#straits settlements

Singapore as a city-state was founded by Stamford Raffles in 1819 as a trading post for the British East India Company, having nominally been part of the Sultanate of Johor before that, and as such, under the control of the Dutch out of Malacca.  Shortly after Raffles’ imperial initiative, the British officially took control of Singapore, creating the Straits Settlements colony (which also included much of modern day Malaysia), a geopolitical entity that existed until after WWII (during which conflict Singapore was occupied by the Japanese - a terrible time).  In the post-WWII period, Singapore briefly joined Malaysia officially, in time to declare independence from Britain, and shortly after that declared independence from Malaysia also, establishing the Republic of Singapore in 1965.  Singapore is considered an Asian Tiger economy and ranks high in most positive statistics - including tying with Japan for having the number one passport in the world (a Singaporean passport will get you visa-free or visa-upon-arrival access to 189 countries and territories worldwide).  For fun, read (or watch) Crazy Rich Asians to get an idea about how the wealthy (old wealthy) Singaporean set lives.

Stamp details: Stamp on top: Issued on: September 1, 1948 From: Singapore, Crown Colony of Singapore MC #1

Middle stamp: Issued on: August 9, 1966 From: Singapore, Republic of Singapore MC #74

Stamp on bottom: Issued on: August 5, 2015 From: Singapore, Republic of Singapore MC #BL213

In 1862, the reverse side of the coins was changed to reflect the transfer of power from the British East India Company to the British Crown due to the Government of India Act of 1858 which led to the formation of the British Raj.

In accordance with the Government of India Act of 1858, the government of the Straits Settlements (Malaysia, Penang, Malacca, Singapore) was taken over from the East India Company by the British Crown through the British Raj in India.

To get things started, here are the first coins of the British East India Company to feature Queen Victoria’s effigy issued for use in the Straits Settlements.