Category: Bahamas

The Ocean Club was originally developed as the private estate of a Swedish industrialist, Axel Wenner-Gren. For more than two decades he created a magnificent estate with intricately landscaped gardens inspired by those at the Chateau de Versailles. Wenner-Gren christened it Shangri-La. In 1962 Huntington Hartford II, heir to the…

View More Bahamas Philately: The Ocean Club

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain’s North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he may have been a sailor on privateer ships during Queen Anne’s War before he settled on…

View More Bahamas Philately: Blackbeard’s Tower

Eleuthera refers both to a single island and to its associated group of smaller islands. It lies 80 km (50 miles) east of Nassau and forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. Its eastern side faces the Atlantic Ocean, and its western side faces the Great Bahama Bank. The…

View More Bahamas Philately: Eleuthera

Bahamas Airways Limited (BAL) was formed in 1936 to takeover the operation Inter-island Charter Services (1933). In 1943, Pan American Airways (Pan Am) took a 45% stake in 1943 but was bought out by British South American Airways (BSAA) and in 1949 was subsequently was absorbed into British Overseas Airways Corporation…

View More Bahamas Philately: Bahamas Airways Limited

Details Series: 1971 Definitive Series (New Values) Subject: Royal Poinciana Designer: Elyse Wasile Printer: Format International Security Printers Ltd Process: Lithography Paper:  Watermark: Multiple St Edward’s Crown Block CA Perf: 14.5 x 14 (comb) Cylinders: 1A (Deep Green) 1A (Yellow-Green) 1A (Yellow) 1A (Red) 1A (Black) 1B (Deep Green) 1B (Yellow-Green) 1B (Yellow) 1B (Red)…

View More Bahamas Philately: 1971 Definitive Series (New Values) – 18c Royal Poinciana

In 1949, Robert Hallam Symonette (1925-1998), an accomplished international yachtsman and future Olympian, invested $100,000 to provide visiting yachts a modern marina. The new marina provided accommodation for 50 yachts of 25ft length or more, and similar capacity for smaller boats. In addition to the marina, he also constructed a…

View More Bahamas Philately: Pilot House Club

The postal rate for postcards sent to the USA by air was 9d, which required a 1d and 8d stamp to make up the rate. As postcards lack sufficient room to add the two stamps, a 9d overprint was added to the 8d stamp of the 1965 definitive series. Details…

View More Bahamas Philately: 1965 Definitive Series (New Value Overprint)

Details Subject: Public Square Designer: Portrait by Anthony Buckley Printer: Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd, New Malden, Surrey, England Process: Lithography & Recess (portrait & BAHAMAS) Paper:  Watermark: Multiple St Edward’s Crown Block CA Perf: 13.5 (comb) Plates: 1 (Orange-Brown), 1 (Violet), 1 (Green) : 1a (Orange-Brown), 1a (Violet), 1a (Green) Sheet: Printed in sheets…

View More Bahamas Philately: 1965 Definitive Series – 10d Public Square

The Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), in Nassau, is a non-profit publicly funded facility. The cornerstone was laid 5 March 1952 and the building officially opened 21 May 1953. It was previously named the Bahamas General Hospital, and was renamed in 1955 in honour of the visit HRH Princess Margaret to…

View More Bahamas Philately: 1965 Definitive Series – 1½d Hospital

In 1957, Pan American (Pan Am) World Airways inaugurated the first New York to Nassau flight. The first flight from New York departed on 20 February and the first flight from Nassau departed 21 February. Pan Am was authorised to provide service between New York and Nassau for five years.…

View More Bahamas Philately: Pan American World Airways – First Flight 1957