My Stamp Collections

Sarawak Stamps

2008-07-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

The First Sarawak Stamps. The Three Cents of 1869.

The first Sarawak stamps was officially issued to the public on March 1st, 1869. Of Three Cents denomination, it bore a portrait bust of the first Rajah Sir James Brooke, despite the fact that he had died some nine month earlier. Although the reasons which prompted the Government of Sarawak to order a stamp are not know, it is probable that it was intended to serve both postal and fiscal purposes.

Stamp Issue 1836

The Messrs. Maclure, Macdonald & Macgregor Issue of 1875

The postal rates that had been the subject of the 1874 agreement between the Governments of Sarawak and the Straits Settlements were to take effect from January 1st, 1875. Since a single denomination stamp was considered inadequate an order was placed for a series of five values 2 cents, 4 cents, 6 cents, 8 cents and 12 cents to augment the existing 3 cents stamp.

The order was placed with the same printers who had been responsible for the two previous stamps, Messrs. Maclure, Macdonald & Macgregor of 37, Walbrook,E.C. & Glasgow and the design remained virtually the same as the 3 cents stamp of 1871, only the value being altered. Although the actual date of issue is not known for certain it is reasonable to assume that the five stamps became available to the public on January 1st, 1875 as planned.

The De La Rue Issues of 1888 to 1897

The government of Sarawak decided to place an order for a completely new series of stamps from Messrs. De La Rue & Co. Ltd. The denominations required the same as those already existing, namely 2 cents, 3 cents, 6 cents, 8 cents and 12 cents together with an additional value, 25 cents. The first supplies of this new series reached the country and were placed on sale on November 10th, 1888.

The De La Rue Issues of 1888 to 1897

The De La Rue Issues of 1888 to 1908

Stamp Issue 1889 - 1891

Stamp Issue 1892

February 1895
The Perkins Bacon Definitive Issue of 1895

Stamp Issue 1899

The De La Rue Issues of 1918 to 1923

The De La Rue Issues of 1928 to 1929

1st May 1934
The Bradbury Wilkinson Issues of 1934 & 1941

1st June 1946
The Sarawak Centenary Commemorative Issue of 1946

16th April 1947
The Royal Cypher Issue of 1947

1st January 1950
George VI definitives issued

1st June 1955
First Queen Elizabeth definitives issued

Source
More detailed information on the postal history of Sarawak is contained in Edward Proud's book "The Postal History of British Borneo"
http://britborneostamps.org.uk/

http://sarawakstamps.com/

History of Sarawak

2008-06-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

Sarawak's history is like a story out of a novel filled with enthralling characters that played important roles in its past set against a colorful yet beautiful background. From the Sarawak River banks where James Brooke first landed to the interior and coastlines of the state, its past had always exuded a mysterious and alluring time.

The Brooke era chronicles the time ruled by three generations of an English family whose first foray into Sarawak came with James Brooke, the first White Rajah. In 1839, James Brooke arrived in Kuching to deliver a letter to the governor of Sarawak, Rajah Muda Hashim. At the time, Sarawak was under the rule of the Brunei Sultanate and in a state of mayhem and rebellion from the Malays and Bidayuh who had been forced into hard labour by the Governor. With the Brunei power deteriorating and Rajah Muda Hashim unable to control the uprising, he requested for James Brooke to intercede and bring about a peaceful settlement with the natives. Brooke's success was rewarded with a sizable territory in Sarawak. He was also installed as the White Rajah of Sarawak in 1842. Rajah Brooke died in 1868 but not before expanding his territory.

His nephew Charles Brooke successded him. It is recorded that Charles Brooke was a capable, organized ruler who brought about proper system of government and extension of Sarawak's borders. in 1917, Charles Vyner Brooke(1874-1963). the eldest surviving son of Charles, succeeded his father. Rajah Vyner(always known as Vyner) did not interfere with local customs, but drew the line at headhunting, which was practiced by Dayak tribesmen.

During the Japanese occupation from 1941-1945, Charles and his family fled to Australia. The Japanese's hold on Sarawak began to unravel up on the arrival of the British and Australian troops, who landed in the Kelabit Highlands. By 1945, the Japenese surrendered. The return of Sir Charles Vyner Brooke to Sarawak saw his role as White Rajah on 15 April 1946, Sarawak had been placed under the Australian Military Administration prior to his return.

