Keeling-Cocos 1968 10 rupees
This set was lot 1308 in Steve Album Auction 51 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2025), where it sold for $1,080. The catalog description[1] noted, "KEELING-COCOS ISLANDS: Token Coinage, SET of 9 tokens, 1968, a nearly complete set of these elusive 1968-series plastic tokens, only missing the 25 rupee, "KEELING COCOS Is" next to a palm tree with sea in the background // value within a decorative border; 1, 2, 5 and 10 rupees are red plastic, 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents are green plastic, some slight fading on a few of the pieces, but overall in great condition, a very rare set! set of 9 pieces, Unc, RR." John Clunies-Ross (1786-1854) established a coconut plantation there and his family ruled the islands as private property until the 1970's. While this set is popular with collectors today, we don't know how much it actually circulated at the time. A red 25 rupees also exists but was not included here. The islands are now governed by Australia.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: red or green plastic.
Catalog reference: KM Tn8 (1 cent) thru Tn16 (10 rupees).
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 51, featuring the Howard Daniel III Collection of Asian Coins, the Almer H. Orr III Collection of World Coins and the Joe Sedillot Collection of German Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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