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The Postage Stamps Of BRUNEI  
 
History of Brunei Stamps
 
INTRODUCTION
 
The earlier known use of a postage stamp in Brunei is one bearing a Brooketon postmark of 24 April 1894: this is a Sarawak stamp used at a small post office which was established sometime in 1893 for the coal-mining community at Rajah Brooke’s colliery at Brooketon (Muara). This post office, run by the Sawarak Government, operates a monthly mail service to and from Kuching until early 1907; and copies of Sawarak stamps bearing Brooketon cancellations are known throughout this period.

The manager of the Central Borneo Company of Labuan, one John Robertson, obtained a concession in 1984 from Sultan Hashim to operate a postal service in Brunei Town (Bandar Seri Begawan) and to issue postage stamps: the Sultan to receive all revenues from the sale of stamps in Brunei and Robertson to have the monopoly on the sale of the stamps outside the State.
 
The 1895 Issue
 
The post office was opened, it is believed, on 22 July 1895 and a set of 10 stamps, which had been printed in Glasgow by the firm Maclure Macdonald, was placed on sale. These stamps were printed on unwatermarked paper with 14 gauge line perforations, with the values in British Trade dollars (then in circulation in Brunei).
 
1/2 cents
brown
8 cents
purple
1 cents
magenta
10 cents
vermilion
2 cents
black
25 cents
turquoise
3 cents
blue
50 cents
pale green
5 cents
blue-green
$1.00
olive green
 
It is known that more than 300 covers were posted on 22 July 1895 but very few commercially used covers appear o have survived. As Brunei was either a member of the Universal Postal Union or the Straits Settlements Postal Union these stamps were only valid for use within the State of Brunei: the mail service out of the State was through Labuan, and all letters beyond Labuan has to be additionally franked with Labuan stamps. Very little is known about the postal service of this period, and the last recorded cover is one addressed to England dated 17 October 1902.
 
Provisional Stamps Issue of 1906
 
A government postal service was set up in 1906 with the appointed of a British Residents; and Brunei was admitted to the Straits Settlements Postal Union. A supply of stamps was ordered fro Britain but, as delivery was delayed, a quantity of Labuan stamps were overprinted and surcharged for use in Brunei.

It was convenient that Labuan was to be incorporated into the Straits Settlements with effect from 1 January 1907 and all surplus Labuan stamps were to be overprinted for use in the Straits Settlements. As an interim measure some were withdrawn for overprinting and use in Brunei: the overprinting was done by the Straits Settlements government printer in Singapore.

The new government post office was opened on 11 October 1906 (as part pf the Custom House) and the limited provisional issue of stamps was provided for use until the new stamps arrived from London.

Only five values of the Labuan stamps were used for Brunei but, by surcharging four of these values, twelve denominations in all were obtained. The overprinting was in red as in type 1 below; and surcharging, also in red, was in type 2 except that the 25 cents provisional was surcharging as in type 3.
 
1 cents
black & purple
8 cents
black & vermilion
2c on 3c.
black & sepia
10c. on 16c.
green & brown
2c on 8c.
black & vermilion
25c.on 16c.
green & brown
3cents black & sepi
30c.on 16c.
green & brown
4c. on 12c.
black & yellow
50c.on 16c.
green & brown
5c on 16c.
 green & brown $1.00 on 16c. green & brown
 
There are four varieties in this issue, all of which are very scarce items. The 1c. with overprint in black instead of red is currently priced in Gibbons catalogue at £200. The 2c. on 3c. is known with a double overprint, also with a missing surcharge; and se-tenant pairs (one variety, one normal) are both priced at £750. The 2c. on 8c. is known with the surcharge missing and this priced at £400.
 
 1907 Brunei River Stamps
 
The new stamps were received early in 1907. They were printed on watermarked paper (multiple Crown CA) by Thomas De La Rue and Co., Ltd., London and it is interesting to note that the same general design featuring a typical Brunei river scene was used for the next 45 years.
 
1c.
pale green and grey-black
8c.
orange and grey-black
2c.
scarlet and grey-black
10c.
deep green and grey-black
3c.
chocolate and grey-black
25c.
ochre-brown and pale blue
4c.
mauve and grey-black
50c.
black and violet
5c.
blue and grey-black
$1.00.
grey and red
 
Watermark varieties exist in this issue with the watermark reversed in the 1c., 2c., 3c., and 5c. and with it inverted in the 4c.

The stamps were printed from two plates and there are many re-entries and re-touches in both plates which are of great interest to serious collectors.

The perforation gauge for this issue was 14 and there are no great varieties.

The values were expressed in Straits dollars.