Bahamas – Scott # 472, used

Description

This Bahamas commemorative stamp, Scott #472, issued in 1994, commemorates the era of bootlegging in the Bahamas from 1919 to 1929, a period when the islands played a key role in supplying alcohol to the United States during Prohibition. The design depicts stacks of liquor barrels along a waterfront, with ships and port infrastructure in the background, illustrating the scale and organization of the trade.

The imagery captures the economic and historical significance of bootlegging to the Bahamian economy during the Prohibition years, when Nassau and other ports became major transshipment points for rum and other spirits bound for the U.S. mainland. Rather than romanticizing individual figures, the stamp focuses on the logistical and commercial aspects of the trade, emphasizing barrels, docks, and maritime transport.

Rendered in a painterly, illustrative style typical of late-20th-century commemorative issues, the stamp serves as a visual history lesson highlighting a distinctive chapter in Bahamian and Caribbean maritime history. Its subject matter makes it particularly appealing to collectors interested in Prohibition-era themes, economic history, and social history on stamps.

Used examples such as this show genuine postal circulation and add authenticity for collectors of Bahamas commemoratives, historical trade themes, and late-20th-century Caribbean issues.

Scott Catalog Number: 472
Denomination: 21¢
Year of Issue: 1994
Condition: Used
Country: Bahamas