Brunei Postal Service Department

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The Postage Stamps Of BRUNEI

History of Brunei Stamps

1908-1920 Colour Changes and New Values

Although Brunei did not become a member state of the Universal Postal Union until 1916, there were changes in colours of stamps made to conform with the colour scheme prescribed by the Universal Postal Union. Colours of the 1c., 3c., and 8c. were changed to green, red and blue respectively, for these were the colours recognized for the unit-weight levels for postage on printed papers, postcards and letters in the foreign post. The change for these three stamps necessitated change for the 2c. stamp which became black and brown, and for the 5c. which was now orange.

In addition to the U.P.U colour scheme changes there were other made to conform with a British colonial colour scheme of the period in which equivalent values were printed in certain prescribed colours. And Brunei stamps came into line with colours which corresponded to their counterparts under Straits Settlements listings, and to other British colonies.

The 1c., 3c., and 4c. values were printed in single colours although initially the 1c. and 3c. were printed from double plates. Colored papers were used for the first time, and the 10c. and 5c., and the three dollar values were printed on coloured papers: although the $5 and $25 appeared in single colours they were printed from double plates.

1 cents	green (1908)*	8 cents	ultramarine (1916)
1 cents	green (1911)	25 cents	turquoise
2 cents	black and brown (1911)	50 cents	pale green
3 cents	scarlet (1908)*	10 cents	purple on yellow paper (1912)
3 cents	scarlet (1911).	25 cents	deep lilac (1912)
4 cents	claret (1912)	30 cents	purple and orange (1912)
5 cents	black and orange (1908)	50 cents	black on green paper (1912)
5 cents	orange (1916)	$1.00	black and red on blue paper (1912)
8 cents	blue and indigo (1908)	$5.00	carmine on green paper (1908)*
		$25.00	black on red paper (1908)*

All were printed by De La Rue on multiple Crown CA watermarked paper with 14 gauge perforations. The asterisk against the above list indicates those stamps which were printed from border and vignette plates.

1924-37 Issues

In 1924 the watermarked paper on which the stamps were printed was changed to multiple Crown Script CA: but it was not until 1931 that the 25c., 30c., 50c., and $1 values appeared with the new watermark.

There were minor changes in perforation gauge (13.75 and 14.25 instead of 14) and some sheets appeared with line and some with comb perforations.

Also, from 1931 onwards the format of the sheets of stamps was changed from 60 in five rows of twelve to 50 with five rows of 10.

There were two new values added in 1924, 6c. and 12c. were to meet increased postal rates for printed papers, postcards and letters in the foreign post; and this necessitated changes in colours of other values.

1 cents	black (1926)	6 cents	black (1924)
2 cents	brown (1924)	8 cents	ultramarine (1927)
2 cents	green (1933)	8 cents	grey (1933)
3 cents	green (1924)	10 cents	purple on yellow paper (1937)
4 cents	maroon (1924)	12 cents	blue (1924)
4 cents	orange (1929)	25 cents	slate-purple (1931)
5 cents	orange (1924)	30 cents	purple and orange-yellow (1931)
5 cents	grey (1931)	50 cents	black on emerald paper (1931)
5 cents	brown (1933)	$1.00	black and red on blue paper (1931)

the design of the 6c. and 12c. values which appeared in March 1924 featured a panoramic view of Kampong Ayer in a horizontal format.

1924-45 Japanese Occupation Issue

From December 1941 Brunei was under Japanese Military Occupation during which period Brunei stamps were still used though they were cancelled with Japanese-pattern handstruck chops.

Late in 1941 four stamps values had been received in changed colours, and at the time of the Japanese Occupation they were still unissued. These were:

2 cents	orange	8 cents	red
6 cents	greenish-grey	15 cents	ultramarine

Stock of these four values and other of the 1924-37 series (and the $5 and $10 values of the 1908-12 series) were overprinted in Kanji characters - - - - (Imperial Japanese Government). A few of the four values received in 1941 are known o have been issued without the Japanese overprints: and these are scarce items. .

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