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Isle of Man – Landmarks definitives – 13p–16p – Official cover – 1978

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First day cover details
FDC image Landmarks definitives – 13p–16p – Official cover
FDC reverse image N/A
Country Isle of Man
Country code IM
Issue title Landmarks definitives – 13p–16p – Official cover
Date of issue 28 February 1978
Withdrawal or invalidation date 30 June 1983 (stamps withdrawn from sale)


Stamp type Definitive
Stamp subtype Country pictorial
Theme or subject Isle of Man; landmarks; nature and heritage
Text credit
Designer or artist J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S.
Printer House of Questa
Printing process Lithography
Colours Multicoloured; 4 colours
Paper and gum White security-coated paper, 102 g/m²; PVA gum
Perforation 14 or 14½ according to the catalogue entry; actual cover stamp perforations unmeasured
Stamp dimensions 26 × 34 mm (orientation varies)
Issue format Sheets of 50 (arrangement varies by value; see text)
Number of stamps 4
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 Albert Tower above Ramsey, Manx postal badge and 1978 Definitive Issue — Landmarks wording.
Addressed No
Postmark type First-day-of-issue postmark
Postmark location Douglas, Isle of Man
Postmark date 28 February 1978
Postmark inscription FIRST DAY OF ISSUE / 28 FEB 1978 / DOUGLAS / ISLE OF MAN
Postmark notes Douglas circular first-day cancellation. The shared February image illustrates the standard cancellation design; individual strikes and positions differ.
Postmark image

Main postmark for Landmarks definitives – 13p–16p – Official cover


Signed No
Signed by N/A
Signature details N/A
Information sheet included Yes
Information materials Two-sided printed information sheet
Information sheet title 1978 Definitive Issue — Landmarks — 13p to 16p
Information sheet image 1978 Definitive Issue — Landmarks — 13p to 16p — front
Information sheet reverse image 1978 Definitive Issue — Landmarks — 13p to 16p — reverse
Information sheet notes The supplied sheet describes these stamp subjects and gives production 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 official cover; envelope reverse blank.

Image notice: Images on these pages may depict copyrighted stamp designs, cover artwork, text or photographs. Unless otherwise stated, they are scans of physical items in the collection of PhantomSteve. Rights in the depicted material remain with their respective rightsholders. See Copyrights.


This cover belongs to the Landmarks and Queen Elizabeth II definitive series, issued in stages: ½p–16p on 28 February 1978, 20p–£1 on 18 October 1978, and £2 on 29 September 1981.[1]

Illustrated cover

The collector owns this official cover. It bears 13p, 14p, 15p, 16p (left to right, reading the rows from top to bottom), with the stamps tied by Douglas first-day cancellation dated 28 February 1978. The envelope is unaddressed and its reverse is confirmed blank.[2]

The shared February postmark image uses the collector’s filename IM-Landmarks-Feb-1978-postmark.jpg. It illustrates the standard Douglas cancellation and is not claimed to show every individual strike on this cover.

The official cachet depicts the Albert Tower above Ramsey, commemorating Prince Albert’s 1847 visit. It is distinct from the towers shown on the stamps.[3]

Subjects and production

13p — The official sheet identifies the ruined medieval cathedral within Peel Castle on St Patrick’s Isle, rather than the later cathedral building in Peel town. It describes its chancel, crypt, tower and transepts and recounts the cathedral’s decline and proposed restoration.[3]

14p — The sheet recounts the lighthouse’s completion and first lighting in 1818 under the Northern Lighthouse Board. Its description includes the Stevenson family’s involvement and the conversion of the Point of Ayre light to electricity in 1976. Operational details describe the position when the 1978 leaflet was published.[3]

15p — The sheet calls the structure Corrin (Memorial) Tower and recounts Thomas Corrin’s establishment of a memorial tower and family burial ground on Peel Hill. It describes the disputes over his burial and the tower’s importance as a landmark for fishermen.[3]

