Isle of Man – Last day of British Postal Services – 1973

First day cover details

FDC image	No image uploaded
FDC reverse image	No reverse image uploaded
Country	United Kingdom
Country code	GB
Issue title	Last day of British Postal Services in the Isle of Man
Date of issue	4 July 1973
Withdrawal or invalidation date	Not specified
Stamp type	Commemorative stamp
Stamp subtype	Art
Theme or subject	British paintings; end of British postal administration in the Isle of Man
Text credit
Designer or artist	Stuart Rose, incorporating paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Henry Raeburn
Printer	Harrison and Sons
Printing process	Photogravure
Colours	Multicoloured
Paper and gum
Perforation	15 × 14
Stamp dimensions	31 × 40 mm
Issue format	Four stamps, issued in sheets of 100
Number of stamps	4
Cover type	Commemorative cover
Cover producer	Not specified
Cover reference
Limited edition	No
Edition limit	N/A
Copy number	N/A
Cachet or cover design	Grey and red panel with an interlaced ornamental band, headed “POST OFFICE COMMEMORATIVE COVER”, and the inscription “The last day of the British Postal Services in the Isle of Man”.
Addressed	Not specified
Postmark type	Special handstamp
Postmark location	Douglas, Isle of Man
Postmark date	4 July 1973
Postmark inscription	DOUGLAS ISLE OF MAN; 4 JULY 1973
Postmark notes	The illustrated example bears two black circular cancellations incorporating the Manx three legs. The cancellation date is also the first day of issue of the British Paintings 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	Information-sheet status follows the collection default; accompanying material has not been documented for this cover.
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 and any accompanying material have not been examined.

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 wanted commemorative cover marks the last day of British Postal Services in the Isle of Man, 4 July 1973. The illustrated example bears all four stamps from the United Kingdom's British Paintings issue, SG931 to SG934, cancelled at Douglas on that date.

The Isle of Man became postally independent from the British Post Office on 5 July 1973. This cover commemorates the preceding day.

The illustrated cover

The cachet has a grey upper panel, a red lower panel and an interlaced ornamental band. It reads “POST OFFICE COMMEMORATIVE COVER” and “The last day of the British Postal Services in the Isle of Man”. Two black Douglas cancellations incorporate the Manx three legs and the date 4 July 1973.

A label bearing the name Pilgrim Philatelics is visible at the lower right. This is recorded as an address label, rather than evidence identifying the cover producer. The producer has not been independently established.

The photograph documents an example of the cover sought for the collection. The address status, condition, reverse and accompanying material of any future acquired copy remain unconfirmed.

British Paintings stamps

The four stamps were issued on 4 July 1973. Consequently, this example combines the last day of British postal administration on the island with the first day of issue of the British Paintings stamps.

Stuart Rose prepared the stamp designs using paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Henry Raeburn.

The Stanley Gibbons numbers SG931–934 have been confirmed by the collector using the GB Stamps Online listing.

Stamps on this cover

Image	Identifier	Face value	Subject	Format	Other catalogues	Notes
No image	GB-SG-931	3p	Self-portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds	Stamp		British Paintings issue, released on 4 July 1973.
No image	GB-SG-932	5p	Self-portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn	Stamp		British Paintings issue, released on 4 July 1973.
No image	GB-SG-933	7½p	Nelly O'Brien, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds	Stamp		British Paintings issue, released on 4 July 1973.
No image	GB-SG-934	9p	Rev. R. Walker (The Skater), painted by Sir Henry Raeburn	Stamp		The painting is also known as The Skating Minister. British Paintings issue, released on 4 July 1973.

Related first day covers

• Isle of Man – Inauguration of Postal Independence – 1973
• Mercury inaugural cover
• Cotswold inaugural cover
• Cotswold definitive cover — ½p to 3p
• Cotswold definitive cover — 3½p to 9p
• Cotswold definitive cover — 10p, 20p, 50p and £1
• Isle of Man – Pictorial definitives – ½p to 2p – 1973
• Isle of Man – Pictorial definitives – 2½p to 4p – 1973
• Isle of Man – Pictorial definitives – 5p, 6p, 7½p and 9p – 1973
• Isle of Man – Pictorial definitives – 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 – 1973