Sir Charles' announcement to relinquish Sarawak to Britain result in the matter being brought up before the Council Negeri. For three days the issue was discussed and thus, the council agreed by 19 votes against 16.

Source
http://sarawakstamps.com/

Liberal Democracy Period

2008-06-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

In 1953 charity stamps of National Disaster series were issued as part of fund-raising campaign to assist victims of flood in Aceh by overprinting the stamps of "PTT Headquarters" series with the words "Bentjana Alam" (Natural Disater). In 1954, when Mount Merapi erupted in Central Java, another charity stamps were issued to raise funds for victims of that disaster.

Charity stamps of Children Welfare series were issued in 1954 depicting childrens' games and activities from different part of the archipelago. A portion of the money raised from the sale of these stamps was given to the Yayasan Kesejahteraan Anak Indonesia(the Indonesian Children's Welfare Foundation), Jakarta.

Red Cross series were issued in 1956. Charity stamps intended for the disabled persons, for orphans and for the 10th World Jamboree were issued respectively in 1957, 1958 and 1959. The cherity stamps intended for the Blind were issued in 1956 in commemorating the birth of Louis Braille, creator of the Braille alphabet.

Between 1951 and 1953, in order to anticipate continued growth in postal traffic, the Government issued definitve stamps of President Soekarno series. This series was printed by John Enschede en Zonen, printing company in the Netherlands, because of quality of domestic production at that time was not up to international standarts.

Stamps showing the spicial fauna of Indonesia were issued successively in 1956 and 1959. The 1956 stamps depicted an otter, a mousedeer, a sealy anteater and rhino. The 1959 stamps series showed a komodo dragon from the island of Komodo, a rhino ant tapir from Sumatra, an orangutan from Kalimantan, an anoa and a babi rusa(deer hog) from Sulawesi.

The highly permeable condition of Indonesia's national defense system at this time led to a great deal of illicit trade, including the smuggling of stamps in the Riau arhipelago near Singapore. To overcome this problem, the government issued stamps specially used for Riau by overprinting with word "RIAU" on some stamps. This special series of stamps was used between 1954 and 1957.

The next outstanding themes adopted on the stamps are the commemoration of significant historical events. The first two series to use this theme were the ones that commemorated the formation of the United Republic of Indonesia and Five Years of Independence. In 1951 stamps of UNO series were issued to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. These stamps were printed by the American Banknote Company, New York. Other stamps that were issued between 1953 and 1958 commemorated Mother's Day, Ten Years of Indonesia Independence, Ten Years of PTT, Cooperation's Day, National Aviation's Day and Declaration of Human Rights.

Source
All stories were cited from the book "Indonesian Stamps: 130 years, published by Public Corporation for Posts and Giro, first edition 1994

http://stampsindonesia.com/

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Singapore Stamps

2008-06-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is my Singapore stamp collections but i don't have all of them.

Queen Elizabeth II Series Definitives
1957 before Malaya was granted independence from Britain.

1959 when Singapore was granted independence from Britain

1960 National Day

1961 National Day

1992-1966 Fishes and Birds in Natural Colors

1968 Dances Definitives

1969 Musical Instruments

1971 Singapore Festivals

1971 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

1974 National Day - World Population Day

1980 Ships Definitives

1984 25 Years of Nation Building

1984 Total Defence

1985 Insects Definitives

1987 20th Anniversary of ASEAN

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Formation of Malaysia

2008-06-10T02:15:00.000-07:00

In 1955 Singapore was granted internal autonomy under the Rendel Constitution and David Marshall was appointed the first Chief Minister. By 1959, Singapore had achived full interbal self government and was led by the Peoples� Action Party (PAP) under Lee Kuan Yew. In sarawak, local elections were introduced in 1959.

The first move towards the formation of Malaysia came in 1961 when the idea for the formation of a wider federation comprising the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei was mooted by Tunku Abdul Rahman. Tunku proposal was generally accepted by the people of malaya and Singapore but raised doubts in Sabah and Sarawak.

However, the proposal was oppossed by the Philippines as they asserted a claim over Sabah. The proposal also received oppositon from Indonesia where it was vieved as a Borneo-colonialist plot by Sukarno and the powerful Indonesian Communist Party.

