Tonga's colorful history reflected in its unusually shaped stamps

The colossal eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano Jan. 15 left the South Pacific archipelago of Tonga temporarily severed from the world and engulfed the kingdom's 170 islands with dense smoke and a thick layer of ash and small rocks. Tongatapu, the kingdom's largest island and home to about three-quarters of the nation's 106,000 residents, sustained widespread damage. Subsistence farming and fishing dominate the economy, and both are struggling. Smaller, low-lying islands experienced a tsunami up to 40 feet high that caused catastrophic damage. Although an internet connection has been restored, the U.N Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that it will be years before recovery is complete. How big was the eruption? NASA reported the underwater volcano spewed ash and smoke 38 miles into the atmosphere, calling it "likely the highest plume in the satellite record." Tonga has a fascinating history as told through its stamps. The first postal services were established in 1886 when Germans on Samoa about 550 miles away began handling mail from there. New Zealand quickly stepped in to help Tonga set up its own postal service. The Stamp World History website reports that the first stamps used in Tonga were those of neighboring Fiji. Later in 1886, Tonga issued its first stamps featuring the image of King George Tupou. Postal history from the late 19th century is treasured by collectors. Tonga had a modest stamp issuing program until 1963. But that year the Tongan post office distinguished itself with the release of embossed stamps on gilt foil in various shapes. It began with circular stamps; the practice evolved to include stamps shaped like hearts, fruit, books, shields, coins and more portraying the country's history and culture. Popular at first, the stamps provided valuable revenue to the Tongan government as the kingdom worked to diversify its economy. Since 2011, Tonga Post, online at tongapost.to, has designated a third party as its philatelic agent to sell stamps to collectors. The Philatelic Collector Inc. maintains an inventory of Tongan stamps dating to the 1970s. One of the most interesting aspects of Tonga's postal history is the Tin Can Mail era that serviced the far northern island of Niuafo'ou. Because the island is the tip of a volcano jutting from the ocean, it has no beaches or a natural harbor. Ships passed a mile or so offshore but could not dock. William Travers, a late 19th century plantation manager and the only white man on the island, asked Tongan postal authorities to start sealing his mail in a ship's biscuit tin and arrange for the captain of a passing ship to throw it overboard. Swimmers would go out and retrieve the tin. The practice evolved over the decades with teams of swimmers going out to the shipping channel. In 1928, German trader Walter George Quensell saw the philatelic value of such mail retrieval. He developed a rubber stamp that read "TIN CAN MAIL" and applied it to all outgoing letters. Collectors around the world began sending letters to be posted in Tonga. Tin can mail continued until 1983, when an airfield was built, allowing for mail to be carried by plane. Information about Tonga's postal history is available through the Society of Australasian Specialists/Oceania, which has incorporated the work of the former Tonga and Tin Can Mail Study Circle, at sasoceania.org. Club meeting The Black River Stamp Club meets May 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Harvest Christian Church, 907 Eastern Heights Blvd., Elyria. The club welcomes newcomers to the meeting and will help guide anyone looking to begin an adventure in learning about stamps and how to build a collection. Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.