Catalog
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| Issuer | Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 1977 |
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| Reference(s) | X#5 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A tall coconut palm tree, its fronds extending leftward over a stylised coastal beach scene with textured sea and shoreline rendered in low relief, occupies the left and centre of the field. The denomination 1 RUPEE is inscribed to the right of the palm trunk. The circular legend KEELING-COCOS ISLANDS arcs along the upper periphery, flanked by small five-pointed stars, with the date 1977 at the base, also flanked by stars. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded inner border. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands rupee series was issued under the authority of John Clunies-Ross, whose family had governed the atoll as a private fiefdom since the 1820s. These tokens — not legal tender in any conventional sense — functioned as a controlled internal currency, preventing islanders from accumulating Australian dollars and thereby leaving the estate. The Australian government formally annexed full control in 1978, one year after this piece was struck, and the rupee coinage was abolished shortly thereafter when residents were paid out in Australian currency.