Cocos Islands

Cocos (Keeling) Islands stamps

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A territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean (northeast of Australia)

Cocos Islands Map

Scott: #162-65O

Issued: 29.7.1987

Communications from Cocos (Keeling)

Inside #165: Cocos Islands #162O

Thanks to Lou Guadagno

Scott: #177-82O

Issued: 15.6.1988

25th Anniversary, Cocos Stamps

#1-6

Inside #177-82: Cocos Islands #1O,#2O,#3O,#4O,#5O,#6O

%23206

Scott: #206O

Issued: 19.7.1989

50th Anniversary, First Aerial Survey of Indian Ocean Air Route

Inside #206: Australia Unissued 5p Stamp of 1939O

Scott: #216P

Issued: 24.8.1990

New Zealand 1990, Overprint #180

Scott: #236O

Issued: 11.11.1990

Surcharge "Local Postage Paid" on #179

Scott: #371aO

Issued: 04.06.2013

Cocos (Keeling) Islands 50th Anniversary of stamps

#1-6

Inside #371a: Cocos Islands #1O,#2O,#3O,#4O,#5O,#6O

The first issue was a pictorial defi nitive series depicting the copra industry (3d); a constellation aircraft (5d); a map of the islands (8d); palms (1/-); a Jukong (2/-); and a white tern (2/3). The 1963 stamp designs are presented as imperforate in the sheetlet for this stamp issue and microdated.

During WWII and up to 1954 an RAAF Post Off ice operated on Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI), run by RAAF personnel and using Australian stamps. In 1952 the Malaysian postal administration set up a post off ice using Singapore stamps until Australia assumed administration of CKI in 1955. Australian stamps were used until 1963 when the first CKI stamps were issued on 11 June.

Thanks to Lou Guadagno

Scott: #372-3O

Issued: 06.08.2013

Barrel Mail

Inside #372: Australia #213P

Inside #373: Australia #236P

Inside #373: Australia #166P

From around 1909 mail and other essential items were delivered to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands within barrels lowered or dropped from passing P&O and Orient Line ships. The approaching liner would notify the cable station on Direction Island and staff members would collect the barrel from their jukongs. At the same time, outgoing mail was sealed in a tin can and attached to a line trailing from the ship making the drop. Some mail dispatched to and from the islands in this way carried a range of postal markings and cachets such as "Tin Can Mail" or "Orion Barrel"; (in reference to the RMS Orion).

Thanks to Lou Guadagno and Martin Hirschbühl

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