Tonga

The postage stamps of Tonga appeared in 1886 with a 5-value set picturing Tonga’s King George I. The British Protectorate (now an independent British Commonwealth kingdom) produced many beautiful stamps in the following years. They were inscribed “Toga” until 1950. In the early 1900s, the harbor was too shallow for ships to dock at Niuafo’ou island. Mail was thrown overboard in tins and Tongan swimmers picked it up. And they swam back with outgoing mail. Tonga produced the world’s first self-adhesive stamps in 1963. That wasn’t its only innovation. Tonga created a lot of fun for us collectors with their many original stamp shapes – bananas, stars, crowns, hearts, coconuts, and lots more!