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 1938 set features the revised image of Sultan Iskendar Shah. The Sultan was not happy with the 1935 design, so it was replaced with a different portrait beginning in 1938. This set was used until the Japanese invaded Malaya in December, 1941. Subsequently the stock of stamps was overprinted for use during the occupation.

The key to identifying the varieties found in this set of stamps lies in the paper types. There were three types used: Chalk Paper was used for the original printings in 1938, Ordinary (also called Substitute) Paper in 1941, and Thin Striated Paper was used also in 1941.

Identifying the paper types is fairly easy if you have something to compare. Luckily most of the stamps were printed on chalk paper, so use any of the chalk paper printings as a comparison. I place the stamps on black paper under a strong light to compare them. The chalk papers will look thick compared to the other two papers when seen from the back. The 15c shades were both printed on Ordinary Paper. There are no foolproof Perak comparisons for the Striated Paper issues. You will have to find them based on the subtle horizontal lines in the Striated paper. This is easiest to see on the 30c value.

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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CW 10 - SG 111a - ST 89A
8c Rose-Carmine
Substitute Paper

CW 10a - SG 111 - ST 89A
8c Rose-Carmine
Thin Striated Paper

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CW 11 - SG 112 - ST 90
10c Grey-Purple
Chalk Paper

CW 16 - SG 117 - ST 94
40c Scarlet &
Purple
Chalk Paper

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