Small Collecting Areas (2), Stamps of the Carolingians

In this column, we discuss a region that issued a number of stamps for only a short time. This time, the Karolin Islands. 

Postage stamps bearing the country name “Karolinen” have been issued since 1899. The Carolinians are located in the South Pacific and comprise several Melanesian island groups, including Palau, Truk Islands, Ponape, Yap, and Kusaie. The name Islas Carolinas was given to the island group in 1686 by the Spanish navigator Francisco Lazeano.

In 1885, a conflict arose between Spain and Germany over the islands. The issue was eventually resolved through the mediation of Pope Leo XIII: Spain retained sovereignty over the Carolingians, while Germany was granted trading rights.

After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain lost its last major possessions in the Pacific. In 1899, Spain sold the Carolingians to Germany, and from October 12, German stamps bearing the Carolingian overprint were issued. A few months later, the same series was issued with a new, steeper overprint.

In 1900, the new German colonial stamps featuring images of the imperial yacht, the SMY Hohenzollern, also appeared for the Carolingians. Initially 13 values ​​without a watermark.

And from 1915, three values ​​of this appeared with a watermark (diamonds).

And that was it, because during the First World War, Japan occupied the German islands in 1914. After the war, Japan received a mandate over the Carolingians from the League of Nations.

It naturally seems remarkable that German stamps continued to appear after the Japanese occupation in 1914. The German postal service in the Carolingians ended in October 1914 with the Japanese occupation. Although Germany continued to produce stamps for the Carolingians until 1923, these were no longer used on the islands. The unused stamps found after 1914 can therefore only be considered collector's issues.

On October 7, 1914, Japan occupied Ponape (Pohnpei), among other places. This marked the end of the German postal service. Subsequently, Japanese stamps were used.

The famous “Buried Mail” of Ponape

The most important exceptional case is the so-called "Vergrabene Post" (Buried Mail). When the German East Asian Cruiser Squadron was stationed at Ponape in August 1914, mail from, among others, crew members of the SMS Gneisenau was sent from Ponape. Due to the outbreak of war and the subsequent Japanese occupation, some of this mail could not be transported normally. The mail was left behind at Ponape and subsequently buried or hidden at a mission post. It was not until 1923 that this mail was recovered and forwarded to the addressees. Special gummed labels were used to avoid penalty postage. Such items are extraordinarily rare.

After World War II, the islands came under American administration and eventually developed into the present-day island states of Micronesia and Palau.

The German Colony of the Karolins issued only 28 different stamps during its short existence, the last three of which were never used on the islands. If you want to go a little further than just the stamps, there are also a few stationery items.

At PostBeeld you will find stamps of the Carolingians under German colonies. Click here.