The British overseas territory called Turks and Caicos Islands has a postage stamp history going back to 1867. The colony is, as its name suggests, made up of two groups of islands: the Turks islands and the Caicos islands. The two groups have been part of a single entity since 1848. The larger Turks group has tended to dominate philately.
Turks Islands stamps
Beginning in 1867, stamps with the inscription TURKS ISLANDS were issued for use throughout the colony (including the Caicos islands). This one penny stamp was reused many times with various surcharges. A new series of Turks Islands stamps was issued beginning in 1881 with more values printed in the stamps. Surcharges exist for these too.
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Turks and Caicos Islands stamps
The first stamps inscribed with the full name TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS were released in 1900, and continue to be issued to this day. British royalty features, prominently or otherwise, on virtually every Turks and Caicos stamp. Occasionally, an ampersand (&) is used in the inscription instead of the word AND.
Caicos Islands stamps
From 1983 to 1985, several stamps inscribed CAICOS ISLANDS were issued (following some Turks and Caicos stamps that were overprinted ‘CAICOS ISLANDS’ in 1981). All “Caicos Islands” stamps have the full name of the territory in smaller text, and seem directed solely at the collectors’ market.
Turks and Caicos Islands stamps are popular with many collectors these days. Check the current listings here, including our Turks and Caicos stamps subcategories; listings are refreshed daily.
