Tag: Cayman Islands stamp

The great thing about the myriad islands where the British Empire’s sun never set, is we get stamps on some obscure but very British subjects. Here we have the Gordon Riots. 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.

On the occasion of the death century of author Charles Dickens, Cayman Islands shows us the title character of his serialized novel Barnaby Rudge. This is thought of as one of Dickens lessor works. It was written during the time Dickens was transitioning from writing shorts stories for his own magazine, that was called  Master Humphrey’s Clock, to full length stories. There were two interesting things about Barnaby Rudge. It was set in the Gordon Riots, the story of which I will tell below. It also was reviewed by Edger Alan Poe, who liked that the title simpleton carried a raven, seen on the stamp, on his shoulder. He thought the raven under utilized by Dickens, and was inspired to write his masterpiece The Raven.

Todays stamp is issue A34, a 1 cent stamp issued by the Cayman Islands on June 17th, 1970. It was a four stamp issue in various denominations showing Dickens characters. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp was worth 25 cents unused.

The Gordon Riots happened in London in 1780. At the time the Empire found itself fighting Catholic France And Spain in an attempt to hold on to the North American colonies of Britain. The fight was not going well and the government was positively considering a change in the law to allow British Catholics to serve in the Army. A “mostly peaceful march” by Catholics was the beginning of the trouble.

Scotsman Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association, was strongly opposed to the change. He thought that Catholic soldiers would change sides when sent to fight the Catholic Armies of France or Spain. He organized counter demonstrations and the level of violence increased. Newgate Prison became a center of the violence. The Protestants attempted to breach the prison to set free the prisoners inside to join the cause. When they couldn’t get in they set Newgate on fire and the prisoners were then released. On a stone wall of the prison, graffiti appeared. ” Inmates have been released on authority of His Majesty, King Mob”. The riot was put down forcibly by the Army.

Lord George was tried for treason by the House of Lords but acquitted as his aims were found not treasonous. This was not the end for him as he had stirred the hornet’s nest. Under pressure, the Archbishop of Canterbury excommunicated Lord George. He was then sentenced to jail for defamation of some prominent Catholics. Lord George responded to how his Anglican country treated him  by converting to Judaism and living the rest of his life as an Orthadox Jew. Talk about upping the victim ante!

Perhaps there is some lesson in all of this for modern times. When the government sends out Antifa to promote unpopular ideas in the streets, they should not be surprised to find some Proud Boys.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Lord George Gordon. Not so much that I agree with everything he said, but it was nice to hear something different. Come again soon for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2020.

These small islands are hopefully done with their pirates but that doesn’t mean they still don’t host a shipwreck occasionally. 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 of The Philatelist.

These were visually well done stamps but they lack the key detail of what ship you are looking at. That is what you have The Philatelist for. Well perhaps they were worried about treasure hunters. One of the two cargo holds of the Kirk Pride held bags of cement mix. They wouldn’t have done it this way now. Scuba diving tours of their shipwrecks are now big business on Cayman. Not so much for the Kirk Pride, the wreck shifted into ever deeper water over 800 feet. Sorry but it gets pretty dark and scary that deep.

Todays stamp is issue A85, a 35 cent stamp issued by the still British Overseas Territory Cayman Islands on May 22nd, 1985. The sun may never set on the Empire but don’t call them colonies. Cayman itself must be thrilled to no longer have it’s former status as a Dependency of Jamaica, see https://the-philatelist.com/2018/12/14/cayman-islands-1935-one-group-of-caribbean-islands-avoids-poverty-by-breaking-away-and-staying-a-colony/ , they can’t be depended upon. This was a 4 stamp issue of shipwrecks around the island in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $4.25 unused.

The Kirk Pride was an 170 foot long cargo ship that displaced 498 tons. It was built in 1947 and spent it’s life working around the Caymans. In January 1976, it made an unscheduled stop in Georgetown with engine trouble.  The two cargo holds contained bags of cement and the other a Volkswagen. A nor’easter was approaching and it was worried that the ship would damage the pier when the wind and waves began to pound. The ships engine started and it was able to move away from the dock in reverse. To go forward the engine had to be switched off to shift. It would not restart and so was helpless to control where the storm would take it. It was driven into a reef that left it with a gash and water coming in. It was hoped that the sump pump would pump the water out fast enough to keep it above water until the storm was over and the leak could repaired. Unfortunately the winds shifted and with it the position on the reef. Now the gash was bigger and the ship was in 3000 feet deep water. The ship was abandoned with no loss of life. There was no effort made to salvage the wreck because of the belief  of the depth.