The proposal also had an immediate effect of accelaerating constitutional development in Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei. Elections were held for the first time in Brunei and in Sabah in 1962. A joint- Anglo-Malayan commission headed by a former of the bank of England, Lord Cobbold, visited sabah and Sarawakin 1962 and reported that the majority of the states favoured the formation of Malaysia.

However, continued Philippine and Indonesian opposition led to the sending of a United nations mission to Borneo in 1963, which also reported that the public opinion was in favour of joining Malaysia.

Thus on 16 September 1963, the formation of Malaysia which consisted of the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singaore was formally promulgated. However, Brunei declined to join Malaysia. However, in 1965 Singapore ceased to be a member of the Federation of Malaya and became an independent state.

Source
http://sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my/

Stamps Issued 1963

16Sep-Inauguration of Federation (10c,12c,50c)

03Oct- 4th World Orchids Conf., Singapore (6c, 25c)

018 04Nov- 9th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conf. Kuala Lumpur (20c, 30c)

Stamps Issued 1964

10Oct-Eleanor Roosevelt Commemoration (25c, 30c, 50c)

Stamps Issued 1965

17May-I.T.U Centenary (2c, 25c, 50c)

27Aug-Opening of National Mosque, Kuala Lumpur ( 6c, 15c, 20c)

30Aug-Opening of International Airport, Kuala Lumpur (15c, 30c)

09Sep-National Bird Series (25c, 30c, 50c, 75c, $1, $2, $5, $10)

14Dec-3rd South East Asian Peninsular Games (25c, 30c, 50c)

History of Stamp Collectors

2008-06-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Short after the issue of the first stamps the first collectors of stamps were found. First, most people laughed at these collectors. But soon they became more and more. The first collectors collected stamps of the whole world because there were not so much issues at the beginning. These stamps were stored in the most different ways. There were collectors who collected their stamps on a string or affixed their stamps on a wallpaper. This was not a good way collecting stamps. Therefore the first stamp books appeared. The stamps were glued with paste into the books. This was also not a good treatment for the stamps. The stamps finally could be handled with more care with the invention of the hinge 1889.

The first association for stamp collectors was founded 1856 in the USA: The "Omnibusclub". There were not only collectors of stamps but also collectors of bugs and so on. The first pure stamp association was the 1866 in the USA founded "Stamp Association".
The first german stamp association was 1869 founded in Heidelberg: "Süddeutsche Philatelistenverein".

"The Monthly Advertiser" was the first stamp magazine. It appeared for the first time 12/15/1862 in Liverpool

Famous Collectors and their Collections

Dr. John Edward Gray claimed to be the first collector of stamps.

We can find a lot of famous collections at royalties. The english royalty has the most famous collection with very much world rarities especially from Great Britain and its colonies.

The collections of King Faruk of Egypt, of Czar Nikolaus III of Russia, King Carol of Romania were also well known.

The collection of Philipp la Renotière of Ferrary was the most famous private stamp collection.

Ferrary started as a kid to collect stamps. His large property helped him to buy the most valuable stamps. A lot of dealers worked only for him and bought expensive stamps and collections all over the world. Ferrary lived in Paris before World War I. He thought to be a German. Therefore he had to flee to Switzerland when World War I started. France confiscated his collection. Ferrary died 1917.

France auctioned his collection 1921. France got 6.000.000 Goldmarks for the collection. So this unique collection with the most seldom world rarities doesn't exist anymore.

Source
http://sammler.com/stamps/

Stamp History

2008-06-03T03:20:00.000-07:00

The first official central royal mail office was opened in England 1516. Nearly 300 years later Sir Rowland Hill suggested 1835 that letters until the weight of a half English ounze (14.5 g) should be carried for a uniform fee of 1 Penny. The receiver had no longer to pay the postage fee, but the sender. The sender had to use stamps:

5/6/1840 the first two stamps were issued:
1 Penny Black and 2 Pence Blue. At the same time the Mulready covers were selled.

The second country which issued stamps was Brazil 1843. It issued the so called Ox Eyes. The Swiss Cantonese Zürich's and Geneve issued stamps in the same year.

Some postmasters in the USA issued stamps starting 1845. The first official issue followed 1847. The famous first stamps of Mauritius were printed 1847.

The first German stamp was issued 11/1/1849 in Bavaria, the black Bavarian Kreuzer.

