Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Official cover – 1977
| FDC image | 
|
|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | N/A |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Europa – Landscapes – Official 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| Withdrawal or invalidation date | 25 May 1978 (stamps withdrawn from sale)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 | Official first day cover |
| Cover producer | Isle of Man Post Office Authority |
| Cover reference | |
| Limited edition | No |
| Edition limit | N/A |
| Copy number | N/A |
| Cachet or cover design | Illustrated coastal landscape with hills, buildings and a bay, with Europa '77 (Landscapes), Isle of Man Post Office Authority and Official First Day Cover wording. |
| Addressed | Yes |
| 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 |
|
| Signed | No |
| Signed by | N/A |
| Signature details | N/A |
| Information sheet included | Yes |
| Information materials | Two-sided printed information sheet |
| Information sheet title | EUROPA '77 — Theme: Landscapes |
| Information sheet image | 
|
| Information sheet reverse image | 
|
| Information sheet notes | The front explains the 6p landscape and Tom the Dipper; the reverse describes the 10p Ramsey view and supplies technical details. |
| Certificate of authenticity included | No |
| Certificate of authenticity image | N/A |
| Certificate of authenticity reverse image | N/A |
| FDC owned | Yes |
| Condition | |
| Collection Comment | Owned cover; the original envelope is addressed and its reverse is blank. |
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 official cover is owned by the collector. It bears the 6p stamp above the 10p, tied by a circular Douglas first-day cancellation dated 26 May 1977. The envelope is addressed, and its reverse is blank.[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 – Fleetwood cover – 1977
- Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Mercury cover – 1977
- Isle of Man – Europa – Landscapes – Stuart cover – 1977
Stamps on this cover
| 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 — Official cover — 26 May 1977(Collection scan).The collector’s owned cover and separate stamp and postmark scans. The envelope reverse is confirmed blank by the collector.
- ↑ 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.