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Auction: 25100 - World Banknotes - e-Auction
Lot: 546

Keeling Cocos Islands, [Top Pop] 5 Rupees, 1897, manuscript serial number 62,

the Clunies-Ross family settled on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago, in 1827. They ruled these uninhabited islands as a private domain until 1978, initially under terra nullius and later under British (1857-1955) and Australian (1955-1978) sovereignty. Often recognized as the "King of the Cocos Islands," the family played a crucial role in shaping the islands' history.

John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish merchant, arrived in 1825 and moved his family to one of the islands in 1827. He established a successful business by planting coconut palms and employing Malay workers for copra harvesting. Despite British annexation in 1857, the islands maintained their autonomy.

John George Clunies-Ross succeeded his father, earning the title of Tuan Pandai for his medical knowledge. Born in the Cocos Islands, he studied engineering in Scotland and became superintendent in 1871. In 1886, Queen Victoria granted perpetual ownership of the islands to the Clunies-Ross family. The islands became part of the Straits Settlements in 1903, but ownership persisted unchanged. George Clunies-Ross's death in 1910 marked the end of the family's direct rule.

The banknote presented today belongs to the 3rd issue (1897). This series features handwritten control numbers and printed serial numbers, all signed by King G. Clunies Ross. Notably, these notes represent the first instance of paper currency on the islands,

(Pick S122, KNB16), in PMG holder 45 Choice Extremely Fine, a low serial number and exceptional grade for type. At time of cataloguing no other examples of the 5 rupee recorded on Track and Price and the only note graded on PMG Census. This example possibly the only example extant on the market and a remarkable discovery note from this iconic issue

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Estimate

Starting price
£700