Perak State lies on the West coast of the Malay Peninsula. British influence began in 1818 when a treaty was signed between the "Raja of Perak" and the East India Company.

Stamps from Perak initially were overprinted Straits Settlements stamps which were issued beginning in 1879. In 1892, specific stamps were issued which used the keyplates used by the other Malay States featuring a sideways tiger, and later a front facing tiger. Numerous overprints were created to deal with shortages as they occurred. The 1935 set features the image of Sultan Iskendar Shah. The Sultan was not happy with the design, so it was replaced with a different portrait beginning in 1938.

There are no listed shades, so this set does not require a specialist to assemble. There is a reported 5c coil stamp, which I have never seen, so if you have one please feel free to send me a scan or quote me a price for a coil join pair.

Unlike modern stamps which are issued in the millions, definitive sets from this time period were issued very conservatively. I do not have the quantity printed, but would be interested in adding this information to this page if a fellow collector provides it.

The catalog numbers are from the 2008 Commonwealth King George VI Postage Stamp Catalogue (CW) published by Murray Payne, 2013 Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (SG) and the 2011 Scott catalog (ST). The historical details, descriptions, and dates are from "The Postage Stamps of the Federated Malay States, Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor, Straits Settlements, Sungei Ujong, and Trengganu" by Dr. F. E. Wood. You can access the catalogue publishers using the "Links to British Colonial Stamp Sites" at the bottom of this page.

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This article was written to help you identify your stamps.
Please feel free to ask a question, or include a correction.