The real stamp history of Malaysia begins with the Straits Settlements, which was the name of a collection of British colonies in the area. A political entity since 1826, the Straits Settlements saw its first issued stamps in 1867, when the colonies came under direct control of London, instead of Britain’s office in Calcutta. The Malay name for the Straits Settlements was Negeri-negeri Selat, though English was used on stamps.
Straits Settlements stamps begain as stamps of British East India with special overprints. The overprints showed a crown and a value, ranging from one-and-a-half cents to thirty-two cents. (There were nine different values in all.) Collectors of Indian, British, or Malaysian stamps often have some of these in their collections.
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The exclusive overprinted Indian stamp system didn’t last too long in the Straits Settlements; right away (1867), the first stamps explicitly inscribed for the Straits Settlements were issued. Collectors have many varieties to choose from, since these stamps were issued up through the early 1940s. Later examples added the word MALAYA to the designs.
If you are a collector of overprints, look for Straits Settlements stamps with overprints from Johore, Perak, Selangor, and Sungei Ujong.
The Straits Settlements ceased to exist in 1946.
