02 January - Gilbert & Ellice Islands issues its first postage stamps.

 

On 02 January 1976  overprinted Gilbert & Ellice Islands stamps were issued for Gilbert Islands. Illustrated is a 1¢ stamp overprinted “THE GILBERT ISLANDS”. A red bar across the bottom of the stamp obliterates the original “GILBERT&ELLICE ISLANDS.”

Gilbert Islands stamps continued to be produced through 1979, when the colony became an independent republic named Kiribati.

The republic’s first stamp, issued July 12, 1979, proudly proclaims “INDEPENDENCE 1979” above its new national flag.

Meanwhile, the status of the nine Ellice Islands was changing as well. The group remained a crown colony until 1975, when Ellice Islands became a separate British dependency with its own government and was renamed Tuvalu.

Maps of each of the nation’s islands and atolls appeared on Tuvalu’s stamps in 1976.

Shown nearby is a 1¢ stamp with a map of the reef island of Niulakita

Tuvalu gained independence on Oct. 1, 1978, and marked the occasion by overprinting seven stamps issued in 1976 with the words “INDEPENDENCE 1ST OCTOBER 1978.”

The overprinted stamps are Tuvalu Scott 85-91. The overprinted 20¢ stamp  is shown nearby, with a map of Vaitupu and a maneapa (house).

The geopolitics of faraway Gilbert & Ellice Islands from long ago to the present day is fascinating, and collecting the attractive stamps that document the history and beauty of the islands is equally absorbing. Give it a try!