Self-adhesive postage labels (or framas) were launched here in 1988. Singapore is the only country in the world to offer such postage labels dispensed from vending machines. Four new designs have been introduced to date, the latest featuring Haw Par Villa (see page 10). These labels appeal to both local and overseas collectors. This issue, we feature an article on our postage labels written by a foreign columnist, Sel Pfeffer. The article is reproduced from the January 1991 issue of Stamp News Australasia, a magazine which has a wide circulation covering more than 60 countries. Mr Pfeffer has written several articles on framas.
Singapore Framas are very collectable. Apart from a few European countries, no other country uses their Framas as extensively as Singapore. In comparison to its small population of over 2,000,000, it probably has more machines in use than anywhere else. SINGPEX had a special dedicated cliche (machine number) - No. 50 and the usual 16 set, from 5¢ to $2 is available. At last count, they had 47 machines in use. Unlike Australia's, their machines have been installed in strict numerical order - there are no missing numbers.
GPO cliche numbers are No. 1 - downstairs at street level, and No. 31 upstairs in the main chamber. The new Framas, or postage labels, as they call them, for No. 1 and No. 31 have a new attractive design of the GPO building - very different from the first Telecom series and second Lion's Head series. This latter series is still in use everywhere except the two GPO machines. The new paper will phase into other machines during 1991. These Framas are self adhesive, similar to our popular peel-n-stick definitive stamps.
