100 Year-Olds In Barbados Are Given A Stamp In Their Honor

While some might argue that all birthdays are special, even the most ardent birthday enthusiast would likely admit that living to the age of a hundred is a cause for special celebration.

The country of Barbados seems to agree. In December of 2016, the Barbados Postal Service issued a limited edition series of 27 stamps celebrating some of its citizens who lived to the ripe old age of one hundred. The collection was the largest stamp issue the country ever released.

The stamps featured some Bajans who were still alive at the time of the printing and others who had since passed. Twenty of the stamps were of people who were one hundred, while the other seven featured Bajans who were either “semi-super centenarians” (who had lived to between the ages of 105 and 109) and “super centenarians” who lived to be one 110 or older.

Elaine Ometa Walkes is typical of the type of Bajan featured in the stamp series. Born in 1914, Walkes celebrated her 104th birthday in January of 2018. The Barbados Postal Service posted her stamp on its Facebook page, along with a message from one of her nephews. “This lady is still sharp, witty, and very funny… told me she can see better than me,” he said.

The series, Centenarians of Barbados, originally cost just 65 cents. But the series was, after all, a limited edition, and is no longer available for purchase. But Barbados stamp collectors, or those simply looking to celebrate longevity, can see images of the full collection on Barbados Stamps, a free online resource for collectors of Barbados stamps.

Surely that’s a cause for celebration.