New stamps mark museum’s quarter century
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Postal Service has issued a new stamp series to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Cayman Islands National Museum. The four-set series, a collaboration between the two entities, features various artefacts from the museum collection.
Museum director Peggy Leshikar-Denton described the new stamps. “I can say that the museum board, management and staff are honoured that in recognition of the museum’s 25th anniversary, the postal service is launching a special stamp issue featuring artefacts from the museum collection – from a hand-crafted doll figurine to a sextant – showcasing the range of objects held in trust for the people of the Cayman Islands.
“It is gratifying that these images upon stamps will travel throughout the Cayman Islands and also circle the globe to reach a worldwide audience.”
The issue features two 25-cent stamps depicting a Caymanian woman doll and ship sextant.
The doll is hand-carved from a single tree limb. Clarice Carter of Bodden Town created this 1960s crude figure by using guava wood and house paint. The position of the hand exemplifies the friendly disposition for which Caymanians are known.
The Plath Navistar sextant, an artefact from the 1960s, was owned and used by Capt. Wordal Rankine of East End, who was a member of the Home Guard and a Merchant Marine, who emigrated to the US where he raised his family.
The 75-cent stamp features a cast-iron double-wheel Swift Mill coffee grinder that was made by Lane Brothers, from Poughkeepsie, New York. From the collection of Ira Thompson, this model is complete with a wooden drawer to collect the ground coffee beans.
The $1.60 stamp depicts a monkey jar, which is a spherical earthenware red clay water container commonplace in the Caribbean. These jars are not made in the Cayman Islands and the origin of the name is unknown. Monkey jars were popular imports from Jamaica in the early 1900s.
Debra Barnes-Tábora, the museum’s curations and collections manager, explained that the stamp issue is a “historic milestone in the museum’s history. We are grateful to the Philatelic Bureau and the Stamp Advisory Committee for their most considerate support of this stamp issue.”
For more information, contact acting philatelic manager Diana Johnson on 946-4757, or view the collection at the Postal Service website
Category: Culture
