The Bahamas first used its own postage stamps in 1859, when these islands located in the Lucayan Archipelago were a territory of the United Kingdom. Stamps of this era tended to feature Queen Victoria.
After the reign of Victoria ended in 1901, the Bahamas remained part of the UK, and British monarchs continued to be common subjects on Bahamian postage stamps. Stamps with King Edward VII, King George V, and King George VI are all popular with collectors of both Bahamas and British postage stamps. Queen Elizabeth II has also been featured on numerous Bahamas stamps since her coronation.
Besides regular postage stamps, there have been a small number of other very collectible stamps for various uses in the Bahamas. In World War I, the first Bahamas semi-postals were issued, along with war tax stamps and special delivery stamps. In the 1980s, the Bahamas issued airmail stamps.
More: Jamaica rare stamps for philatelists and other buyers
Self-governance, 1964
In 1964, the Bahamas gained self-governance, although they were not fully independent from the United Kingdom. Postage stamps of the Bahamas were, of course, issued to commemorate this new period of self-governance. Two years later, in 1966, the Bahamas decimalized its currency, and stamps were changed under this new plan.
Independence, 1973
Finally, independence came for the Bahamas in 1973, and there were several stamps issued honoring this fact. Since then, there have been many interesting Bahamas postage stamps and covers, maxicards, special first day covers, and more philatelic collectibles related to the Bahamas.
Check the current selection of Bahamas stamps for sale in this section. We update the listings daily.
