Times of the Islands Winter 2015-16

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
A range of early stamps is shown all used together on one postcard in 1927.
The Original “Snail Mail”
A glimpse at the postal history of the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Story & Photos By Peter Marshall
Many people the world over have never heard of the Turks & Caicos Islands. But among philatelists (a
posh word for stamp collectors, myself included), the Islands are famous for the colourful, diverse postage
stamps they issue.
Until the salt-raking stamps were introduced it was only the postcards that told anything about what
could be found in these islands. My own interest gradually became more focused on the postcards and
envelopes themselves, adding to the history of the Islands. I have not found any picture postcard before
1900. Many, if not most, were sent by visitors, and are more likely to be found abroad, as indeed are
most stamps and envelopes.
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