 Tuvalu

The first postal services were set up in the Gilbert & Ellice Islands in 1911. The stamps of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands were superseded by the issues of the Gilbert Islands and of Tuvalu in 1976. Since independence, Tuvalu has issued stamps aimed mainly at the thematic collectors market. Between 1984 and 1988, stamps were issued for the individual islands – solely aimed at the thematic collectors market. Stanley Gibbons lists these issues in the Appendix and comments: ‘The following stamps for individual islands of Tuvalu have either been issued in excess of postal needs, or not have not been made available to the public in reasonable quantities at face value.’ [source: StampWorldHistory]