Isle of Man – Queen Elizabeth II regional definitives – 4d and 5d – GPO cover – 1968
| FDC image | 
|
|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | N/A |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Queen Elizabeth II regional definitives — 4d and 5d — GPO cover |
| Date of issue | 4 September 1968 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | SG 5: 14 March 1971 (withdrawn from sale locally), 25 November 1971 (withdrawn from British Philatelic Counters); SG 5 and SG 7: 1 March 1972 (invalidated for postage)
|
| Stamp type | Definitive |
| Stamp subtype | Regional definitive |
| Theme or subject | Queen Elizabeth II; Isle of Man regional postage stamps |
| Text credit | |
| Designer or artist | John Hobson Nicholson; portrait by Dorothy Wilding Ltd. |
| Printer | Harrison and Sons |
| Printing process | Photogravure |
| Colours | Olive-sepia (4d); royal blue (5d) |
| Paper and gum | Chalk-surfaced paper; gum not specified |
| Perforation | 15 × 14 |
| Stamp dimensions | |
| Issue format | Sheets of 240 (12 × 20) |
| Number of stamps | 2 |
| Cover type | Official first day cover |
| Cover producer | General Post Office |
| Cover reference | |
| Limited edition | No |
| Edition limit | N/A |
| Copy number | N/A |
| Cachet or cover design | Three Legs of Man within a Celtic ring chain, above a stylised view of Douglas Head, harbour and lighthouse; vertical “GPO” lettering and “FIRST DAY COVER” below. Cover design by John H. Nicholson. |
| Addressed | Yes |
| Postmark type | Special handstamp |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 4 September 1968 |
| Postmark inscription | FIRST DAY OF ISSUE; 4 SEP 1968; DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN |
| Postmark notes | Circular first day of issue handstamp cancelling both stamps. The separate detail image is taken from the shield-cachet cover in the collection and illustrates the same handstamp design and date. |
| Postmark image |
|
| Signed | No |
| Signed by | N/A |
| Signature details | N/A |
| Information sheet included | Yes |
| Information materials | Double-sided printed General Post Office information card. |
| Information sheet title | Isle of Man Regional 4d. and 5d. Stamps |
| Information sheet image | 
|
| Information sheet reverse image | 
|
| Information sheet notes | Describes the stamps and GPO cover design, gives biographical information about John H. Nicholson, and includes a brief history of the Isle of Man. The front begins with “GENERAL POST OFFICE”; the reverse continues the artist’s biography. |
| Certificate of authenticity included | No |
| Certificate of authenticity image | N/A |
| Certificate of authenticity reverse image | N/A |
| FDC owned | Yes |
| Condition | Some visible creasing and surface marks. |
| Collection Comment | Owned with its double-sided printed information card. The recipient’s name and address are concealed in the published image for privacy. The original cover is addressed. The reverse is blank; no reverse image is provided. |
This is the General Post Office first day cover for the 4d olive-sepia and 5d royal blue Isle of Man regional definitives, SG 5 and SG 7. Stanley Gibbons lists a first day cover dated 4 September 1968 for these stamps.[1]
The accompanying GPO information card credits the cover design to John H. Nicholson. It depicts the Three Legs of Man superimposed on a Celtic ring chain, with Douglas Head, the harbour and lighthouse in the background.[2]
The owned cover has a typed address and a circular Douglas first day of issue handstamp dated 4 September 1968, cancelling both stamps. The recipient’s name and address are concealed in the published scan for privacy. The reverse is blank.
The stamps depict Queen Elizabeth II. They were issued on chalk-surfaced paper without a watermark, perforated 15 × 14, in sheets of 240 (12 × 20). The 4d stamp has one centre phosphor band, and the 5d has two. The catalogue records cylinder number 1 for both stamps.[1]
The stamp design is credited to John Hobson Nicholson, with the portrait credited to Dorothy Wilding Ltd.. The stamps were printed by Harrison and Sons using photogravure.[1]
The 4d denomination was withdrawn from sale locally on 14 March 1971 and at British Philatelic Counters on 25 November 1971. Both stamps ceased to be valid for postage on 1 March 1972, under the catalogue’s invalidation statement for Isle of Man SG 1–7.[1]
Information card
The printed card is headed “GENERAL POST OFFICE” and “ISLE OF MAN REGIONAL 4d. AND 5d. STAMPS”. It describes the stamp designs, their heraldic and Celtic ornament, the GPO cover design, and the artist’s career. The reverse continues the biography and gives a brief history of the Isle of Man.[2]
Stamps on this cover
The detail images below are taken from the separate shield-cachet cover in the collection and illustrate the same stamp listings.
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IM-SG-5 | 4d | Queen Elizabeth II; Isle of Man regional definitive design | Stamp | Olive-sepia; one centre phosphor band; no watermark. Detail image from the shield-cachet cover.
| |
|
IM-SG-7 | 5d | Queen Elizabeth II; Isle of Man regional definitive design | Stamp | Royal blue; two phosphor bands; no watermark. Detail image from the shield-cachet cover.
|
Related first day covers
- 1958 3d — standard GPO cover
- 1958 3d — coloured GPO cover
- 1958 3d — owned heraldic-cachet cover
- 1958 3d — boxed-cachet cover
- 1958 3d — First Manx Stamp shield cover
- 1958 3d — outline-map cover
- 1958 3d — shield-and-flowers cover
- 1964 2½d — unattributed cover
- 1966 4d — unattributed cover
- 1966 4d — Manx Philatelic Society cover
- 1968 4d and 5d — Philart cover
- 1968 4d and 5d — Wessex cover
- 1968 4d and 5d — shield-cachet cover
- 1969 4d — GPO cover
- 1969 4d — Philart cover
- 1969 4d — Regional Issue cover
- 1969 4d — shield cover
Related stamp varieties
- IM-SG-5Ey — 4d olive-sepia; phosphor omitted
- IM-SG-7a — 5d royal blue; frame flaw
- IM-SG-7Ey — 5d royal blue; phosphor omitted
References
- ↑ 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 — Regional issues.p. 197.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 5, 7.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 General Post Office.Isle of Man Regional 4d. and 5d. Stamps(Information card).General Post Office.Reference: Front; reverse.Double-sided printed card held with the GPO cover in the collection. No publication date is printed on the supplied scans.