Malaya Stamps (2nd Post)

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I was thinking for a long time in doing a post about the Malaya 'Tiger' series ... however something unexpected happened.. I couldn't find the major part of my stamps from this beautiful series...I don't know how things happen to you, but when some big lots arrive at my home , I sometimes divide them in small envelopes and stock them in some lockers I have for that purpose... but this time something happened and I cannot find the envelop with many stamps from this series that I previously had separated..I only find 16 stamps that remained mixed with some others... after thinking for a while I decided to do a first introduction to this series, because the series is a real joy to a collector and I leave the task of finding the remaining stamps for another time... I sincerely hope to find them and if possible to buy a lot more , because as we will see color is the decisive factor in this series and a great variety of shades could exist for each stamp.. it is a great , great series ...!!

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Tiger Series

Designer Unknown
Printer De La Rue & Co. Ltd, London
[Typo] Printed
Issues : 1st (1900/1901) Perf:14  Wkm : Single Crown CA
           : 2nd (1904/1922) Perf 14 Wmk : Multiple Crown CA
           : 3rd (1922/1934) Perf 14 Wmk : MultiScript CA

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Our first task is to locate these stamps "on the map" ... You can find them in any catalog under Malaysia / Federated Malay States...."On July 1896 the States of Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor were organized on a Federal Bases to be known as the Federated Malay states"[SG] "stamps of the Federation replaced those of the individual States and were used until 1935 , when individual issues were resumed "[Sc]
As you can see the main design is composed of Vignette and frames with Country and Currency labels in the frame Color and White respectively... Vignette and frames could be of the same color or of different colors and here resides, in my opinion, the real attractive to the collector.. the possibility of the existence of different shades is enormous and so acquiring many of these stamps could be "time well spent"...the combinations of colors or simply the code of colors is the same from the 1st to the 2nd issues for example, so there must be another factor of differentiation... after seeing the small introduction above , we see clearly that the Wmk is decisive and have the First (or should I say "the last"..?) Word in the classification of these stamps... a curious aspect about the Wmk, is that 'what is normal and abnormal' in Philately clearly differs from Issue to issue... this time and in these stamps, the Normal is to have a Sideways Wmk and so what is usually an error is Normality in this case...( when I pick the first stamp and put it against the light , just to see if it was or not possible to see the Wmk clearly, I saw a sideways Wmk and immediately thought of having a rare stamp or something , but unfortunately THAT WAS NOT THE CASE!!!..)
I will use for the classification the SG catalog, but whenever is possible I will give the Sc codes... the SG , this time is preferable because it presents a wide range of color varieties than my normal Sc World (a more General Catalog...)

This is the only stamp I have from the first series of 1900/1901... it is a Grey brown and Carmine stamp.. the problem is that the stamp isn't Carmine, but Carmine rose , Deep rose or just rose, instead...the other options would be Black and Carmine and Grey and Carmine...the vignette is clearly a Grayish brown but the frame simply don't match any of the possibilities.. I even thought that I could be wrong in my wmk appreciation, and if that was the case , it would fit in the Grey and rose variety... but that particular variety was printed with Chalk surfaced paper, a well know blocker of the Wmk's visibility at "naked eye" (You are only able to see spots , without any identifiable part of or parts of the wmk..) and I wouldn't be able to see it so clearly as I do... this time I will classify it as a Grayish brown and Carmine...

I will start by saying that in this issue we have two dies from the 1c and 4c...there are two distinctive points , but I will only state one : the line below the label Malay, is thicker in die 1 and thinner in die 2...

