Stamps for Potatoes
Allan B. Crawford a British meteorologist in 1946 made the first attempt to draw attention to issue first postage stamp of the
remote island of Tristan Da Cunha.On the 8th May ,1946 Crawford submitted a petition for first postage stamps of the
island to the South African Post Master General who forwarded it to the Colonial Secretary in London, which was signed by
2 members of the Island Council.
Along with many pages of petition it contained deign of 9 postage stamps which was atached as an appendix.These stamps were
designed by Crawford himself.what was strange and funny was the denomination of the stamps...and Guess what!!!
Allan Crawford on Tristan stamps issued in 2008
An example of Tristan Times - Source: http://www.rhodesianstudycircle.org.uk/
During time of WWII the newspaper "Tristan times" used to get sold at the island at "3 cigarettes or 4 large potatoes".
and here each stamps were denominated by number of Potatoes as local currency. The 1D (4 potatoes) was the postcard rate
it was showing a rock hopper penguin standing in front of a silhouette of Tristan island.The rates were as followed below:
1.5D -local letter rate
2D - empire letter rate
3D - Foreign letetr rae
4D - registered rate
6D- parcel rate/pound
Picture above shows the facsimile of the design by Crawford.
Picture shows the facsimile of 1D design by Crawford,and signed.
The petition was turned down for some reasons in September 1946.
However philatelists started to write to Tristan enclosing potatoes in payment for the 'stamps'. By the time the parcels of
potatoes reached the island most of them were mouldy, and there was a real risk of blight affecting the Tristan crops.
Imagine the post office of the island was full of potatoes on the premises
Allan B. Crawford a British meteorologist in 1946 made the first attempt to draw attention to issue first postage stamp of the
remote island of Tristan Da Cunha.On the 8th May ,1946 Crawford submitted a petition for first postage stamps of the
island to the South African Post Master General who forwarded it to the Colonial Secretary in London, which was signed by
2 members of the Island Council.
Along with many pages of petition it contained deign of 9 postage stamps which was atached as an appendix.These stamps were
designed by Crawford himself.what was strange and funny was the denomination of the stamps...and Guess what!!!
During time of WWII the newspaper "Tristan times" used to get sold at the island at "3 cigarettes or 4 large potatoes".
and here each stamps were denominated by number of Potatoes as local currency. The 1D (4 potatoes) was the postcard rate
it was showing a rock hopper penguin standing in front of a silhouette of Tristan island.The rates were as followed below:
1.5D -local letter rate
2D - empire letter rate
3D - Foreign letetr rae
4D - registered rate
6D- parcel rate/pound
The petition was turned down for some reasons in September 1946.
However philatelists started to write to Tristan enclosing potatoes in payment for the 'stamps'. By the time the parcels of
potatoes reached the island most of them were mouldy, and there was a real risk of blight affecting the Tristan crops.
Imagine the post office of the island was full of potatoes on the premises
However 1D stamp is proven to be very rare . might be only very few local use you would find,as stickers.Crawford got 1D stamp
printed 20,000 copies earlier.In 1962, Allan Crawford allowed his essays to be reprinted in miniature sheets and sold to collectors provided the islanders would benefit from the sales. The firm Cluett Burns Ltd of Southampton printed two imperforated, gummed sheetlets which were placed on the philatelic market by "Rembrandt Philatelics" of Southampton/Hants. The above pictures are
exa,ples of the same.These designs were reprinted on 2015 London stamp exhibition sheet along with the first postage stamp
of Tristan Di Cunha , which was overprinted on St.Helena Stamp.
