Singapore Philatelic Museum - A House of Stamps For Nostalgia-Minded Stamp Collectors

I was a stamp collector when i was a kid. Got my collection from the letters that my family received, though on only a small scale. My father told me that during their old days, stamp collection is a form of savings. Buy stamps whenever you have spare and once your stamp book is full, you can exchange it for cash. Now that emails have somewhat taken over snail mails, we don't really get to see many stamps around. I still remember how stamp collecting was a hobby for many when I was in primary school. All of us would have stamp albums and we'd enjoy swapping stamps with each other. I like the artwork on stamps, especially the commemorative issues.

Singapore has been pumping in top dollar into heritage conservation, in a bid to build up a sense of identity, and foster a strong sense of community spirit. Our museums are being heavily promoted by the National Heritage Board. I've been wanting to visit the Singapore Philatelic Museum for a while, and i have finally managed to do so recently.

Singapore Philatelic Museum opened its door to the public with a mission to stimulate interest in stamps and promote the awareness and appreciation of Singapore's history and heritage. The collection in the museum is ranges from stamps and archival philatelic material of Singapore from the 1830s to present day. Apart from the local stamps, it also offers a wide array of stamps from around the world. Time was well-spent at the museum by injecting myself with loads of Singapore’s history. 

It is also a museum showcasing stamps collected from the past few decades, many of which are commemorative by nature, offering a window to the past and for some, it will bring back childhood memories.

This museum is a treat for both stamp and non-stamp collectors. The collectors will be enchanted with the fine collection of stamps, local and international and even the first day covers. For non-collectors, the museum is a showcase for the rich and enduring traditions and cultures of multi-ethnic Singapore captured on stamps, postcards and visuals.

The museum’s souvenir store located near the entrance sells all sort of item related to stamps which include stamp folios, postcards, replica post boxes, book publications and many more. 

Stamps are miniature pieces of art featuring significant events, history and heritage of a country.

Here are the jargon used in philately. For example, Se-tenant, a French word which means “joined together” are stamps that are printed from the same plate and sheet and adjoin one another.

You would be able to find out the history of stamps and there were a few interactive items where you could see how people tried to cheat the system by changing the value of a stamp.

Singapore Philatelic Museum is a nice little museum to gain a little bit more knowledge on Singapore's history and postal stamps.

This place showed the old items that were used by the postage service from the mail box to their mail sorting shelf.

Other than a good collection of stamps, they also had on display old post boxes and postman scooters. 

For those who are not familiar with that logo - Singapore Telecoms in 1990s (Now Singtel).

You would see all the different stages that went into the making of a new series of stamps and also be introduced to some of the artists behind our stamps.

There is the red post box donated by Hong Kong Post Office after the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Each Post box weights 400 kg, so i doubt one can actually move it anywhere without help.

Lamp Posting Box was designed to be attached to street lamps, walls and poles. This posting box was used in Singapore during the reign of King George VI.

Royal Mail Chute. This is pretty interesting. The chute allows letters from the upper floor to be dropped into the collection box at the base. The postman would pick up the letters from the collection boxes instead of having to go each floor.

Miniature post boxes.

The Singapore Philatelic Museum is indeed quite an educational attraction. There are a lot of panels and information about the stamp-making process, the development of such technologies, among others. Best of all, the huge collection allows you to peer into the recent past and see what symbols Singapore used to represent itself in each of the past four decades.

I am enchanted with the fine local and international collection of stamps in the Singapore Philatelic museum. I hate to admit that in the recent years, i am starting to miss snail mail and always very delighted when i received postcards from someone. The old telecom motorbike, old mail boxes and post office paraphernalia sure bring back many memories of mine and i am sure for many of others too. With the advancement of technology, stamps are becoming even rare.Therefore, a visit to this museum is really worthy. This is definitely worth a visit!