16p — The official sheet traces the development of the Douglas lights from the Red Pier light to the Douglas Head lighthouse. It describes the 1892 rebuilding and the light’s electrification in 1977. Its descriptions of the light and fog signal are contemporary with the 1978 leaflet.[3]

The official sheet credits J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S., and the House of Questa. It specifies lithography, four colours for each value, 26 × 34 mm stamps, and white unwatermarked security-coated paper with PVA gum, 102 g/m². Its perforation specification is 14 per 2 cm. The catalogue additionally lists perforation 14½ for twelve denominations.[3][1]

The catalogue lists perforations 14 and 14½ for the low and medium values, except the 6p SG113, for which only 14 is supplied. The collector has not measured the illustrated cover stamps, so the actual suffixes are not assigned from appearance, filename or the usual bureau combination.[1]

Perforation and first-day-cover combinations

The catalogue states that both perforations of the ½p–16p stamps were printed at the same time, but some were not recorded in use until later. It gives these earliest recorded uses: SG112a (1p), August 1979; SG114a (7p), August 1978; SG115a (8p), June 1980; SG117a (10p), August 1979; and SG119 (12p), September 1980. Those are earliest-use records, not exact issue dates.[1]

For the three low and medium value FDCs, the catalogue records the common Edinburgh Philatelic Bureau combination as SG111a, SG112–115, SG116a, SG117–118, SG119a, SG120, SG121a, SG122 and SG123a. It also records some examples with SG111, SG118a or SG120a instead. Island-prepared dealer or collector covers are recorded with SG111–118, SG119a–120a, SG121, SG122a and SG123. These are recorded preparation patterns, not a measurement of the collector’s copies.[1]

Sheets, plates and imprints

  • 13p: sheets of 50 (5 × 10). Plate numbers: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 4). Imprint: Left-hand corner, top margin, and right-hand corner, bottom margin.
  • 14p: sheets of 50 (5 × 10). Plate numbers: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 4). Imprint: Left-hand corner, top margin, and right-hand corner, bottom margin.
  • 15p: sheets of 50 (5 × 10). Plate numbers: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 4). Imprint: Left-hand corner, top margin, and right-hand corner, bottom margin.
  • 16p: sheets of 50 (5 × 10). Plate numbers: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 4). Imprint: Left-hand corner, top margin, and right-hand corner, bottom margin.

[1]

Withdrawal

13p, 14p, 15p, 16p: withdrawn from sale on 30 June 1983.[1]

No quantity-sold figures are supplied for this series; the sales fields remain blank.

Stamps on this cover

Where two perforations are catalogued, the row’s identifier is left unassigned and the linked alternatives are given in Notes. No suffix is inferred from the scan filename.

Image Identifier Face value Subject Format Other catalogues Notes


St German’s Cathedral, Peel Castle IM-SG-120 13p St German’s Cathedral, Peel Castle Stamp Perforation not measured: IM-SG-120, IM-SG-120a.



Point of Ayre Lighthouse IM-SG-121 14p Point of Ayre Lighthouse Stamp Perforation not measured: IM-SG-121, IM-SG-121a.



Corrin’s Tower IM-SG-122 15p Corrin’s Tower Stamp Perforation not measured: IM-SG-122, IM-SG-122a.



Douglas Head Lighthouse IM-SG-123 16p Douglas Head Lighthouse Stamp Perforation not measured: IM-SG-123, IM-SG-123a.


References

  1. ↑ 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.pp. 204–205.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 111–128, including the listed a perforation variants.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood. Transcribed by the collector, who also confirms that A1-1-1-1 and B1-1-1-1 apply to the £2 value and unspecified values have no plate numbers recorded.
  2. ↑ Isle of Man – Landmarks definitives – 13p–16p – Official cover – 1978(Collection scan).The collector’s owned official cover and supporting scans; the collector confirms the envelope reverse is blank.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 1978 Definitive Issue — Landmarks — 13p to 16p(Information sheet).Isle of Man Post Office Authority.Sheet accompanying the collector’s owned official cover. Scans: front and reverse.
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