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Touching hearts of people: Jakarta Philately Office survives against all odds
The office, a part of state-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia on Jl. Pos in Central Jakarta, still manages to keep its business afloat by spawning innovations, from producing customized stamps to issuing stamps of popular movies.
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The philately building in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, on Sept. 24. The building is part of the capital city's cultural heritage. (JP/Nina Loasana)
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nnovations have been the backbone of the Jakarta Philately Office to survive amid a declining interest in philately in this age of advanced internet technology.
The office, a part of state-owned postal company PT Pos Indonesia on Jl. Pos in Central Jakarta, still manages to keep its business afloat by spawning innovations, from producing customized stamps to issuing stamps of popular movies.
The head of the Jakarta Philately Office, Sonang Sarah Purba, said the office still exceeded its annual revenue target even though the use of postal stamps had been declining as email and text messages replaced traditional letter-writing.
“We create innovations to make people stay interested in buying and collecting postage stamps. One of our innovations is providing custom stamps called PRISMA, where customers could order stamps with any picture of their choice,” Sonang told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
A lot of people had ordered custom stamps from the office, she said. They brought pictures of their graduations, family gatherings, weddings, or vacations to be printed as postage stamps. Customers were required to pay from Rp 2,000 (14 US cents) up to Rp 30,000 for each piece and they would receive their stamps in less than an hour.
The Jakarta Philately Office also received custom stamp orders from various embassies in Indonesia. “Last month, the Indian embassy ordered 2,000 Mahatma Gandhi stamps to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth,” Sonang said, referring to a two-year-long celebration from 2018 to 2020.
The office also regularly set up custom stamp booths at various events. “We usually set up a booth during House of Representatives inauguration ceremony to attract its members to print custom stamps of their ceremony.”
