Bahamas Philately: 1962 City of Nassau Centenary (1861-1961)

During the American Civil War, The Bahamas was a haven for blockade runners that were aligned with the Confederate States. As the Union had blockaded all Confederate ports, blockade runners traded cotton at Nassau for British goods, with the cotton eventually finding its way to British cotton mills.

Grand Bahama Island had a decreasing population in the 19th century because of Nassau, but after the Civil War began in 1861, Grand Bahama Island’s population doubled because of the blockade runners’ actions.

The first blockade runner docked at Nassau on December 5, 1861 and the town also experienced a population boom. In the same year, the Diocese of Nassau was created and Christ Church designated “The Cathedral Church of the Bahamas” thus making the town “the City of Nassau.”

Details

Date of Issue: 30 January 1962
Date Withdrawn: 29 July 1962
Date Invalidated:
Designer:
Printer: Joh. Enschedé En Zonen Hollande
Process: Photogravure
Watermark: None
Perf: 14 x 13 (comb)
Cylinders: None
Sheet: R5 x 6 (30 stamps)
Quantity:
- 8d – 807,660 (total)
  - 749,600 (local)
  - 57,900 (Crown Agents)
- 10d – 319,478 (total)
  - 262,800 (local)
  - 57,398 (Crown Agents)
Reprint:
- 30,000 (8d & 10d)*

*The first order from the printers was purchased by a single person in Nassau, attempting to corner the market. However, an additional 30,000 sets had been quietly ordered by the Bahamas postal service.

The issue was suited to airmail rates which both duties represent.