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2 Rupees
| Issuer | Clunies-Ross Family (Keeling Cocos Islands) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1902 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black letterpress on white paper with red elements, the note centres the Clunies-Ross family coat of arms — a quartered shield with palm tree supporters and a motto ribbon — at the upper portion of the face. To the left, a large red numeral "2" is set within a bold red circle, serving as the primary denomination indicator. A dashed-border panel in the lower half carries the exchange obligation text in black letterpress, with the manuscript signature of G. Clunies Ross at lower right and the date 1902 at lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Signature(s) | G. Clunies Ross |
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| Comments |
The Clunies-Ross family operated the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as a private fiefdom from the early nineteenth century until well into the twentieth, controlling the copra trade through a captive labor system that paid Cocos Malay workers entirely in tokens and scrip redeemable only at the family store. This 1902 note is part of that closed monetary system — currency that could not leave the island and ensured wages never actually left the Clunies-Ross economy.
At 55 × 48 mm, this is among the smallest-format paper issues in any serious collection. The George Clunies-Ross signature dates it to the fourth generation of family rule over the archipelago.