Prince Sang Nila Utama was hunting on the east coast of Sumatra when he sighted the white sands of the distant island of Tumasek. He decided to cross the sea to explore the island. Midway to the island he met with a heavy storm and his boat was in danger of capsizing, to save his boat he ordered his men to throw everything overboard; finally he had to even throw his heavy crown into the sea, whereby the storm immediately subsided. Upon reaching the shore of Tumasek, he sighted a regal animal he had never seen before; his advisor told him the animal could be a singa (lion in Sanskrit). The prince was sufficiently impressed by his sighting and decided to settle on the island, renaming it Singapura or Lion City.
This set of stamps covers several themes: The theme for the 1st local stamp is clearly sea transportation, the sailboat can still be seen in the design for the 2nd local stamp, and there is a little red crab at the bottom right of it. The lion in the 50-cent stamp will appeal to collectors of big cat and wild animal stamps, while the $2 stamp covers fruity, floral and cartographic themes.
