AFTER BEING WITH EBAY FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS, I BELIEVE IT IS TIME FOR ME TO WRITE ABOUT MYSELF IN 2006 WHEN I WILL BE 60. THIS IS MY HISTORY.......

I HAVE BEEN A COLLECTOR FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS , STARTING FIRST WITH STRAITS SETTLEMENT STAMPS AND OLD SINGAPORE POSTCARDS C1920'S AT THE AGE OF 6 WHICH WAS GIVEN TO ME BY MY FATHER AND LATER INHERITED ALL THAT HE HAD LEFT BEHIND. THEREFORE, I HAVE THESE POSTCARDS EARLIER THAN MOST - IF NOT ALL SINGAPORE POSTCARDS COLLECTORS. I HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF OLD SINGAPORE POSTCARDS FROM PRE 1900 TO 1970's.

BECAUSE MY LATE FATHER WAS ALSO A COLLECTOR SINCE THE 1920'S WHEN HE WAS COLLECTING POSTCARDS AND COVERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, ALSO OLD POSTCARDS OF SILENT MOVIIE ERA. I STILL HAVE POSTCARDS SENT TO HIM FROM CUBA,SOUTH AMERICA, POLAND, HUNGARY, PRE-WAR GERMANY, USA, NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, ETC..... LOOK OUT FOR THEM WHEN I  START SELLING THEM THROUGH EBAY. HE HAD WORKED AS A BOOK-KEEPER FOR SHAW BROTHERS AT THE PRINTING OFFICE AT ROBINSON ROAD OPPOSITE LAU PA SAT FROM THE EARLY 50's TIL HE HAD A STROKED IN 1960. AS SUCH WE HAD COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO WATCH MOVIES AT REX AND CAPITOL. THEATRES - ALSO AT ROXY THEATRE IN KATONG AT EVERY MOVIE CHANGE TIL IT WAS CLOSED. AND I HAD A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF THE "MOVIE NEWS" AND "THE FATIMA NEWS" FROM THE VERY FIRST ISSUE TIL THE LAST - ALL NEATLY LEATHERBOUND ON YEARLY BASIS BUT ON SHIFTING HOUSE, THEY WERE THROWN AWAY.

UNFORTUNATELY, DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION OF SINGAPORE, WHERE AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOME IN GEYLANG LORONG 41 AND WHERE MY PARENTS STAYED, SOME ITEMS WERE LOOTED AND LOST FOREVER!!

I BEGAN THE WONDERFUL JOURNEY OF COLLECTING - BUYING AND SELLING TO FEED THE HOBBY. I REMEMBERED WHEN I WAS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL IN THE 1950'S, I SOLD EACH COMMON STRAITS SETTLEMENTS STAMPS FOR 5 MALAYAN CENTS FOR POCKET MONEY - BIG MONEY THEN WHEN YOU PAY ONLY 5 CENTS FOR A BUS RIDE TO SCHOOL ON STC (SINGAPORE TRACTION COMPANY THAT HAD MONOPOLY ON LUCRATIVE CITY/SUB URBAN ROUTES WHEREAS THE CHINESE BUS COMPANIES RUN INTO RURAL DISTRICTS.AT THAT TIME). SO I COLLECTED BUS TICKETS ALSO, BUT ALONG THE WAY THEY WERE THROW AWAY BY MY MOTHER AS RUBBISH ALONG WITH MATCH BOXES, CIGARETTE BOXES AND MANY OTHER COLLECTIBLE ITEMS AS YOUNG BOYS WOULD COLLECT AT THAT TIME. 

THE ONLY REGRET WAS THAT I HAVE DESTROYED OR CUT UP THE STAMPS FROM THOSE OLD CARDS AND COVERS.

THEN IN MID1960's, UPON RESPONDING TO AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE STRAITS TIMES, I MET THE BUYER IN THE AMERICAN EMBASSY AT HILL STREET THEN, WHERE I SOLD SOME JAPANESE OCCUPATIONS STAMPS ENOUGH TO RAISE TO PAY FOR MY 'A' LEVEL EXAMINATION FEES. MEANWHILE, FROM 1965 I STARTED COLLECTING SINGAPORE STAMPS/FDC'S/POSTAL HISTORY COVERS - ALSO CHRISTMAS ISLAND, COCOS ISLAND AND PITCAIRN ISLAND - STAMPS, FDC's, PACKS. ETC.

IN 1966, I STARTED WORKING AT AGE 19 WITH A SALARY OF S$180.00 AS A LABORATORY TECHICIAN AT THE MEDICAL FACULTY, KING EDWARD VII COLLEGE AT SGH (SINGAPORE GENERAL HOSPITAL) OUTRAM ROAD, BUT I LEFT FOR CHRISTMAS ISLAND, INDIAN OCEAN TO WORK FOR THE BRITISH PHOSPHATE COMMISSION LABORATORY FROM 1968 TO 1969,

I CAME BACK TO SINGAPORE TO WORK FIRST AT COLD STORAGE, THEN AT CASTROL SINGAPORE - BOTH AT BUKIT TIMAH AND BOTH FACTORIES ARE NOW GONE AND IN IT'S PLACE, HIGH RISE CONDOMINIUMS.

