NauruFirst Postage Stamp

The very first time it said NAURU

Before 1916, Nauru had no stamp bearing its own name. Today it is recognised as the world’s smallest island state. Under German rule from 1888, mail used Marshall Islands stamps cancelled “NAURU–MARSHALL INSELN,” and the first post office opened on 14 July 1908, largely serving the developing phosphate industry. The stamps are standard British Empire King George V definitives overprinted NAURU in black at the foot. Eleven denominations were issued, from ½d to 1s. The overprint measures about 12.75mm and sits low in the design. In 1923, three values were overprinted again with a longer setting, about 13.5mm, placed centrally this time, so remember that the true first issue is the low overprint. An overprint error reading “NAUPU” is recorded, and crude forged NAURU overprints on genuine base stamps are known, so the typography deserves attention. The first official appearance of the name NAURU on its own postage, more than fifty years before independence in 1968.