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Isle of Man – Pictorial definitives – 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 – Mercury cover – 1973

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First day cover details
FDC image Pictorial definitives — 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 — Mercury cover
FDC reverse image N/A
Country Isle of Man
Country code IM
Issue title Pictorial definitives — 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 — Mercury cover
Date of issue 5 July 1973
Withdrawal or invalidation date 31 December 1978 (general withdrawal from sale)


Stamp type Definitive
Stamp subtype Country pictorial
Theme or subject Manx wildlife and Viking heritage
Text credit
Designer or artist J. Nicholson
Printer Courvoisier
Printing process Photogravure
Colours Multicoloured; five colours according to the issue information card
Paper and gum Granite paper; thick shiny gum on printing (a)
Perforation 11½
Stamp dimensions 28 × 33 mm, including perforation
Issue format Sheets of 50 (10 × 5 according to the catalogue; issue information card states 5 × 10)
Number of stamps 4
Cover type First day cover
Cover producer Mercury
Cover reference
Limited edition No
Edition limit N/A
Copy number N/A
Cachet or cover design Map of the Isle of Man with named places, dotted routes, sailing boats and lighthouses; orange Three Legs shield; ISLE OF MAN and day of issue inscriptions; Mercury logo
Addressed No
Postmark type First-day-of-issue postmark
Postmark location Douglas, Isle of Man
Postmark date 5 July 1973
Postmark inscription FIRST DAY OF ISSUE; -5 JUL 1973; DOUGLAS; ISLE OF MAN
Postmark notes Two strikes of the black circular Douglas first-day cancellation. The shared detail image was taken from the ½p to 2p official cover and illustrates the same postmark design and date.
Postmark image

Main postmark for Pictorial definitives — 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 — Mercury cover


Signed No
Signed by N/A
Signature details N/A
Information sheet included No
Information materials N/A
Information sheet title N/A
Information sheet image N/A
Information sheet reverse image N/A
Information sheet notes N/A
Certificate of authenticity included No
Certificate of authenticity image N/A
Certificate of authenticity reverse image N/A
FDC owned Yes
Condition Not specified
Collection Comment Owned. Unaddressed Mercury cover with a blank reverse. No information leaflet is present with this copy. Stamp detail images are reused from the official cover.

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 owned Mercury first day cover bears the 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 Isle of Man pictorial definitives, SG 28, 31, 32 and 33, issued on 5 July 1973.[1]

The unaddressed envelope bears the Mercury name and logo. Its map cachet includes named places, dotted routes, sailing boats, lighthouses and an orange Three Legs shield. The four stamps are arranged in a single row and bear two strikes of the black circular Douglas first-day cancellation dated 5 July 1973.[2]

The designs depict a Manx cat, a Manx Loaghtyn ram, Manx shearwaters and a Viking longship. They are credited to J. Nicholson and were printed by Courvoisier using photogravure, on granite paper and perforated 11½. The initial printing (a) has thick shiny gum.[1]

The issue information card held with the official covers records five colours and stamp dimensions of 28 × 33 mm including perforation. It describes special gumming for tropical climates and credits artwork design to J. H. Nicholson, R.I. This card is a source for the stamp issue; no information leaflet is present with this Mercury copy.[3]

Both the catalogue and the information card record sheets of 50 stamps. The catalogue gives the layout as 10 × 5; the card specifies five stamps per row and ten rows, or 5 × 10. These descriptions are retained separately pending clarification.[1][3]

The reverse of this copy is blank. The stamp and postmark detail images are shared illustrations from the official covers. The full cover scan records the actual stamps and cancellation strikes on this Mercury copy.

General withdrawal of the stamps was on 31 December 1978. This is a withdrawal-from-sale date, rather than a date of postal invalidation.[1]

Stamps on this cover

Image Identifier Face value Subject Format Other catalogues Notes


Manx cat IM-SG-28 10p Manx cat Stamp Printing (a); inscribed 1973. Detail image from the official cover.



Manx Loaghtyn ram IM-SG-31 20p Manx Loaghtyn ram Stamp Printing (a); inscribed 1973. Detail image from the official cover.



Manx shearwater IM-SG-32 50p Manx shearwater Stamp Printing (a); inscribed 1973. Detail image from the official cover.



Viking longship IM-SG-33 £1 Viking longship Stamp Printing (a); inscribed 1973. Detail image from the official cover.


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Stanley Gibbons.Channel Islands and Isle of Man 2022 Edition Stamp Catalogue(31st combined edition).Stanley Gibbons.2022.Section: Isle of Man — Independent postal administration.pp. 197–198.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 28, 31, 32, 33.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood.
  2. ↑ Isle of Man pictorial definitives — 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 Mercury cover(First day cover).Reference: Scan of the cover.Copy held in the collection.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Isle of Man Definitive Postage Stamps(Information card).Reference: Scan of the information card.Issue date printed as 5 July 1973. Card held with the official covers in the collection, rather than this Mercury copy.
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