FINALLY ON 1ST JANUARY 1971, I JOINED SHELL SINGAPORE PETROLEUM PTE LTD TO WORK IN THE LABORATORY AT PULAU BUKOM REFINERY WHERE I HAVE TO TAKE A FERRY TO WORK EVERYDAY EXCEPT FOR A YEAR WHEN I WAS SECONDED TO BRUNEI LNG IN LUMUT, BRUNEI DARUSALLAM IN 1973/4 AND A TWO MONTHS STINT AT SHELL PERNIS REFINERY AT ROTTERDAM, THE HETHERLANDS IN 1980. EACH PAID TRIP WAS BY SIA (SINGAPORE AIRLINES) AND SINCE 1973. I HAVE BEEN COLLECTING SINGAPORE AIRLINES MATERIALS - POSTCARDS, PLAYING CARDS, MENUS, TIME TABLES, CALENDERS, CUTLERY, ETC.. AND ALSO SIA PREDECESSORS - MALAYAN AIRWAYS, MALAYSIAN AIRWAYS, AND MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE AIRLINES.

IN THE 1970's, WHILE WORKING ON SHIFTS - WORKING ODD HOURS AND OFF DAYS NORMALLY ON WEEK DAYS, I HAD LOTS OF TIME ON HAND TO MAKE STAMP PACKETS TO SELL ON CONSIGNMENT AT "MAMA" SHOPS AT GEYALNG, KATONG AND TANJONG KATONG WITH A GOOD COMMISSION OF 25% FOR ITEMS SOLD.

AT ABOUT 1980's, I STARTED THEMATIC COLLECTING OF OIL/PETROLEUM INDUSTRY,  ANYTHING PERTAINING TO MUSIC, CONCORDE STAMPS AND COVERS. I ALSO BEGAN THE TASK TO COLLECT SINGAPORE CORNER PLATE BLOCKS OF 4 FROM 1948 TIL 2004 WHEN I ENTIRELY STOPPED. IT TOOK ME 15 YEARS TO COMPLETE AND IT IS NOW IN 20 VOLUMES OF LIGHTHOUSE ALBUMS WITH 99% OF MOST ISSUES WITH 4 CORNERS OF BLOCKS WITH DIFFERENT PLATES/COLOUR CHECKS/MARGINS/SHEETS. AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE COMPLETE SINGAPORE COLLECTION OF FDC'S FROM 1948-1994, YEAR PACKS FROM 1974-2000, PRESENTATION PACKS 1971-1995, POSTAL STATIONERY POSTCARDS 1948-1986, BOOKLETS 1969-2004, AEROGRAMMES 1951-2000, POSTAGE DUES COLLECTION 1968-1997 PLUS COVERS TO 2004, SATA SEALS 1948 -2004 - COMPLETE SHEETS FROM 1949, FRAMA AND SAM (SEMI-AUTOMATIC MACHINE) LABELS, ATM STAMPS, POSTAGE PREPAID ENVELOPES, MAXI CARDS, ETC. I HAVE STOCKS OF SINGAPORE KILOWARE - DEFINTIVES (50 KILOS OR MORE AVAILABLE) AND COMMEMORATIVES (>50.000 PCS) - COMMERCIAL SLOGAN AND REGISTERED COVERS FOR SALE.

I ALSO HAVE POSTAL HISTORY COVERS OF STRAITS SETTLEMENTS FROM QV TO KGVI, CENSORED COVERS, BMA, LABUAN, FMS, MALAYAN STATES, SIAM,CHINA/HONG KONG, BURMA, COCOS ISLAND, CHRISTMAS ISLAND, CRASH COVERS,  POSTAL STATIONERY ENVELOPES AND POSTCARDS. ALMOST COMPLETE COLLECTION OF SINGAPORE SLOGAN CANCELLATION FROM 1948 TO 2005 - STILL BUYING AND SELLING. OLD MAPS AND OLD BOOKS ARE MY SPECIALTY

BESIDES THE ABOVE, I ALSO COLLECT MINT AND USED SINGAPORE PHONECARDS, MRT (TRAIN) CARDS, MCDONALD TOYS, COKE CANS, BOTTLES AND COLLECTIBLES, ANG POWS, CALENDER CARDS, UNOPENED LIQUERS, BISCUIT/MOONCAKE TINS, GLASSES/GLASS BOTTLES OF VARIOUS SHAPES, BALL PENS, PENCILS, COASTERS, HOTEL STATIONERY, FREE CARDS,  COINS AND BANKNOTES COLLECTED DURING MY TRAVELS,  SINGAPORE ZODIAC COINS AND NEW BANKNOTES,. GOLD WAFER AND COINS (ESPECIALLY THE 20 GM GOLD COIN SHELL GIVE TO EACH EMPLOYEE TO CELEBRATE THE 100 YEARS IN SINGAPORE) AND SILVER COINS.

SINCE 1994, WHEN I WENT FOR EARLY RETIREMENT FROM SHELL AT AGE 47 AND RECEIVED A GOLD COIN FROM SHELL FOR 23 YEARS OF SERVICE, I HAVE BEEN BUYING AND SELLING ANYTHING INCLUDING COLLECTIONS AS A HOBBY. MY CLIENTS ARE FROM YOUNG AND OLD INCLUDING SINGAPORE HISTORY MUSEUM, SERIOUS COLLECTORS, SOLD THROUGH AUCTIONS, IN FACT, I BEGAN SELLING AT INTERNET AUCTION AS EARLY AS 1996 AT NOW DEFUNCT "AUCTION UNIVERSE" EVEN BEFORE EBAY. AT EBAY ALONE, I HAVE BOUGHT AND SOLD MORE THAN 10,000 ITEMS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.

AND IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS, I WILL HAVE ABOUT THAT MANY MORE TO SELL. OR EVEN MUCH MORE!!

THE ONLY CONDITION OF MY SALE WILL BE THAT ALL ITEMS HAVE TO GO OVERSEAS -  I WILL TAKE NO BIDS FROM SINGAPORE OR MALAYSIAN BUYERS AND CERTAIN BLOCKED/BLACK LISTED BUYERS/SELLERS!

WELL THIS IS NOT THE END BUT ONLY THE BEGINNING AND I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO BEGIN