Straits Settlements Queen Victoria 1885 Surcharge

Straits Settlements · 1885 · 2¢ on 5¢

This stamp features a definitive portrait of Queen Victoria, common to British colonial issues of the era. It is an overprint, or surcharge, where the original 5¢ blue denomination has been struck through and a new 'TWO CENTS' value has been printed in black.

Issued under British rule for the Straits Settlements (modern-day Singapore, Penang, and Malacca), surcharges like this were a common and economical way to address shortages of specific postage denominations.