Postage stamps and postal history of Vanuatu facts for kids
Have you ever wondered about the history of stamps? This article explores the postage stamps and postal history of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is a group of islands in the South Pacific, part of Oceania. It used to be called the New Hebrides.
From 1906 to 1980, Vanuatu was run by both the United Kingdom (Britain) and France together. This special arrangement was called a Condominium. Because of this, both countries printed their own stamps for the islands. Later, they even made stamps together! These joint stamps had "EIIR" for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and "RF" for the French Republic.
British Stamps
The first stamps from Britain for the New Hebrides came out in 1908 and 1910. They were made by printing "NEW HEBRIDES / CONDOMINIUM" over stamps from Fiji.
Then, in 1911, Britain and France worked together on a joint stamp. This stamp had the coats of arms (symbols) of both countries. These stamps were used for several years. By 1920, some less popular stamps had to be changed to "1d." and "2d." because they were running out. New stamps with different colors came out in 1921. But more changes were needed in 1924.
In 1925, another set of nine joint stamps was released. These stamps showed both British pence and French centime values. The British version had the pence on the right side. It was printed on special paper with a "multiple crown and script CA" watermark.
Things got tricky when the value of the French money changed. So, for the next stamps in 1938, both countries decided to use the same currency: "gold francs". The 1938 stamps all showed a "beach scene". This scene included huts, palm trees, a canoe, and a volcano far away. These stamps said "NEW HEBRIDES" at the top and "CONDOMINIUM" at the bottom.
In 1949, a special stamp was issued to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). New regular stamps came out in 1953. In 1956, four stamps marked the 50th anniversary of the Condominium. Another set of regular stamps followed in 1957. After this, many stamps were common ones shared across the British Commonwealth. Stamps specifically for the New Hebrides started appearing more often from 1967.
French Stamps
The first stamps from France for the New Hebrides also came out in 1908 and 1910. These were stamps from their colony, New Caledonia, with "NOUVELLES HEBRIDES" printed over them. In 1910, "CONDOMINIUM" was added.
The joint stamp of 1911, with values in centimes, was first printed on British paper. Then, in 1912, it was printed on French paper with an "R F" watermark. Just like with the British stamps, changes were needed in 1920 because of stamp shortages.
French stamps from 1925 and 1938 were similar to the British ones. However, in 1941, the 1938 stamps were overprinted with "France Libre". This showed that the Free French Forces were in charge, not the Vichy France government. After World War II, French stamps were generally similar to British ones. The main difference was that they were written in French.
Vanuatu's Own Stamps
Today, the stamps are issued under the name Vanuatu. These modern stamps show the country's independence.
Local Stamps
In 1897, a local mail service started between the islands. This service was run by the Australasian New Hebrides Company. They even issued two special local stamps for this service. However, the service did not last. The remaining stamps were later sold to stamp dealers.
Images for kids
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Stamp of Fiji overprinted 'New Hebrides Condominium', 1908.
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A British version of the 1949 U.P.U. issue of New Hebrides.
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A French version of the 1949 U.P.U. issue of New Hebrides.
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