For collector, rare Malaya stamps are an investment

One of the stamped envelopes in Joshua Ong’s collection. Photos; Joshua Ong

It's been almost five decades since the stamp bug bit Joshua Ong Kuee Hong and it still refuses to let him go.

“Even back in secondary school, I was aware that stamps have value and can be bought and sold. I started off collecting stamps from all over the world, and Malaysian first day covers, too. It was only when I started working in 1983, and upon joining the Philatelic Society of Malaysia (PSM), that I became a serious collector or a philatelist, specialising in Malaya collection,” shares Ong, 57, the group human resources manager of a private limited company.