In 1985 a small research submarine spotted the wreck in only 800 feet of water. The bow and the stern  were wedged onto two small underwater hills. This was shallow enough for deep sea divers to be able to go have a look and the BBC did an episode about it on their travel show “Wild Caribbean”.

Sometime in the early 2000s the wreck shifted again and went deeper. Nobody ever came for the Volkwagen, I wonder how much is left 44 years later.

Well my drink is empty and the website’s publishing machine tells me that this is my 700th offering. I may pour myself another. I hope you are enjoying these as much as I am. Come again Monday for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

As Native Americans are discovering, the autonomy granted their areas can lead to business opportunities. This gaming of the system can raise a people up when there is in fact little inborn proclivity to industry. 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.

Todays stamp was from English King George V Silver Jubilee stamp issue of 1935. All of the colonies and dominions celebrated with commemorative stamp issues. The issues really are brilliantly put together. A standard portrait of George V with maps and sights from the still far flung Empire. The issue was so successful that it was copied by later Monarchs up to Elizabeth II. There is a whole group of stamp collectors that try to collect the full set of colonial issues of a specific Monarch, George V is getting quite expensive, but George VI is more doable, Elizabeth II issues are just too numerous with her long reign. While most colonies are still in the British Commonwealth, I don’t think Prince Charles will be able to pull off such a grand stamp issue when he ascends the throne. The sad part for the hobby is that the idea of it will probably not occur to him. The Cayman issue is slightly different than some other colonies as more birds and turtles are shown than bridges or port facilities. This is part of the genius of the stamp issue, by being both standardized and yet showing the character of the individual colony.

Todays stamp is issue A8, a 1/4 Penny stamp issue of the Cayman Islands, then run as a dependency of the then Crown Colony of Jamaica. Imagine the value proposition of being able to send a letter for just a quarter of a penny, but Grand Cayman is a small island. The stamp was part of a 12 stamp issue in various denominations celebrating the 25th anniversary of the beginning of George V’s Reign. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 60 cents mint. The value doubles if the stamp is used. The 1930s were the pinnacle of stamp collecting and this was one of the great stamp issues. The downside is that the high demand meant many more copies were printed than needed for postal use.

The Cayman Islands were uninhabited until the 17 century when escaped veterans of Oliver Cromwell’s army set up a community. A treaty between Britain and Spain secured the islands for Britain. The islands were administered by the colonial authority in nearby Jamaica. African slaves were brought in but not in the numbers as most Caribbean islands. After a failed West Indies Federation, Jamaica was set for independence. Independence usually meant the flight of British, Indian, and Chinese residents who simply were not welcome by the now in control black majority. Cayman decided to stay a colony and the protections of the British colonial institutions. This kept the islands diverse demographically.

There was still the problem of economic development. Here the continued colonial status paid big dividends. Sir Vassel Johnson was the first Financial Secretary of the colony after the break from Jamaica and designed the financial system to be a tax haven. The islands themselves were tax free and therefore tax evasion was not a crime. Banks had no requirement to report ownership of accounts. The government is funded by tariffs on imported goods. The tax free status lead to a proliferation of banks and other corporations in the islands. The islands are home to more corporations than people and that has resulted in a top 10 in the world per capita GNP. The island hosts more guest workers than natives and is in the process of forming a coast guard to ward off migrants. A far cry from the poverty and misery of nearby now independent Jamaica.

The world organizations of course resent tax havens but again here the colonial status pays off. Caymaners can rightly say that their foreign relations are handled by the Queen Elisabeth II, the head of state. The Queen can then honestly say that her subjects on Cayman are self governing and it is not her place to interfere with that. That does not mean that there is no corruption. The current Speaker of the Assembly was elected despite being arrested for misuse of government credit cards in Las Vegas when Premier. In 2018, the British appointed governor had to be recalled to London after being drunk, bullying staff, beating his wife, and demanding shirtless massages from a young maid in the Governor’s mansion. He had just been appointed with some fanfare as he was of Bangladeshi rather than British heritage. I assume there was less fanfare at having him back in London.

Well my drink is empty and I have yet to receive a government credit card to pay for another round. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.