Post by evm111 on Sept 17, 2006 16:44:46 GMT -5
Hi Group!
This is a revised version of the Cat Cay listing. Private islands are an especially intriguing topic. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of privately owned islands all over the world; too bad there aren't more coins being issued by their owners. If they are wealthy enough to buy/maintain an entire island, they could definitely afford to issue some sort of coin/token!! I guess most of them just never thought about this...:
CAT CAY: Located in the Bahama's Bimini chain, it is a getaway for wealthy families and famous people; it has many high-profile homeowners and its own airstrip. The Web-site of the Cat Cay Club (http://www.catcayclub.com/), which is graced by virtually the exact same “cat-on-a-key” logo as the one appearing on the obverse of the tokens, states that “Cat Cay is a private island, owned by its members. Admittance for non-member yachtsmen is restricted to the marina area which includes the Nauticat Restaurant and Lounge, Dockside Bar, Commissary, Boutique and Clinic. The rest of the island, including the golf course, tennis courts, pool and beaches are available for members and their registered guests only.”
The original deed for the island was granted by Queen Victoria in 1874 to Captain William Henry Stuart. “Later, Captain Haigh, of a distinguished English family, became the owner of Cat Cay.” In 1915, Milo Strong and his wife bought the island. “They built and lived in the Manor House, which still exists today. For the next 15 plus years they spent nine months out of the year on Cat Cay. The 1929 hurricane blew the roof off. Although this was repaired, when Milo died two years later and another storm seriously damaged the Manor House, Mrs. Strong decided to sell. Friends of the Strongs, Louis & Rae Wasey purchased the island for about $400,000 in 1931. Wasey, an advertising tycoon, intended the island to be a winter home for himself and his wife and as a place to entertain clients and friends. He enlarged Manor House for his own home and built a number of English styled ‘cottages’ for his guests. During the depression years, Wasey turned the island development over to Mike Smith, an architect friend…Our Kitten Key Club on the Southeast point of the island was a magnificent example of this attention to detail. The stately Sir Bede Clifford Hall, which Smith designed after a great English pub, was equally as elegant. In 1935 Wasey converted the island to a private club and sold lots to his friends so that they too could build their sumptuous vacation homes. Eventually he had about 200 members paying annual dues of $500.00. Mrs. Wasey, who loved antiques, built the Cat Cay English Shoppe, where the island boutique now stands. There were many great fishing tournaments back then as the waters around Cat Cay were teaming with fish and the deep water fishing just a mile off shore.” During World War II, Cat Cay became “a secret crash base for PT boats of the Allied Forces.”
A critical point for this numismatic write-up is that Louis Wasey introduced gaming activities to his island. According to the Web-site, the origins of Cat Cay’s legalized gambling operation began after he’d already built the nine-hole golf course upon which the Duke of Windsor, while Governor of the Bahamas from 1940-45, enjoyed playing. “The course was named Windsor Downs in his honor. During one of his visits the Duke mentioned that it might be fun to have a little casino on the island for guests, Wasey readily agreed and the Duke issued a license in Lou Wasey’s name personally. Upon Wasey’s death in 1963, the island's casino license expired. Wasey left the island to his daughter Jane, a New York sculptress, who returned for two years, but in 1965 Hurricane Betsy did enormous damage and the island was closed. A few years later, Al Rockwell, the dynamic head of Rockwell International, put together a small group and bought the island. Eventually it became a private club owned by members…and you know the rest of the story!”
A 1967 government publication entitled Bahama Islands: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Operation of the Business of Casinos in Freeport and in Nassau recounts a portion of the facts a bit differently: “In the course of its investigations, the Commission came across what eventually emerged as an extraordinary story. The attempt to establish year-round gambling on Cat Cay Island was not within our terms of reference but we have” nevertheless “included this somewhat complicated history” in the Report. “Prior to 1939, a Mr. Louis R. Wasey operated a gambling casino at what was known as the Cat Cay Club — a small residential private club dependent on holiday bookings, and operative for limited periods each year.” Then, “In 1939 the law was changed to allow the Governor in Council to exempt certain persons and bodies from the general prohibition contained in the Penal Code. This change came, not to meet a growing public demand for the introduction of casino gambling into the Bahama Islands, nor as a result of a distinct change in governmental policy. It was prompted by the recent opening by Mr. Louis Wasey of a small casino on a seasonal basis at Cat Cay and the realisation by those in Government at that time that this venture and a casino, which had been openly operated since 1920 at the Bahamian Club on the western outskirts of Nassau, were quite illegal. The Bahamian Club at that time was an extremely exclusive establishment. Its casino was open for only about three months every year in the height of the tourist season and then only to a very restricted clientele.” Thus, a “licensing” procedure for the operation of lotteries and gaming houses was created. The immediate effect of the new provision “was to regularise the position of the existing casinos at the Bahamian Club and at Cat Cay to the respective proprietors of which a Certificate of Exemption was granted.” It is important to note that the gambling facilities at both the