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2 Rupees
| Issuer | J.S. Clunies Ross (Cocos (Keeling) Islands) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | KEELING COCOS ISLANDS • 1910 • |
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| Additional information |
The Clunies Ross family ruled the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as a private fiefdom for over a century, and their token currency was a deliberate instrument of control. Workers — almost all Cocos Malay laborers — were paid in these plastic tokens rather than sterling, binding them to the company store and making flight from the islands economically impossible. The system persisted until the Australian government intervened in 1978.
Plastic ivory was chosen as a practical substitute after earlier mother-of-pearl tokens proved too fragile and too costly to produce at volume.