This is one of the set of four stamps issued by the Singapore Post to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first use of stamps in Singapore. The stamps were released in conjunction with the inaugural opening of the World Stamp Championship, which was hosted by Singapore in 2004.Singapore’s postal services were managed by the British in the initial period of Singapore’s founding in the early 19th century, and as part of the Postal Department of the Federation of Malaya from 1949. The government of Singapore only assumed direct administration of postal functions following the nation’s independence in 1965. Restructuring undertaken in 1982 led to the merger of the Singapore Postal Services Department with the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (Telecoms). Telecoms was subsequently divided into three separate entities in 1992: a reconstituted Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (now part of the Info-communications Development Authority), Singapore Telecommunications Private Limited (now SingTel) and Singapore Post Private Limited. The latter became a public-listed company, Singapore Post Limited (SingPost), following its listing on the Singapore Exchange in 2003. Apart from its mail business, SingPost has also diversified into the logistics and retail sectors.
