Banknotes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands facts for kids

Banknotes are like special paper money that countries use. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean, used their own banknotes a long time ago, between 1887 and 1902. These old notes are very special and hard to find today, especially those made before 1902.

Each banknote had the signature of the person who was the 'King' of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands at that time. This was usually a member of the Clunies-Ross family, who owned the islands. The money system they used was called the Cocos (Keeling) Islands rupee [ru]. Just like 100 cents make one dollar, 100 cents made one rupee on these islands.

Early Banknotes: The First Issue (1887–1888)

The very first banknotes from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands were made between 1887 and 1888. These notes were unique because they had the word 'COCOS.' printed at the top.

They were also special because they were not printed on paper like most money today. Instead, they were printed on sheepskin, which is a type of leather! Each note was signed by hand by King J.C. Ross and had its date written on it.

Here are some of the values of these early notes:

• PS101. ¼ rupee. 1887–88.
• PS102. ½ rupee. 24 July 1888.
• PS103. 1 rupee. 1888.
• PS104. 2 rupees. 1888.

More Sheepskin Money: The Second Issue (1888)

Right after the first set, another group of banknotes was made in 1888. These notes were also printed on sheepskin. This time, the notes had 'KEELING COCOS ISLANDS' written at the top.

Just like the first issue, King J.C. Ross signed these notes by hand and added the date.

Here are the different values for this second set of notes:

• PS111. ¼ rupee. 1888.
• PS112. ½ rupee. 1888.
• PS113. 1 rupee. 1888.
• PS114. 2 rupees. 1888.
• PS115. 3 rupees. 1888.
• PS116. 5 rupees. 1888.

A Change to Paper: The Third Issue (1897)

In 1897, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands banknotes changed. This was a big step because these were the first notes to be printed on paper instead of sheepskin!

These notes had special control numbers written by hand and serial numbers that were printed. King G. Clunies Ross signed these notes.

Here are the values of the paper notes from 1897:

• PS117. ¼ rupee. 1897.
• PS118. ½ rupee. 1897.
• PS119. 1 rupee. 1897.
• PS120. 2 rupees. 1897.
• PS121. 3 rupees. 1897.
• PS122. 5 rupees. 1897.

The Final Issue: The Fourth Issue (1902)

The last set of banknotes from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands was made in 1902. These notes were also printed on paper, just like the third issue.

For this issue, King G. Clunies Ross's signature was printed directly onto the notes, not added by hand. A large number of these 1902 notes have been found and sold to collectors in recent years, making them a bit easier to find than the older, very rare ones.

Here are the values for the 1902 notes:

• PS123. 1/10 rupee. 1902.
• PS124. ¼ rupee. 1902.
• PS125. ½ rupee. 1902.
• PS126. 1 rupee. 1902.
• PS127. 2 rupees. 1902.
• PS128. 5 rupees. 1902.