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Danish West Indies

FIRST STAMPS ISSUED November 1855.
Also used British stamps on packet letters in 1865-79 (oblit. 051, St Thomas).

CURRENCY
1855, 100 cents 1 dollar = 5 Danish kroner.
1905, 100 bit = 1 franc = 1 Danish Krone.
1917, US.

Group of 53 islands, some of which were occupied by the Danes in 1666 and declared a colony in 1674. St Thomas, St Croix and St John are the most important; St Croix became Danish in 1733 and St Thomas in 1754. A coaling station from 1841. St Thomas became the hub of the West Indies packet services in 1851 until 1885, when Barbados resumed its position of importance. The group was bought by and transferred to the USA as the US Virgin Islands on 1 April 1917.

Mail between St Thomas and Puerto Rico was carried by a Spanish mail packet until July 1867, when a contract was signed whereby all correspondence transported was to be sent via British agencies. A British mail clerk was put aboard each of its two vessels (oblit. D26 used on Montezuma).

United States Virgin Islands
Has used US stamps since 1 April 1917 (Danish West Indies stamps were valid to 30 September 1917 and are known from April to September in combination with those of the USA).