Bahamian Club and the Cat Cay Club were available only to visitors and non-Bahamians in retirement in the Bahamas (or at any rate those with no business or professional interests in the Colony). Also permitted were the wives of “Persons engaged in any business or profession or employed for gain in the Colony”, as well as the wives of “Officers or employees of the Government of the Colony” (as long as these ladies were not “born in the Colony and ordinarily resident therein”). In the case of the Cat Cay Club, a Certificate of Exemption was approved by the Governor in Council in December of 1939, exempting the seasonal operation of a casino there until further notice. It “was issued to Louis R. Wasey as President of the club and was for an indefinite period, without any restrictions or conditions. In September 1961, on the death of Mr. Wasey, notice was given by the Government of the termination of the Certificate to take effect from 31st December that year.” At that time, “the Governor in Council decided that applications should thenceforth be made annually.” A man named “Sir Stafford Sands, on behalf of Miss Jane Wasey, then applied for the renewal of the Certificate. He explained that Mr. Wasey had died and his daughter, being the sole heir, had received all her father's interests in Cat Cay and had been elected President of the club. A Certificate of Exemption was then granted with effect from 1st January, 1962, and similar Certificates were successfully applied for by Sir Stafford on Miss Wasey's behalf for the years 1963 to 1967…The size of the Cat Cay enterprise during the limited periods that it functioned can be gauged from the evidence given to the Commission by Mr. Michael J. McLaney who, for a period of two years, ran the casino on a 50/50 basis with Miss Wasey.” The two years in which he operated the casino, with the aid of his brother William, were 1963 and 1964. “He described it as being a harmless little thing with five employees and five customers, operating during the week of the Fishing Tournament. He revealed to the Commission that he had approached Sir Stafford Sands and Sir Harold Christie as to the possible purchase of Cat Cay but negotiations terminated on his failure to get investors and because the price asked by Miss Wasey was too high.”
In 1946, a few coins, used for gambling and/or as a medium of exchange on the island, were produced/issued by Louis Rice Wasey. These pieces, purportedly designed by Louis’ daughter, Jane, were struck by L.G. Balfour & Co. (Attleboro, Massachusetts). Though I'd picked up a Cat Cay token several years ago from William R. Rosenblum, (http://www.rosenblumcoins.com/), I only kept the piece for a few months before I sold it back to him, having come to the conclusion that it really didn't “fit” within the self-imposed, needlessly stringent parameters of my collection. Naturally, it was a verdict I'd eventually (inevitably!) regret. I found my current (and permanent) pieces from two sources: a “Half A Key” token from eBay and a “One Key” token from coin-dealer Carol Plante.
This is a revised version of the Cat Cay listing. Private islands are an especially intriguing topic. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands of privately owned islands all over the world; too bad there aren't more coins being issued by their owners. If they are wealthy enough to buy/maintain an entire island, they could definitely afford to issue some sort of coin/token!! I guess most of them just never thought about this...:
CAT CAY: Located in the Bahama's Bimini chain, it is a getaway for wealthy families and famous people; it has many high-profile homeowners and its own airstrip. The Web-site of the Cat Cay Club (http://www.catcayclub.com/), which is graced by virtually the exact same “cat-on-a-key” logo as the one appearing on the obverse of the tokens, states that “Cat Cay is a private island, owned by its members. Admittance for non-member yachtsmen is restricted to the marina area which includes the Nauticat Restaurant and Lounge, Dockside Bar, Commissary, Boutique and Clinic. The rest of the island, including the golf course, tennis courts, pool and beaches are available for members and their registered guests only.”
The original deed for the island was granted by Queen Victoria in 1874 to Captain William Henry Stuart. “Later, Captain Haigh, of a distinguished English family, became the owner of Cat Cay.” In 1915, Milo Strong and his wife bought the island. “They built and lived in the Manor House, which still exists today. For the next 15 plus years they spent nine months out of the year on Cat Cay. The 1929 hurricane blew the roof off. Although this was repaired, when Milo died two years later and another storm seriously damaged the Manor House, Mrs. Strong decided to sell. Friends of the Strongs, Louis & Rae Wasey purchased the island for about $400,000 in 1931. Wasey, an advertising tycoon, intended the island to be a winter home for himself and his wife and as a place to entertain clients and friends. He enlarged Manor House for his own home and built a number of English styled ‘cottages’ for his guests. During the depression years, Wasey turned the island development over to Mike Smith, an architect friend…Our Kitten Key Club on the Southeast point of the island was a magnificent example of this attention to detail. The stately Sir Bede Clifford Hall, which Smith designed after a great English pub, was equally as elegant. In 1935 Wasey converted the island to a private club and sold lots to his friends so that they too could build their sumptuous vacation homes. Eventually he had about 200 members paying annual dues of $500.00. Mrs. Wasey, who loved antiques, built the Cat Cay English Shoppe, where the island boutique now stands. There were many great fishing tournaments back then as the waters around Cat Cay were teaming with fish and the deep water fishing just a mile off shore.” During World War II, Cat Cay became “a secret crash base for PT boats of the Allied Forces.”
