Stamps

One of the most intriguing examples of Marshall Islands postal history stems from the German colonial period: handwritten cancellations made by captains of sailing vessels and by postal agents on several atolls. Ever since they were authorised in 1902, these cancellations have been sought after by collectors. Increased publicity of their existence in 1908, coupled with colonial fervour in the general press, created a strong demand among German stamp collectors. It is not surprising that enterprising expatriates in the Marshall Islands provided a philatelic 'service' catering for that market. Some of them, the philatelic literature has claimed, are outright falsifications that never saw real transportation aboard any of the island vessels. This paper will examine in detail the case of one set of these handwritten cancellations, those created in March and April 1909 aboard the schooner Eanijen Rakijen. It will demonstrate that the voyage indeed occurred, and that the cancellations are genuine, albeit most of them of a purely philatelic nature.