Stamp Stories

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22513, 22 September 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)

Stamp Stories

According to a report in “The Press” of Monday, Prince Mahmud of Trengganu has renounced his rank and fortune so that he might marry Miss Joyce Blencowe, a daughter of an Oxford tailor. Tne location of the State of Trengganu and its history are thinga that are probably unfamiliar to most people. Situated on the eastern side of the Malay Peninsula, Trengganu has an area .of 5500 square miles and a population Of 153 SOO.

Certain of the states of Malaya entered Into a treaty with Great Britain in 1896 and in terms of the agreement the territories were federated and were placed under British protection, the Governor of the Straits Settlements being appointed the High Commissioner. Five states—Johore, Kedah, Perils, Kelantan, and Trengganu—did not enter into the federation, but in 1909 a Federal Council was set up to administer the Federated States, and at the sanie time the Unfederated States came under British protection.

Trengganu had acknowledged, the sovereignty of the King of Siam, but in 1909 the. Siamese Government transferred Its rights over the state to. Great Britain. Besides following agricultural pursuits, the inhabitants of Trengganu are occupied in fishing,- fish curing, silk weaving, and tin mining, and the administration' is ■ in

TRENGGANU

(By R. J. G. Collins)

the hands of a ruling Sultan as? sisted by a council and advised by a British representative. . Following the transference of the over-lordship from the King of Siam to the King of Great Britain in 1909, it was decided that the State of Trengganii should be provided with a distinctive issue of postage stamps. So in 1910, a set. ranging in value from 1 cent to 23 dollars, was issued bearing the portrait of the ruler, Sultan Zain ul ab During the period of the Great WaT, Trengganu in common with other of the Malay States supported Great Britain, and in October. 1917. a set of stamps was provided, the sales of which benefited the Red Cross fund. These stamps consisted of the 3c, 4c, and 8c values, overprinted with the inscription “RED CROSS 2c.” The three values were sold at a premium, the amount of 2 cents representing the. contribution to the Red Cross fund. Ordinarily the stamps are printed in London, but the “RED CROSS" overprint was produced locally, with the result that there were some interesting varieties. • In all three values, some stamps had an error of inscription, “CSOSS” for “CROSS,” and others had a comma instead of a stop after the 2c. In sheets of the 3c value, one stamp had the inscription “GROSS,” and another had the letters “SS” inverted. These varieties are comparatively scarce, but a rarity occurred on the 3c and 4c values where pairs exist with one stamp in the pair without the surcharge, due to a misplacement or the overprint. ■ • In 1921 a second regular set was issued with the portrait of Sultan Suleiman, who had succeeded the previous ruler, end who is still in control. , In 1922 the Duke of Windsor paid an official visit to Malaya as Prince of Wales, and one of the events arranged in his honpur x was an exhibition devoted to the products of Mhlaya, the Straits Settlements, and Borneo. Each of the stamp-issuing countries concerned 'issued a special commemorative set consisting of the ordinary stamps overprinted “MALAYA - BORNEO EXHIBITION.” The numbers of the stamps and the extent of the sets did not meet with the approval of stamp, collectors, and it was suggested that the issue should therefore be boy-cotted-as unnecessary. This action had rather an unfortunate sequel for those who supported the nonrecognition of the issue. In some instances very few of the stamps were sold, with the result that after the sets were no longer available it was discovered that several of the values were definitely rare and the price consequently showed a very heavy increase.- when it was decided later that the stamps should be recognised, collectors found that they would have to pay many time* what they would have done had they bought the stamps when they were on issue. Any suggestion of boycotting regularly-issued set in the future will therefore not .receive much support „ . Possibly the .action of the Prince in renouncing 'his title may have been influenced by- the fact that the Sultan of another of the Unfederated Malay States has recently found it necessary to separate, from his British wife because of the disap*. Iproval of his subjects.