Description: The stamp utilizes a horizontal rectangular format featuring a detailed violet-purple engraving of a historic regional boat. A traditional twin-masted native vessel, likely a Malay kolek or trading prahu, sails forward with its unique curved canvas sails billowing to the right. The upper-left corner displays a youthful portrait of Queen Elizabeth II enclosed within an oval border topped by the St. Edward’s Crown. The upper-right quadrant contains the face value denomination "10 CENTS" in clean, white sans-serif lettering. Running along the bottom base, the geographical designation "SINGAPORE MALAYA" is presented in crisp, uniform block typography. A large, dark horizontal slogan postmark sweeps directly across the lower third of the design, confirming its history in the colonial mail service.
Circa: 1955-1963
Condition: Used - Hinged
Notes:
This 10 Cent value belongs to the same popular 1955 Queen Elizabeth II pictorial definitive series as the previously reviewed 1 Cent Chinese sampan issue. The design captures the unique maritime synthesis of the region, showcasing a vessel specifically engineered to navigate the shallow coastal waters and changing monsoon winds of the Malacca Strait.
The Tongkong was specifically selected for the 10-cent value to highlight Singapore's historic economic dependency on the timber trade, as these un-decked boats were heavily relied upon to transport raw lumber from the dense forests of Sumatra and Johor directly to Singaporean sawmills.