The Cocos (Keeling) Islands operated their own plastic token currency — denominated in rupees — from 1977 until 1978, when the Australian dollar was formally extended to the territory following a United Nations-supervised act of self-determination. These 2023 issues are commemorative pieces referencing that brief, peculiar monetary experiment rather than any current legal tender system. The original plastic tokens were produced in five denominations and are now genuinely scarce collector items; these steel strikes exist entirely in that shadow.
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands operated their own plastic token currency — denominated in rupees — from 1977 until 1978, when the Australian dollar was formally extended to the territory following a United Nations-supervised act of self-determination. These 2023 issues are commemorative pieces referencing that brief, peculiar monetary experiment rather than any current legal tender system. The original plastic tokens were produced in five denominations and are now genuinely scarce collector items; these steel strikes exist entirely in that shadow.