Stamp Investment Tip: Malaya-Negri Sembilan 1948 Silver Wedding (Scott #36-37)

The British administered Malaya as a group of protectorates, which included the various sultanates. These were later consolidated into the Federation of Malaya., and ultimately the independent nation of Malaysia in 1963.

In 1948, the Sultanate of Negri Sembilan issued a set of two stamps celebrating the Silver Wedding Anniversary of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother (Scott #36-37). 19,151 sets were issued, and Scott '12 prices the unused set at $28.10 .

The set has multiple market appeal among collectors of Malaya/Malaysia, British Commonwealth, and British Royal Family topicals. As a popular topic for British Commonwealth collectors, it's hard to beat the Royal Family, with a stick, scepter, or other appropriately heavy object, and banking on such loyalty can pay interest.


With a population of over 28 million, Malaysia is an emerging market nation and the 29th largest economy in the world. It has abundant minerals and petroleum, vast forests, as well as a thriving agricultural sector. Nevertheless, over the last four decades, the Malaysian government has committed the nation to a transition from reliance on mining and agriculture to manufacturing, and is moving to conserve its remaining forests and reforest the overcut areas. The government has recently taken steps to make Malaysia more business-friendly, and the number of Malaysians living in poverty has also decreased. As of 2007, average wages were around $34 per day, up from about $9 per day in 1999. Annual GDP growth has averaged over 5% over the last five years, although the country's economy was hurt by the global financial crisis.

Those interested in viewing a list of scarce stamps with printing quantities of 100,000 or fewer should take a look at the StampSelector Scarce Stamp Quantities Issued List, which currently contains over 9,700 entries.