Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – Cunningham House cover – 1977
| FDC image | No image uploaded |
|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | No reverse image uploaded |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Linked Anniversaries – Cunningham House cover |
| Date of issue | 26 May 1977 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | 25 May 1978 (stamps withdrawn from sale)
|
| Stamp type | Commemorative stamp |
| Stamp subtype | Anniversary |
| Theme or subject | Isle of Man TT; Scouting; St John Ambulance |
| Text credit | |
| Designer or artist | J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S. |
| Printer | John Waddingtons Ltd. |
| Printing process | Lithography |
| Colours | Multicoloured; four colours for each value |
| Paper and gum | White paper with PVA gum |
| Perforation | 13½ |
| Stamp dimensions | 27.94 × 44.45 mm (information sheet) |
| Issue format | Sheets of 50 (two panes of 5 × 5 with a gutter between panes) |
| Number of stamps | 2 |
| Cover type | Standard cover |
| Cover producer | |
| Cover reference | |
| Limited edition | No |
| Edition limit | N/A |
| Copy number | N/A |
| Cachet or cover design | Green illustration of Cunningham House, with Isle of Man Scout & Guide Headquarters wording and Sold in aid of Cunningham House Building Fund inscription. |
| Addressed | No |
| Postmark type | Special handstamp |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 26 May 1977 |
| Postmark inscription | 70 YEARS OF SCOUTING / 26 MAY 1977 / DOUGLAS / 1907 / 1977 |
| Postmark notes | Special circular cancellation with a Scout fleur-de-lis and 70 Years of Scouting wording. |
| Postmark image |
No postmark image uploaded
|
| Signed | Yes |
| Signed by | |
| Signature details | The reference example bears a signature at lower right. The signatory has not been established. |
| 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. Signatures and address status describe the supplied reference example; the collector’s eventual acquisition may differ. |
The Linked Anniversaries stamps were issued on 26 May 1977. The catalogue identifies the commemorations as the 70th anniversary of the Manx TT, the 70th anniversary of the Boy Scouts and the centenary of the St John Ambulance Brigade.[1]
Illustrated cover
This wanted design depicts Cunningham House, described on the envelope as the Isle of Man Scout and Guide headquarters. Its inscription says that it was sold in aid of the Cunningham House Building Fund. The reference example bears the 6p and 11p stamps, cancelled at Douglas with a special 70 Years of Scouting handstamp on 26 May 1977. It is unaddressed and bears a signature at lower right.[2]
The reference photograph establishes the illustrated example’s appearance; its signatures do not identify an authenticated signatory or a separate numbered edition.[2]
Commemorations and designs
The issue links the 70th anniversaries of the Isle of Man TT and the Scout movement with the 1877–1977 St John Ambulance centenary. The information sheet explains the practical connections: Scouts and St John volunteers assisted the TT through signalling, scoreboard work and first-aid duties.[3]
The catalogue calls the St John commemoration a Brigade centenary; the official information sheet describes the Association as founded in 1877. These are the respective source wordings.[1][3]
The 6p stamp depicts F. A. (“Pa”) Applebee riding a two-stroke Scott motorcycle over Ballig Bridge during the 1912 Senior TT. A Scout beside the road is signalling in Morse code. The information sheet describes Applebee as the winner of that race.[3]
The 7p stamp shows a pre-war scene at the hairpin at Governor’s Bridge. A man and woman from St John Ambulance are on first-aid duty beside the course. The catalogue dates the scene to circa 1938.[3][1]
The 11p stamp shows Scouts operating the scoreboards at the start of a TT race. The information sheet explains that Scouts had supported the races through course duties, signalling and information services, and later through the clocks and scoreboards at the Douglas Grandstand.[3]
The 13p stamp depicts John Williams riding at Windy Corner in 1976. The information sheet identifies his machine as a Suzuki and associates the scene with his victory in the 1976 Open Classic race.[3]
Production details
The official information sheet credits J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S., as designer and John Waddingtons Ltd. as printer. It specifies 300-line-screen lithography, four colours for each value, a stamp size of 27.94 × 44.45 mm, and white unwatermarked paper with PVA gum. Perforation is given as 13½ × 13½, consistent with the catalogue’s 13½.[3]
The stamps were printed in sheets of 50, in two panes of 25 arranged 5 × 5, with a gutter between the panes. The catalogue places the imprint in the right-hand corner of the bottom margin.[3][1]
Plate numbers
The catalogue gives these plate numbers for the issue:[1]
- 6p: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 4).
- 7p: 1B and 1D (each × 4).
- 11p: 1A and 1C (each × 4).
- 13p: 1B and 1D (each × 4).
Sales and withdrawal
Quantities sold were 525,703 of the 6p, 875,303 of the 7p, 431,053 of the 11p and 440,403 of the 13p. These are stamp sales, not cover quantities. The stamps were withdrawn from sale on 25 May 1978.[1]
Related covers
- Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – Official cover – 1977
- Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – St John Ambulance cover – 1977
Stamps on this cover
The stamp illustrations are scans from the collector’s owned official cover. They illustrate the stamp designs, not the particular stamps on the wanted example.
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IM-SG-99 | 6p | F. A. Applebee at Ballig Bridge, 1912 | Stamp | Scan from the collector’s official cover.
| |
|
IM-SG-101 | 11p | Scouts working the TT scoreboard | Stamp | Scan from the collector’s official cover.
|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 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): 99–102.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood. Details transcribed from the catalogue by the collector.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Linked Anniversaries — Cunningham House cover — 1977(Reference photograph).Photograph supplied by the collector as a private reference for a wanted cover. The envelope’s producer and the signatory identities have not been established.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Linked Anniversaries — Tourist Trophy Races, Boy Scouts, St. John Ambulance(Information sheet).Isle of Man Post Office Authority.Two-sided information sheet accompanying the collector's owned official cover. Scans: front and reverse.
