Perak overprints in Chinese script

[Deleted]

I have two stamps of Perak - the 1891 tiger issue - with overprints in what I think are Chinese ideograms. Can anyone help me with identifying what they are? I am wondering if they might have been used in China by Malay members of the international force which invaded during the Boxer rebellion?

[zepherusbane]

Those are very interesting! I'm curious what you'll find out about them, but unfortunately I don't know myself.

[Deleted]

I can't find them in the Stanley Gibbons detailed Commonwealth catalogue, and I think I've looked in all the possible places there.

[rayb]

They are probably signatures. At any rate they are manuscript cancellations of postage stamps used for fiscal purposes.

I cannot speak for the 19th century, but currently about 30% of the population of Perak is ethnically Chinese.

[Deleted]

Thanks, rayb. That makes sense. I was quite bemused.

[khj]

rayb is correct. Those are the equivalent of signature revenue cancels. I can't make out the full names since they are off-document. The left appears to belong to the family name "Fang", while the right belongs to the family name "Hsieh"/"Xie". That is the transliteration from Chinese, not the local dialect.

[Deleted]

Thanks, khj