Post Boxes with Royal Cyphers in Straits Settlements & British Malaya

A Post box with the cypher Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, located in the Raffles Hotel Gift Shop

A Post box with the cypher Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, at the counter of the Singapore Philatelic Museum. This mail box is in working order ie post cards and mails can be posted via the box.

Note that the space under the mail slot in the middle of the box, would have indicated the "next collection" and the Details of the box ie Box number and collection times of the days for weekdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. During the old days, Saturdays would have been a weekday.

Post Boxes came in various shapes and sizes in the forms of Pillar Boxes and Letter Boxes. During the Straits Settlements and British Malaya period, the Post Boxes bore the Royal Cyphers of the reigning mornachy of the British Crown. The cipher or symbol will have the first letter of the Christian name of the King or Queen, with the second letter for Rex (King in Latin) or Regina (Queen in Latin).

Please see Times of Malaya for various designs of Post Boxes (labeled under Penang & Kuala Lumpur) for examples of Post Boxes with different ciphers indicating the various periods of the British Monarchy.

VR: Victoria Regina, 1837 – 1901

ERVII: Edward the 7^th Rex, 1901 – 1910

GR V: George 5^th Rex, 1910 – 1936

GRVI: George 6^th Rex, 1936 – 1952

ERII: Elizabeth 2^nd Regina, 1952 – Present

Post Boxes as Pillar Boxes was first built in 1852 on St Helier, Island of Jersey. “Post Office” was inscribed on the boxes as telephone and post boxes were under the General Post Offices.