Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Mercury cover – 1977
| FDC image | No image uploaded |
|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | No reverse image uploaded |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Europa – Landscapes – Mercury cover |
| Date of issue | 26 May 1977 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | 25 May 1978 (stamps withdrawn from sale)
|
| Stamp type | Commemorative stamp |
| Stamp subtype | Thematic issue |
| Theme or subject | Europa; landscapes; Isle of Man |
| Text credit | |
| Designer or artist | J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S. |
| Printer | The House of Questa |
| Printing process | Lithography |
| Colours | Multicoloured; five colours for each value according to the information sheet |
| Paper and gum | P.V.A. gum |
| Perforation | 13½ × 14 (catalogue); information sheet states 14 per 2 cm |
| Stamp dimensions | 24.13 × 60.96 mm (information sheet) |
| Issue format | Sheets of 40 (two panes of 4 × 5) |
| Number of stamps | 2 |
| Cover type | Standard cover |
| Cover producer | Mercury |
| Cover reference | |
| Limited edition | No |
| Edition limit | N/A |
| Copy number | N/A |
| Cachet or cover design | Gold-coloured stylised emblem above raised Europa and 1977 wording, with First Day Cover lettering and Mercury logo. |
| Addressed | |
| Postmark type | First-day-of-issue postmark |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 26 May 1977 |
| Postmark inscription | FIRST DAY OF ISSUE / 26 MAY 1977 / DOUGLAS / ISLE OF MAN |
| Postmark notes | A circular Douglas first-day cancellation ties the two stamps. |
| Postmark image |
No postmark image uploaded
|
| Signed | No |
| Signed by | N/A |
| Signature details | N/A |
| Information sheet included | Yes |
| Information materials | |
| Information sheet title | |
| Information sheet image | No image uploaded |
| Information sheet reverse image | No reverse image uploaded |
| Information sheet notes | |
| 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 cover; the supplied photograph is a private reference illustration rather than an owned collection scan. |
The two stamps were issued on 26 May 1977 for the Europa Landscapes issue. The 6p shows Carrick Bay from Tom-the-Dipper; the 10p shows a view of Ramsey.[1]
This cover is wanted for the collection. The supplied reference photograph shows the 6p stamp above the 10p, tied by a circular Douglas first-day cancellation dated 26 May 1977.[2]
Design and production
The accompanying information sheet credits J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S., as designer and The House of Questa as printer, using lithography. It gives a stamp size of 24.13 × 60.96 mm, five colours for each value and P.V.A. gum.[3]
The catalogue gives perforation 13½ × 14.[1] The information sheet gives the less detailed wording “14 per 2 cm”.[3]
The stamps were printed in sheets of 40, in two panes of 4 × 5. Imprints occur in the right-hand corner of the bottom margin and the left-hand corner of the top margin.[1]
Landscapes depicted
The information sheet describes the 6p view as Carrick Bay from Tom-the-Dipper’s, a site on the southern slopes near the road to South Barrule. The site takes its name from Thomas Shimmin, a cobbler, preacher and poet known as Tom the Dipper. It explains that he and his wife Ellen built a cottage there, and associates the view with his poem The Cottage in the Heather.[3]
The information sheet identifies the 10p scene more precisely as looking south from Mooragh Park, Ramsey. Its description places North Barrule behind the Mooragh Lake and identifies the Albert Tower on the skyline. It also recounts the diversion of the Sulby River and the development of the former northern outlet as a lake and park.[3]
Plate numbers
The catalogue lists the following plate numbers and combinations:[1]
- 6p: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D (each × 4).
- 10p: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 5); 2A–1A–1A–2A–1A; 2B–1B–1B–2B–1B; 2C–1C–1C–2C–1C; 2D–1D–1D–2D–1D.
Sales and withdrawal
Catalogue quantities sold were 778,685 of the 6p and 843,525 of the 10p. These figures describe the individual stamps, not covers. The stamps were withdrawn from sale on 25 May 1978.[1]
Related covers
- Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Official cover – 1977
- Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Fleetwood cover – 1977
- Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Stuart cover – 1977
Stamps on this cover
The stamp illustrations below are scans from the collector’s owned official cover; they illustrate the shared stamp issue.
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IM-SG-97 | 6p | Carrick Bay from 'Tom-the-Dipper' | Stamp | Scan from the collector’s official cover.
| |
|
IM-SG-98 | 10p | Looking south from Mooragh Park, Ramsey | Stamp | Scan from the collector’s official cover.
|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Stanley Gibbons.Channel Islands and Isle of Man 2022 Edition Stamp Catalogue(31st combined edition).Stanley Gibbons.2022.Section: Isle of Man.p. 203.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 97–98.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood. Details transcribed from the catalogue by the collector.
- ↑ Europa Landscapes — Mercury cover — 1977(Reference photograph).Photograph supplied by the collector to illustrate a wanted cover; not an owned collection scan.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 EUROPA '77 — Theme: Landscapes(Information sheet).Isle of Man Post Office Authority.Two-sided information sheet accompanying the collector's owned official cover. Scans: front and reverse.
