Postage stamps and postal history of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands

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1911 stamps of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands overprinted on stamps of Fiji.
1911 stamp of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate.
3-pence value showing an island scene, 1939.
1956 stamps of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
first-day cover
franked with all of the four UPU stamps of 1949.

This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

The islands in the South Pacific Ocean were a British protectorate from 1892 and colony from 1916.

First stamps

The first mail service to the

Edward VII postage stamps of Fiji were overprinted GILBERT & ELLICE / PROTECTORATE and put on sale on 1 January of that year, followed in March by a set of four stamps depicting a Pandanus tree, inscribed GILBERT & ELLICE ISLANDS / PROTECTORATE.[1][2]

George V and George VI

These were followed in 1912 by

Elizabeth II.[1][2]

Queen Elizabeth II

A set of four stamps on 1 May 1960 commemorated the 60th anniversary of the discovery of

decimal currency conversion necessitated surcharges in 1966 and a reissue of the stamps in 1968. The colony issued about 10-15 stamps per year thereafter, usually as sets of four, until the end of 1975.[1][2]

Establishment of Kiribati & Tuvalu

In 1976, the islands became two separate colonies and later independent as Kiribati and Tuvalu.

The Gilbert Islands
issued stamps under that name before attaining independence on 12 July 1979 as the Republic of Kiribati. The first stamps of Kiribati were a pair issued on 19 November 1979 to mark the independence of the country.

The Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau was established on 1 January 1976, which was the day the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony was dissolved and Tuvalu established as a separate British dependency. The first stamp issue was a set of provisional overprinted definitive stamps[3] and a commemorative set of three stamps.[4] The first postage stamp cancellation devices were put into use the same day.[5]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stamps of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

References and sources

References
  1. ^ a b c d Vernon, D.H. (2001). Philatelic Handbook of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands. London: Pacific Islands Study Circle.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781872465845
    .
  3. ^ "Gilbert and Ellice Island Type of 1971 Ovptd 'Tuvalu'". Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau. 1 January 1976. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Seperation [sic] of Gilbert & Ellice Islands". Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau. 1 January 1976. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Postal History of Tuvalu". TuvaluIslands.com. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
Sources

Further reading

External links
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