Britain established the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965. Located between Africa and India, it was created from islands that had variously been part of the Seychelles and Mauritius. In 1966, British Indian Ocean Territory stamps were first used. This began a tradition that gave the British Indian Ocean Territory a beloved if obscure place in the philately world. British Indian Ocean Territory stamps have a fun history and there are quite a few more types of collectible items than you may suspect.
Types of British Indian Ocean Territory Stamps
The first stamps of the British Indian Ocean Territory of 1966 were in fact stamps from the Seychelles with overprints. The added overprints read B.I.O.T. These first-ever Territory stamps are of course collectible for buyers who focus on initial-year issues, as well as collectors of Seychelles stamps.
By now, the native population had been removed from the main island of Diego Garcia by the U.K. Today the B.I.O.T. is inhabited only by military personnel. However, this hasn’t diminished the flow of British Indian Ocean Territory stamps one iota; there have been countless postal items for collectors produced.
With its unusual political, geographic, and postal situations, the British Indian Ocean Territory has a stamp tradition that caters heavily to to collectors. Various covers, including first day covers, are one big area of interest. Others include special souvenir sheets and maxicards, in addition to the full sheets, stamp blocks, and unhinged mint stamps from the BIOT that find their way to the collectors’s marketplace.
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Collecting British Indian Ocean Territory Stamps
There may not be a large number of online stamp vendors who specialize in British Indian Ocean Territory stamps. However, there are quite a few sellers who have a few different examples available at any given time. Since many B.I.O.T. stamps are priced reasonably it can be easy to quickly build a collection that you can gaze upon with pride. Keep an eye out for the latest since the selection changes online all the time. Whatever type of postal collectibles you enjoy, there are usually some great pieces waiting for you!
