Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand Inc.
Item of Interest

Deh Sedang 1889 cinderellas

  2x normal size

These bogus issues for the region of Sedang (in Penang on the Mekong River) were printed in Paris in 1889 and flooded onto the market by the printers after payment was not forthcoming. The French Army officer Mane David de Mayrena, having married the daughter of a local chief and been elected a chief himself, proclaimed himself "King of the Sedangs". He attempted to live up to this title in Hong Kong and Europe, instituting honours, a flag and eventually in 1888 postage stamps. The first local printings may have actually seen genuine usage, but most examples met with are the later Paris printing. Mayrena died bankrupt in Penang in 1890.

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