1938 Tin Can Mail, 20 cachets

12th October 1938 Tin Can Mail, unaddressed illustrated cover, four cachets on the front and sixteen on the reverse.

Tin Can Mail. The Tongan Island of Niuafoíou had no deep water harbour so mail for the island was thrown overboard from ships in biscuit tins & collected by swimmers (later canoes), who took it to shore and in the other direction. During the 1930s & 40s this became quite a tourist attraction and you could have your mail covered in cachets to show it had made the journey.