed route and timing, so people would know when to send their mail. These mobile post offices also accepted parcels, sold stamps and postal stationery. The mobile post office service ended in the 1980s, when more and more standing post offices were available to serve the public. On the back of the cover, there is a faint postmark that reads “Kallang Basin”. Mail collected by a MPO, sent to delivery office at Kallang Basin Post Office.  Mobile post office vans serving at remote residential areas. Image source: National Archives of Singapore Opening of a new post office at Kallang Basin in April 1974 to serve the postal needs of residents. Image source: Ministry of Inf...

A kind soul by the username of u/tarkaleancondor was giving out stamps unconditionally on Reddit last month and I happened by chance to stumble upon the post she had created to do that. There were already many people who had requested stamps from her in that post. So, I wasn’t sure if she had any left. I tried my luck and dropped her a private message and to my astonishment, she still had plenty left to give away! After a quick exchange of pleasantries, I gave her my mailing address, thanked her profusely and waited eagerly for the stamps to arrive. After consolidating everyone’s requests. The stamps took about 2 weeks to reach me in Singapore from The USA.  It finally arrived! Awesome handwriting. A pretty sticker securing the back of the envelope. Checked my mailbox yesterday and saw this small envelope inside waiting for me. I was so happy to receive it, it was like an early Christmas present! I rushed home, filled with excitement from wanting to see what was inside this small p...

Do take note that SingPost will be issuing new International Reply Coupons starting on the 20 Dec 2021. The International Reply Coupons are intended to provide a means of prepayment for replies by post. These coupons may be exchanged in any country of the Universal Postal Union for a stamp or stamps representing the minimum postage applicable for an unregistered letter to any country by airmail. Selling Price and Exchange Value The selling price for an International Reply Coupon at Singapore Post Offices is at $2.50. The International Reply Coupons presented at Singapore Post Offices will be exchanged for stamps amounting to $1.40. International Reply Coupons issued have expiry dates printed on them. Refer to the front of the coupons for the expiry date. Information from SingPost Update (20/12/21) What the new IRC looks like. What the previous IRC looks like. Image credit: Eddie Yong