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Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – Official cover – 1977

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First day cover details
FDC image Linked Anniversaries – Official cover
FDC reverse image N/A
Country Isle of Man
Country code IM
Issue title Linked Anniversaries – 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Withdrawal or invalidation date 25 May 1978 (stamps withdrawn from sale)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 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 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 Three interlocking roundels bearing Scout, TT and St John emblems, with anniversary dates and Isle of Man Post Office Authority 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 Circular Douglas first-day cancellation ties the four stamps.
Postmark image

Main postmark for Linked Anniversaries – 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 Linked Anniversaries — Tourist Trophy Races, Boy Scouts, St. John Ambulance
Information sheet image Linked Anniversaries — Tourist Trophy Races, Boy Scouts, St. John Ambulance — front
Information sheet reverse image Linked Anniversaries — Tourist Trophy Races, Boy Scouts, St. John Ambulance — reverse
Information sheet notes The front explains the linked anniversaries and the 6p design; the reverse describes the other designs 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 addressed cover; the envelope reverse is 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.


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

The collector owns this official cover. The four stamps are arranged in two rows: 6p and 7p above 11p and 13p. They are cancelled at Douglas on 26 May 1977. The cover is addressed; the collector confirms that its reverse is blank.[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]

Stamps on this cover

Image Identifier Face value Subject Format Other catalogues Notes


F. A. Applebee at Ballig Bridge, 1912 IM-SG-99 6p F. A. Applebee at Ballig Bridge, 1912 Stamp Scan from the collector’s official cover.



St John Ambulance Brigade at Governor’s Bridge, circa 1938 IM-SG-100 7p St John Ambulance Brigade at Governor’s Bridge, circa 1938 Stamp Scan from the collector’s official cover.



Scouts working the TT scoreboard IM-SG-101 11p Scouts working the TT scoreboard Stamp Scan from the collector’s official cover.



John Williams at Windy Corner, 1976 IM-SG-102 13p John Williams at Windy Corner, 1976 Stamp Scan from the collector’s official cover.


References

  1. ↑ 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. ↑ Linked Anniversaries — Official cover — 1977(Collection scan).The collector’s cover, individual stamp and postmark scans, with the collector’s confirmation that the envelope reverse is blank.
  3. ↑ 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.
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