Finally, after what seems like an age, I can now follow up my earlier article about the Barbados Rum Shop stamps, as they have arrived here in the U.K.

The set comprises five stamps in total, with values of 5c, 10c, 65c, $1.80 and $2.00. So from my earlier post it seems like the only one I guessed correctly was the 65c value! 

Given this set of values I predict that finding the 5c and 10c postally used is likely to be very tricky in the future and I would watch out for these if you can.

Barbados Rum Shop Stamp details

The stamps have been created in collaboration with local artist Gail O’Kane and they are based on original sketches in ink and coloured pencil.

Here’s the in depth information about each of the stamps.

Printer: Brebnerprint

Stamp size: 40mm x 224mm

Sheet format: 50 (2 x 25)

Perforation: 13.60 x 13.33

Paper: CASCO Crown Watermark

Here’s each of the images

Whilst I haven’t been able to visit all of these yet, one or two are very familiar as they are landmarks due to their wonderful and colourful hand painted advertisements.

The Watering Hole on the $2 stamp was the first one I ever visited back in around 2004, but sadly this has been closed for many years now It’s still a major landmark, sitting at the entrance to St Lawrence Gap and if you travel from the airport into Bridgetown on one of the tourist transfer buses you will probably see it, still adorned with its colourful advertising.

The history of Barbados Rum Shops

The rum shop tradition grew out of the island’s sugar industry and started as somewhere workers could gather to relax after work and share stories and news with each other. There are, apparently, over 1500 of these rum shops all over the island so wherever you are you should have no problem in finding one near you.

The architecture of the rum shops mirrored the style of the local chattel houses; timber built structures with moveable designs and shuttered windows, all with a veranda so people could sit and talk. Over time the painting on them became more and more colourful and as advertising appeared, the rum shops became local landmarks.

My first visit saw us drawn into a local Karaoke session and the drinks served were a quarter bottle of rum (each for me and my wife) with a bottle of coke to accompany it! Seems the rum helped the conversation and song go on long into the night.

Opinion of Barbados Rum Shop stamps

Overall, I really like this set. Once again the team at the Bureau have drawn on the local heritage for a worthy subject matter, have paired this with a local artist, and the finished article is a wonderful rendering of an iconic part of the island. The only question is, I suppose, why did it take so long for Rum Shops to be considered as a subject for a stamp set?

I fully expect that these will get a lot of use, with the 5c and 10c predominantly being used locally as local tax stamps on receipts, the 65c is of course the inland rate so lots of those will be in circulation, and the $1.80 is the rate to U.S.A. so again, plenty of opportunity for use on postcards and letters. I firmly expect the $2 to be mostly used on parcels and registered mail so watch out for these in the near future.