Isle of Man – Centenary of Steam Railway – Cotswold cover – 1973
| FDC image | No image uploaded |
|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | No reverse image uploaded |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Centenary of Steam Railway — Cotswold cover |
| Date of issue | 4 August 1973 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | 3 August 1974 (SG35–38 withdrawn from sale)
|
| Stamp type | Commemorative stamp |
| Stamp subtype | Anniversary |
| Theme or subject | Steam railways; railway centenary; locomotives |
| Text credit | |
| Designer or artist | J. H. Nicholson, R.I. |
| Printer | Harrison & Sons (High Wycombe) Ltd. |
| Printing process | Photogravure |
| Colours | Multicoloured; five colours |
| Paper and gum | White postage stamp paper with Harrison & Sons coating; PVA adhesive |
| Perforation | 15 × 14 |
| Stamp dimensions | |
| Issue format | Four stamps, each issued in sheets of 50 (catalogue notation: 5 × 10) |
| Number of stamps | 4 |
| Cover type | Commercial cover |
| Cover producer | Cotswold Covers |
| Cover reference | |
| Limited edition | No |
| Edition limit | N/A |
| Copy number | N/A |
| Cachet or cover design | Green locomotive with SUTHERLAND nameplate beneath a large CENTENARY heading; Isle of Man Steam Railway and First Day Cover lettering within a gold-coloured border; COTSWOLD COVERS imprint. |
| Addressed | Not specified |
| Postmark type | Circular first day of issue handstamp |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 4 August 1973 |
| Postmark inscription | FIRST DAY OF ISSUE; - 4 AUG 1973; DOUGLAS; ISLE OF MAN |
| Postmark notes | The illustrated example bears one circular strike overlapping all four stamps. The shared detail image comes from the owned official cover and illustrates the same postmark design and date. |
| Postmark image |
|
| Signed | No |
| Signed by | N/A |
| Signature details | N/A |
| Information sheet included | No |
| Information materials | N/A |
| Information sheet title | N/A |
| Information sheet image | N/A |
| Information sheet reverse image | N/A |
| Information sheet notes | N/A |
| Certificate of authenticity included | No |
| Certificate of authenticity image | N/A |
| Certificate of authenticity reverse image | N/A |
| FDC owned | No |
| Condition | |
| Collection Comment | Wanted. Identified from an eBay photograph supplied as an illustration. The seller's photograph is not reproduced on this page. The reverse has not been examined. Information-sheet status follows the Cotswold cover default. |
This wanted Cotswold Covers first day cover bears all four stamps from the Isle of Man's Centenary of Steam Railway issue of 4 August 1973, catalogued as SG35 to SG38. Stanley Gibbons lists a first day cover for the issue; the identification of this particular commercial version comes from the supplied reference photograph.[1][2]
The illustrated cover
The cachet depicts a green locomotive with a “SUTHERLAND” nameplate beneath a large “CENTENARY” heading. It includes “Isle of Man Steam Railway” and decorative “First Day Cover” lettering, a gold-coloured border and the “COTSWOLD COVERS” imprint.[2]
The four stamps are arranged in two rows of two and tied by one circular Douglas first-day cancellation dated 4 August 1973. No recipient address is visible. The address status and condition of a future acquired copy remain unconfirmed, and the reverse is not shown.[2]
Information-sheet status follows the collection's Cotswold default of No. Accompanying material has not been independently documented for this example.
Stamp design and production
The stamps depict Sutherland, Caledonia, Kissack and Pender. Their design is credited to J. H. Nicholson, R.I. Harrison & Sons (High Wycombe) Ltd. printed them by photogravure. The information card held with the owned official cover records five colours, white postage stamp paper with Harrison & Sons coating, and PVA adhesive.[3]
Perforation is 15 × 14. Stanley Gibbons records sheets of 50 (5 × 10) and cylinder numbers 1A (each ×5) for all four denominations. The stamps were withdrawn from sale on 3 August 1974.[1]
The stamp and postmark detail images below come from the owned official cover. They illustrate the issue and cancellation design, rather than this wanted Cotswold specimen.
Stamps on this cover
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IM-SG-35 | 2½p | No. 1 Sutherland, 1873 | Stamp | Quantity sold: 617,122 stamps. Detail image from the owned official cover.[1]
| |
|
IM-SG-36 | 3p | MNR No. 4 Caledonia, 1885 | Stamp | Quantity sold: 808,173 stamps. Caledonia later became IMR No. 15; see Manx Northern Railway locomotives. Detail image from the owned official cover.[1][3]
| |
|
IM-SG-37 | 7½p | No. 13 Kissack, 1910 | Stamp | Quantity sold: 331,695 stamps. Detail image from the owned official cover.[1]
| |
|
IM-SG-38 | 9p | No. 3 Pender, 1873 | Stamp | Quantity sold: 324,414 stamps. Detail image from the owned official cover.[1]
|
The quantities above count individual stamps, rather than Cotswold covers.[1]
Related first day covers
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Stanley Gibbons.Channel Islands and Isle of Man 2022 Edition Stamp Catalogue(31st combined edition).Stanley Gibbons.2022.Section: Isle of Man.p. 199.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 35–38.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Centenary of Steam Railway — Cotswold cover reference photograph(Seller photograph).eBay photograph supplied by the collector for identification. The listing URL, seller and publication date were not recorded. The photograph is not reproduced on PhantomWiki.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Isle of Man Railway(Information card).Reference: Front scan; reverse scan.Double-sided card held with the owned official cover. Cited here for stamp information; it is not recorded as accompanying the Cotswold cover.