The World Post Society UPU was founded 1875.

Source
http://sammler.com/stamps/

The Condition of a Stamp

2008-06-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

To evaluate the condition of a stamp:
First look at the front.

Are the colors bright or faded?
Is the stamp clean, dirty or stained?
Is it torn or creased? Torn stamps are not considered "collectible," but they can be used as space fillers until you get better ones.
Are the perforations intact?
Has the stamp been canceled? Stamp with a light cancellation is in better condition than one with heavy marks across it.
Is the stamp design centered, crooked, or off to one side? Centering can range from "superb" (perfectly centered on the stamp) to "good" (the design on at least one side is marred somewhat by the perfs).
Anything less would be graded "fair" or "poor" and, like torn copies, should be saved only as space fillers.

Centering varies widely on older stamps. An examination of the back of the stamp will reveal whether it has been carelessly treated and thus is less valuable.

Federation of MALAYA

2008-05-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

A Bit of History

Malaysia achieved independence as Malaya on August 31, 1957 from the British without a shot being fired.

At that time, it was federation of the Straits Settlements of Penang (Pulau Pinang) and Malacca (Melaka), the Federated States of Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan (Negeri Sembilan), Pahang and the Unfederated States of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Trengganu (Terengganu) and Johore (Johor).

In 1963, Malaya became Malaysia with the addition of Sarawak and Sabah of Borneo and the Crown Colony of Singapore. In 1965, Singapore left Malaysia and became an independent country.

Later on, the Federal Territories (Wilayah Persekutuan) of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya were created.

Stamps Issued 1959

1959- 12Sep-Inauguration of Parliament (4c, 10c, 25c)

Stamps Issued 1960

1960 07Apr- World Refugee Year (12c, 30c)

Stamps Issued 1961

1961- 04Jan-Installation of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (10c)

1961- 30Oct-Colombo Plan Conference KL (12c,25c,30c)

Stamps Issued 1962

1962- 07Apr-Malaria Eradication (25c, 30c, 50c)

Stamps Issued 1963

1963- 26Jun-Cameron Highlands Hydro Electric (20c,30c)

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How To Get Stamps For Free

2008-05-26T06:44:00.001-07:00

Getting stamps for free is easy.

There are many ways to get stamps for free:

Inform everybody you know (your relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors - everybody) that you collect stamps and ask them if they can save the stamps from their mail for you.
Similarly, tell everybody who writes letters to you that you collect stamps and would appreciate if they use a new or commemorative stamp when writing to you.
Do you sometimes send a self-addressed stamped envelope to a business or an office to get a catalog or a free sample or an application blank etc.? Well, always put a nice stamp on that envelope because it is going to come back to you.
Do you know anybody who has relatives or friends who live in a foreign country? Chances are that person receives letters from that country and therefore receives foreign stamps. Ask that person to save the stamps for you.
Large offices and big businesses receive hundreds of letters everyday. The person who opens the mail for these offices usually throws away hundreds of covers containing various kinds of stamps, unless her own niece has recently picked up this hobby. If you know such a person, and request the person to save the empty envelopes for you, you can amass large quantities of stamps in a short period of time.
International companies, import-export houses, consular offices, big hotels, university admissions offices, acquisitions department of large libraries - they all receive mail from foreign countries and many of them have stamps on them. If you know the person who handles the mail in these offices, your collection of foreign stamps can grow at a faster rate than you can imagine.
When you go the post office next time, look inside the waste paper baskets next to the P.O.Boxes. People usually collect their mail from the mail boxes, open the mail right there, and discard the covers in the nearest trash cans. A little rummaging through those trash receptacles can reward you with a philatelic jewel. (If not, at least with lots of bronze and silver). And remember, the bigger the post office, the bigger the bounty.
Do you have penfriends in foreign countries? If you make friendship with a person in a foreign country, he or she can supply you with lots of stamps that are ordinary or common for them but not to you. Similarly, your friend in the foreign country will appreciate receiving from you the stamps that are common to you but not to him or her.
Have you heard about stamp swapping, or stamp trading? That is a great way of increasing the size of your collection and getting varieties. You can swap your duplicates with a freind or a fellow collector.
Older people in the family can sometimes give you stamps that were issued before you were born. Ask your grandma and grandpa if they have any old letters saved.

