Today in Postal History
Aitutaki to England
December 17, 1920
This registered cover was sent from Aitutaki in the
southeastern
Cook Islands.
It is located at 18°52' S and 159°45' W.
The island of Aitutaki, under British protection
since 1888,
was annexed to New Zealand as a dependency on June 11, 1901.
Although it became a port of entry to the Cook Islands on August 9,
1972,
it retained its own postal system and its own stamps.
The cover is franked with a New Zealand 1902 1s.
bright red Kea and Kaka (SG 315a)
overprinted AITUTAKI | Tai
Tiringi 1s. issued in 1903 for Aitutaki (SG 7).
There are two Aitutaki N.Z. cds.
Registration was indicated by a handstamped
registration label
and blue crayon crosses on both front and back.
The cover was routed through Raratonga in the
Cook Islands
on
December 29 where a double circle CDS transit mark was applied.
The next postal marking was the REGISTERED banner
in London.
The arrival date is illegible.
All in all, this is an uncommon item of high value.
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