Philatelists fail to get first day cover stamps
KUCHING: Local stamp collectors or philatelists were disappointed that they could not get to buy the first day cover of the ‘Yang Di Pertuan Agong Siri 3’ stamps issued by Pos Malaysia to commemorate Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V’s birthday celebration at the weekend.
A retired school teacher, Paul Chong, said they were told by staff at the General Post Office here that the stamps had not arrived from Kuala Lumpur yet.
“I came all the way from Sibu and spent almost RM100 on my fares by express boat but was greeted by the disappointing news from Pos Malaysia,” he said when met by The Borneo Post yesterday.
“I would not have come if I knew there was no stamp but it was announced by Pos Malaysia that the stamps would be up for sale today (yesterday),” he added.
Chong, who started to collect stamps more seriously after retiring, said he would seek the help of a stamp enthusiast in Kuching to buy the stamps.
“Luckily I had an appointment to meet a staff of Bank Negara Kuching to get my coin that I had won in a tender bid as I am also a coin collector or else it is a waste of time,” he added.
Chong said stamp collection creates a social bond among enthusiasts “and I came all the way from Sibu to make sure I have my own latest collection”.
He encouraged young people to take up stamp collection, saying it is not a boring hobby.
“The stamps after a while have values and are worth your investment,” he said while showing an envelope with a cancelled stamp mark by Pos Malaysia that was worth ten times more than when it was first bought.
For stamp collectors to get more rewards from their collection, he suggested that they be innovative in making their stamps more valuable.
He related that he went to various post offices in the state to have the cancelled mark on his stamps to indicate that they were cancelled and had been used.
“For example, for the stamp that depicts ‘Perahu Tambang’or river taxi in Kuching to be more valuable it should be stamped by the Kuching Post Office to cancel it. This is because only Kuching has ‘Perahu Tambang’ and this will give the stamp better value,” he suggested.
Earlier, stamp collectors in Kuching queued up at the General Post Office here as early as 7am to ensure that they had a chance to buy the stamps to add to their collection.
Later, Chong and a few other philatelists adjourned for coffee at an eatery to catch up with the latest developments on stamp collecting.