this are examples of the two 4c dies, with the difference in the line below the label well represented...
1) The first two green 1c stamps are examples of Die 2 stamps...other varieties are listed (Grey brown and Green, Grey and Green , Yellow Green and blue Green).. I think , and without a color sampler, that at least one of them could be labeled as Blue Green , but I think a Deep green would fit much better to these two stamps...
2) a 2c Green stamp with no surprises (the only possibility..)
3) A Carmine stamp .. 3 other possibilities exist (gray and brown,gray brown and brown, and simply brown..)
4) 5) stamps 4 and 5 are just examples of the Scarlet Type 2 and Type 1 respectively..
6) a 5c stamp and it could be one of two possibilities... it depends on what we consider a Deep Green and a Green.. (Colors continue to be a challenge to me...I need that Color Sampler!!!) the stamp could be : Green and Carmine on Yellow, or Deep Green and Carmine on Yellow...(I should say that the yellow could be pale Yellow or orange yellow..).. Complicated isn't it?? (You are now starting to imagine the number of different shades we can find only in this stamp.!..)
7) This is another beautiful combination, this time  of Grayish brown and Purple..it is interesting to see that the two gray varieties listed in this and in the next stamp are both Grayish brown (at least , for me when I look to this gray I find a brown end, like a brown filter...)...
8) this time the stamp is clearly a Grayish light brown and claret...
1904/1922 "Tiger" (22)  Sc(38,38,40,42,44b,44,29,?,?)

Now, some stamps from the third issue of this series... the series has the particularity of being monochromatic until the 10c stamp, where the combination of two colors for vignette and frame begins..
1) two orange 4c stamps ... the fact is that catalogs talk about orange stamps, but we have in this case two deep orange stamps... there is one more possibility : Carmine Red..
2) the 5c purple on yellow variety...
3) the 5c brown variety...
4) a 6c orange .. it could be also scarlet..
5) a dull purple and black stamp
1922/1934 "Tiger" (30)  Sc(57,57,58,59,60,66)

well, i think that for a first introduction to this series, I gave a strong emphasis to the color, in detriment to other important factors like the wmk or the History of the Region itself,but with only 16 stamps, I can't do much better...let us wait for a future post with many more stamps and a higher level of detail...to end this introduction,I will ask for some comprehension because color is not one of my strong points and so , an Expert viewer that could be passing by the blog, could find many mistakes in my classification.. I can only say that I hope this will get better with time , and with the well needed help of a color Sampler!!!
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Now is the time to introduce some stamps of another well known group of series...I personally call it "The Sultans Series"...these series were issued between 1949 and 1951 and they used our well known Palm Tree Design,used by King's George V and VI , but with a portrait of the Sultan of the State in question...We are not talking anymore of  Federated stamps, but of stamps issued by the individual states...

"The Malayan Federation comprised the nine States of Johore, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Trengganu and the Settlements of Malacca and Peneng" [Sc] "The Malayan Federation was formed on 01 February of 1948 , and became an independent member of commonwealth on August 1957" [SG] "The Malayan Federation joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963" [Sc]

I only will show stamps from 6 States ; some of the others will be shown in a future post.. ...................................................................................................................................................................

"Sultans Series"

Designer : ....
Printer : ....
Paper : Chalk Surfaced
Wmk : MultiScript CA
Perf : there is a small disagreement between the two catalogs, because SG says 17.5x18 and Sc 18...

1) Johore State : Sultan Sir Ibrahim
2)3)  Selangor State : Sultan  Hisam-ud-Din Alam Shah
4) Trengganu State : Sultan  Ismail Nasiruddin Shah
5)6) Pahang State : Sultan Sir Abu Bakar
7) Perak State : Sultan Yussuf Izuddin Shah
8) Kelantan State : Sultan  Ibrahim

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There is not much to say about these group of series.. 

The importance of the hat in the Malayan culture is obvious, and I think that we occidental people shouldn't be laughing in the inside , because the hat for us had and continue to have (at some levels..) status significance, and I think that what is shown in these stamps, is exactly that .. the High status and Power of the Sultans , with their "exotic" (for me , they are exotic, for them they are normal, and we should not discuss our tastes...) hats.

now some spare stamps..

To end this post, I have a group of 10c Royal Wedding stamps from 1948 from 7 of the states of the Malayan Federation... sorry for the Perak's State stamp (the strange discoloration was a scanner malfunction..)

That's all for today...

SeeYou