Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter Island Stamps


The RapaNuiCentral.com Web site reports that on April 5, 1722, a small fleet of three Dutch vessels discovered a small volcanic island in the middle of Pacific Ocean. Since it was Easter Sunday, the captain of the fleet baptized his discovery with the name that is universally known, Easter Island.

It goes on to say, "Although Easter Island has no Postal Authority to issue its own postage stamps (like some French dependencies as French Polynesia or St. Pierre et Miquelon), Chile Postal Authority has issued, over the years, many stamps and souvenir sheets related to Easter Island history and culture."

Rapa Nui Central is an on going project about Easter Island. It features a number of stamps, souvenir sheets, and first day covers related to Easter Island's history and culture

Shown above, imperforate souvenir sheet issued by Chile in 1988 to commemorate 100 years of Easter Island as Chilean territory. Below the group of four stamps, there is a view of Easter Island as seen from sea level. Symbols of Easter Island lost writing (Rongo Rongo) are all around the border of the sheet.

To learn more, click here.
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posted by Don Schilling at 12:01 AM