Postage stamps and postal history of the Pitcairn Islands
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The postal history of the Pitcairn Islands can be traced to second half of the 19th century, when outgoing mail was hand stamped as "Posted on Pitcairn Island: no stamps available."[1] Stamps were carried by passing ships and received postal stamps and cancellation at various ports of calls.[2] However, this practice was discontinued in 1926 following reports of ship passengers mixing their own mail into the “no stamp” system set aside for the Pitcairn residents.[3]
In June 1927, a postal agency was set up on Pitcairn to sell New Zealand stamps. The first Pitcairn postage stamps, consisting of eight denominations, were issued on October 15, 1940.[2]
The New Zealand-based Pitcairn Islands Philatelic Bureau coordinates the territory’s stamp program.[3] The program issues up to six commemorative stamps per year, and new definitive stamps are issued on an average cycle of five years.[4] The sale of philatelic issues has been a source of revenue for the territory.[2]
List of people on stamps of the Pitcairn Islands
Below is a partial list of people on stamps of the Pitcairn Islands arranged in alphabetical order:[5]
- John Adams (1940)
- Thomas Adams (1969)
- Prince Andrew, Duke of York (1986)
- Princess Anne (1973)
- Captain William Bligh (1940)
- Charles, Prince of Wales (1981)
- Fletcher Christian (1940)
- Winston Churchill (1974)
- Diana, Princess of Wales (1981)
- Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (1999)
- Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1949)
- Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (1952)
- George VI of the United Kingdom (1940)
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1971)
- Sarah, Duchess of York (1986)
- Sir Peter Scott (1992)
- Sophie, Countess of Wessex (1999)
- Chris Stewart (2009)
- John I. Tay (1986)
- George Washington (1976)
- Simon Young (1961)
References
- ↑ "Pitcairn’s Postal Services". Pitcairn Islands Study Center, Pacific Union College. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Barth Healey (February 5, 1989). "Stamps: Big Issues From a Small Volcanic Island in the Pacific". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "50th Anniversary of the first Pitcairn Islands Stamps". Pitcairn Islands Philatelic Bureau. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ↑ Vernon N. Kisling. "Pitcairn Islands Stamp Collecting: An Introduction". Pitcairns Island Study Group. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ↑ "Pitcairn Philately". Pitcairn Islands Study Center, Pacific Union College. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
External links
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