Tag: Bahamas stamp

When the UN makes a silly proclamation like this, poor countries line up to be a part of it. They hope that there will be help forthcoming. There won’t be of course, none of this is about them. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

As far as the appearance of this stamp, my initial take is that they wouldn’t present it like this 40 years on. On further reflection, of course they would. The children of the poor country appear friendly and the place name on the stamp tells all you need to know of their need. The international symbol of whatever tells you the help expected must come from outside.

Todays stamp is issue A64, a 5 cent stamp issued by the Bahamas on May 15th, 1979. It was a four stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether it is mint or used.

UNESCO declared 1979 the “Year of the Child” in a declaration signed by then UN General Secretary Kurt Waldheim. The UN made the standard noises about childhood malnutrition and lack of access to education. What it really was about though was a pop concert held in New York City. Several prominent artists agreed to give the royalties from their then current single to the UN and signed a parchment scroll that they believed in UNESCO’s mission.

The concert, hosted by David Frost, was a bust. Elton John didn’t show up, well his autobiographical movie told us what his schedule was like then. The Bee Gees and Abba showed up but just lip synced “Too Much Heaven” and “Chiquita” Well the Bee Gees really singing it might well have been too much heaven. Rod Stewart really sang “Do Ya think I’m sexy”, apparently a question he really wanted answered. The concert raised less that one million dollars. The song royalties didn’t really pan out as they were time limited. The proceeds barely paid for the new statue honoring UNESCO, excuse me “the Family” at the Palace of Justice in Geneva. I did a stamp on the Palace of Justice here, https://the-philatelist.com/2017/11/07/the-league-gets-a-palace-but-so-late-they-just-leave-it-empty/ .

Could the year of the child really have been that shallow? Well not exactly though it took ten more years to happen. The year was part of the build up to the passing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This again had nothing to do with poor children in the third world but rather was a template for rewriting laws in the west regarding sentences for juvenile criminals and even parents regarding spanking children. Most countries signed on but swore to ignore what they found intrusive. Over time however standards did change. The USA no longer executes for crimes committed by those under 18 and in Canada you can’t spank. India passed a law against child labour that they don’t yet enforce.

Well my drink is empty and I have time for a few more while waiting for the UN to help the third world child. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2020.

Transition a colony to self rule is complicated. A colonial power wants to leave but doesn’t want things to just fall apart. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

A late issue in the colonial period of the Bahamas. So another Queen Elizabeth stamp during a victory lap. See this https://the-philatelist.com/2018/02/12/british-guiana-going-independant-means-choosing-between-the-indians-and-the-africans/ . What is nice here is the low denominations show things Britain has done for the people of the Bahamas. The low denominations being more likely to be used for bulk postage. So here we show the infant welfare center that was a gift of Britain, In the same set we have high denominations showing Paradise Beach and water skiing. The higher denominations are more of interest to stamp collectors and make the point of Bahamas as a nice place to visit. See also https://the-philatelist.com/2018/02/07/the-british-in-cyprus-again-having-to-stand-between/

The stamp today is issue A17, a half penny issued by the Crown Colony of the Bahamas on January 1st, 1954. The stamp was part of a 16 stamp issue of various denominations celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The stamp had a long life. In 1964, the issue was renewed with an overprint announcing the new constitution of 1964. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.90 used. Interestingly the mint version is only worth 25 cents.

Bahamas is very close to the USA so despite being a British colony gets enmeshed in USA issues. Great Britain freed slaves in the empire 30 years before the USA. So when slave ships ended up in Bahamas the slaves on board  were given their freedom. The USA then made a claim to Great Britain, which was paid, for the value of the freed slaves. During the American civil war, blockade running to the South was a lucrative if dangerous undertaking.

When nearby Cuba went socialist and closed the casinos. The American mob figures involved in Cuba became interested in getting new casinos built in the Bahamas. In doing so, they tarnished as bribe takers the last colonial era premier and the first independent prime minister with the stench of the bribes. In the eighties, 90 % of the cocaine entering the USA passed through the Bahamas thanks to bribes paid to Lyndon Pindling, the long serving first Prime Minister. I should say Sir Lyndon, as the Queen knighted him as well as the also corrupt predecessor Sir Roland Symonette. Why not hand out undeserved titles if it gets  you out the door quicker?

Tourism and banking eventually raised the standards of life in the Bahamas. Throughout it has been plagued by pirates and crooks. A problem that the British did mot solve and more importantly the Bahamians themselves have yet to get a grip on.

Well, my drink is empty and so I will open the discussion in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.