Malaya Stamps

2008-05-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

My collection only starts from the year of Malaysia gained independence from the British in 1957. For the first 6 years the stamps bore the title of Malaysian Federation. In 1963 Sabah and Sarawak were added to the federation and Singapore left.

In the Malayan peninsula, individual states like Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, etc. all used to issue their own stamps. Then Malaysia came into being in 1965 and all these states now use Malaysia stamps.

Stamps Issued 1957

05May-General Issue (6c, 12c, 25c, 30c)

31Aug-Independence Day (10c)

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Stamps Info

2008-05-25T01:16:00.000-07:00

Great Britain was the first country in the world to introduce postage stamps.

Great Britain, to date, has not issued a single airmail stamp.

Brazil introduced postage stamps before any other country in North and South America.

The first woman who was featured on an USA stamp was Queen Isabella and not Martha Washington.

Benjamin Franklin was the first Post Master General of both United States and Canada.

Charles Lindbergh, famous for his first solo trans-Atlantic flight, is the only American who was mentioned on an USA stamp during his life time.

A part of the face value of a semi-postal stamp goes to a charitable organization and the balance is postage.

Many early postage stamps did not have perforations and they did not have gum on their back.

Some postage stamps bear watermarks and they were originally introduced as a counterfeit deterrent

A person who collects postcards is known as a deltiologist.

Materials and Accessories

2008-05-24T23:39:00.001-07:00

Collectors use a variety of other materials and accessories.

Transparent glassine envelopes protect stamps from grease and air.
A stamp catalog is a reference book with illustrations and stamp values.
A magnifying glass is useful when examining stamps; tongs are used to pick up and move stamps.
A perforation gauge measures perforations along the edges of stamps.
Watermark fluid will enhance a watermark, a design or pattern that is pressed into some stamp paper during manufacturing.

Remove Stamps from Envelopes

2008-05-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

Soaking is the best way to remove stamps from envelopes.

Tear the envelope around the stamp, leaving a small margin.
With the stamp facing down, place into a pan of warm, but not hot, water.
After a few minutes (self-adhesive gum may take longer), the stamp should sink to the bottom.
When all adhesive is dislodged, remove the stamp preferably using stamp tongs.
Place the stamp between two paper towels and put a heavy object, such as a book, on top to keep the stamp from curling as it dries. Leave overnight.

Store Stamps

2008-05-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

The best way to store stamps is in a stamp album or on loose leaf paper in a binder.
Affix your stamps by using stamp hinges, glassine strips with gum on one side, or stamp mounts, clear plastic sleeves that offer better protection for unused stamps.

Types of Stamps

2008-05-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

Definitive stamps are the most common. Generally less than an inch square, they are printed in large quantities, and often more than once.

Commemorative stamps, larger and more colorful than definitives, are printed in smaller quantities and typically only once. They honor people, events, or subjects of importance life and culture.

Special stamps—Holiday Celebration, international rate, Priority Mail, and Express Mail. It usually are on sale for a limited time.

There are many types of stamps—for example,

commemorative,
definitive
special
formats such as sheets, booklets, or coils.

Stamps may be conventional adhesive ("lick-and-stick") or self-adhesive ("no-lick, peel-and-stick").

Stamps and Philately

2008-05-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Philately can be described as the collecting and arranging of postal material i.e. postage stamps, postal routes, letters, covers and other material. This collection, be it stamps, covers etc. are usually documented to trace major historical events and other events.

It cannot be established when philately first started as a hobby as there is no known documentation. However, it can be ascertained that philately only started after the introduction of the postage stamp in 1840.

Collection of stamps adapted an approach with the introduction of stamps album. The first album was produced in England in 1852. Thus, when more postage stamps became available, the hobby of collecting stamps became quite common. More people began to take an interest in stamp collecting and philately began to develop. Many serious collectors emerged and one of the world's largest and oldest stamp collections is owned by the Queen of England. DYTM Raja Muda of Selangor is also reputed to have a good collection.

The word "philately" is said to have been coined in France in 1864 by Georges Herpin. It is from two Greek words: "philos" meaning loving and "llateleiall" meaning free of payment. Originally philately was more confined to the study of labels, representing payment for postal services. From here its area was widened to include the study of the systematic collection of postage stamps, postcards, postal covers, postmarks and other postal material.

Source by Pos Malaysia Bhd