A critical point for this numismatic write-up is that Louis Wasey introduced gaming activities to his island. According to the Web-site, the origins of Cat Cay’s legalized gambling operation began after he’d already built the nine-hole golf course upon which the Duke of Windsor, while Governor of the Bahamas from 1940-45, enjoyed playing. “The course was named Windsor Downs in his honor. During one of his visits the Duke mentioned that it might be fun to have a little casino on the island for guests, Wasey readily agreed and the Duke issued a license in Lou Wasey’s name personally. Upon Wasey’s death in 1963, the island's casino license expired. Wasey left the island to his daughter Jane, a New York sculptress, who returned for two years, but in 1965 Hurricane Betsy did enormous damage and the island was closed. A few years later, Al Rockwell, the dynamic head of Rockwell International, put together a small group and bought the island. Eventually it became a private club owned by members…and you know the rest of the story!”
A 1967 government publication entitled Bahama Islands: Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Operation of the Business of Casinos in Freeport and in Nassau recounts a portion of the facts a bit differently: “In the course of its investigations, the Commission came across what eventually emerged as an extraordinary story. The attempt to establish year-round gambling on Cat Cay Island was not within our terms of reference but we have” nevertheless “included this somewhat complicated history” in the Report. “Prior to 1939, a Mr. Louis R. Wasey operated a gambling casino at what was known as the Cat Cay Club — a small residential private club dependent on holiday bookings, and operative for limited periods each year.” Then, “In 1939 the law was changed to allow the Governor in Council to exempt certain persons and bodies from the general prohibition contained in the Penal Code. This change came, not to meet a growing public demand for the introduction of casino gambling into the Bahama Islands, nor as a result of a distinct change in governmental policy. It was prompted by the recent opening by Mr. Louis Wasey of a small casino on a seasonal basis at Cat Cay and the realisation by those in Government at that time that this venture and a casino, which had been openly operated since 1920 at the Bahamian Club on the western outskirts of Nassau, were quite illegal. The Bahamian Club at that time was an extremely exclusive establishment. Its casino was open for only about three months every year in the height of the tourist season and then only to a very restricted clientele.” Thus, a “licensing” procedure for the operation of lotteries and gaming houses was created. The immediate effect of the new provision “was to regularise the position of the existing casinos at the Bahamian Club and at Cat Cay to the respective proprietors of which a Certificate of Exemption was granted.” It is important to note that the gambling facilities at both the Bahamian Club and the Cat Cay Club were available only to visitors and non-Bahamians in retirement in the Bahamas (or at any rate those with no business or professional interests in the Colony). Also permitted were the wives of “Persons engaged in any business or profession or employed for gain in the Colony”, as well as the wives of “Officers or employees of the Government of the Colony” (as long as these ladies were not “born in the Colony and ordinarily resident therein”). In the case of the Cat Cay Club, a Certificate of Exemption was approved by the Governor in Council in December of 1939, exempting the seasonal operation of a casino there until further notice. It “was issued to Louis R. Wasey as President of the club and was for an indefinite period, without any restrictions or conditions. In September 1961, on the death of Mr. Wasey, notice was given by the Government of the termination of the Certificate to take effect from 31st December that year.” At that time, “the Governor in Council decided that applications should thenceforth be made annually.” A man named “Sir Stafford Sands, on behalf of Miss Jane Wasey, then applied for the renewal of the Certificate. He explained that Mr. Wasey had died and his daughter, being the sole heir, had received all her father's interests in Cat Cay and had been elected President of the club. A Certificate of Exemption was then granted with effect from 1st January, 1962, and similar Certificates were successfully applied for by Sir Stafford on Miss Wasey's behalf for the years 1963 to 1967…The size of the Cat Cay enterprise during the limited periods that it functioned can be gauged from the evidence given to the Commission by Mr. Michael J. McLaney who, for a period of two years, ran the casino on a 50/50 basis with Miss Wasey.” The two years in which he operated the casino, with the aid of his brother William, were 1963 and 1964. “He described it as being a harmless little thing with five employees and five customers, operating during the week of the Fishing Tournament. He revealed to the Commission that he had approached Sir Stafford Sands and Sir Harold Christie as to the possible purchase of Cat Cay but negotiations terminated on his failure to get investors and because the price asked by Miss Wasey was too high.”
In 1946, a few coins, used for gambling and/or as a medium of exchange on the island, were produced/issued by Louis Rice Wasey. These pieces, purportedly designed by Louis’ daughter, Jane, were struck by L.G. Balfour & Co. (Attleboro, Massachusetts). Though I'd picked up a Cat Cay token several years ago from William R. Rosenblum, (http://www.rosenblumcoins.com/), I only kept the piece for a few months before I sold it back to him, having come to the conclusion that it really didn't “fit” within the self-imposed, needlessly stringent parameters of my collection. Naturally, it was a verdict I'd eventually (inevitably!) regret. I found my current (and permanent) pieces from two sources: a “Half A Key” token from eBay and a “One Key” token from coin-dealer Carol Plante.