Isle of Man – Royal Wedding – Mercury cover – 1973
| FDC image | No image uploaded |
|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | No reverse image uploaded |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Royal Wedding |
| Date of issue | 14 November 1973 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | 13 November 1974 (SG 41 withdrawn from sale) |
| Quantity sold | 400,813 |
| Stamp type | Commemorative stamp |
| Stamp subtype | Wedding |
| Theme or subject | Royal wedding; Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips |
| Text credit | |
| Designer or artist | A. S. Larkins |
| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Co. Ltd., Basingstoke, Hampshire |
| Printing process | Lithography (catalogue description) |
| Colours | Multicoloured; three colours |
| Paper and gum | White paper; gum not specified |
| Perforation | 13½ |
| Stamp dimensions | 52 × 36 mm, perforation to perforation |
| Issue format | Sheets of 50 stamps (catalogue description) |
| Number of stamps | 1 |
| 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 | Green wedding inscription within a silver-coloured leafy wreath, with a crown above, two wedding bells and a dated ribbon below, and the Mercury imprint at lower left. |
| Addressed | No |
| Postmark type | Pictorial first day of issue handstamp |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 14 November 1973 |
| Postmark inscription | FIRST DAY OF ISSUE / 14th NOVEMBER / 1973 / DOUGLAS I.O.M. |
| Postmark notes | Interlaced ornament links alpha and omega symbols. The supplied reference photograph shows this cancellation tying the single 25p stamp to the cover. |
| 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 | |
| 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. The supplied reference photograph shows an unaddressed example bearing one 25p stamp and a Douglas first day of issue cancellation dated 14 November 1973. The photograph is illustrative and is not reproduced on this page. The reverse has not been examined; the condition and accompanying material of a future acquired copy remain unconfirmed. |
The Isle of Man issued a 25p stamp on 14 November 1973 to commemorate the wedding of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. It is catalogued as SG 41.[1]
Cover design and reference example
The illustrated cachet has a green inscription naming Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips inside a silver-coloured leafy wreath. A crown appears above the inscription, with two wedding bells and a ribbon bearing the wedding date below. The Mercury imprint is visible at lower left. The supplied reference photograph shows an unaddressed example with one 25p stamp and a pictorial Douglas first day of issue handstamp dated 14 November 1973. The handstamp incorporates interlaced ornament linking alpha and omega symbols.[2]
Production details
The catalogue credits A. Larkins as the designer and De La Rue as the printer, using lithography. It records a multicoloured stamp, perforation 13½ and sheets of 50.[1]
The information card accompanying the owned official cover names A. S. Larkins as the engraver and Thomas De La Rue & Co. Ltd., Basingstoke, Hampshire, as the printer. It gives three colours, white paper and a stamp size of 52 × 36 mm, measured perforation to perforation. Its printing-process description is “Delacryl with one colour by the direct plate engraved process”.[3]
Sales and withdrawal
The catalogue records 400,813 sold for SG 41 and withdrawal from sale on 13 November 1974. The quantity and withdrawal date describe the stamp, not this cover product.[1]
Related covers
- Isle of Man – Royal Wedding – 1973
- Isle of Man – Royal Wedding – Cotswold cover – 1973
- Isle of Man – Royal Wedding – J. M. Toombs cover – 1973
- Isle of Man – Royal Wedding – Photographic cover – 1973
Stamps on this cover
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IM-SG-41 | 25p | Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips | Stamp | Quantity sold: 400,813 stamps. Withdrawn from sale on 13 November 1974.[1]
|
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.p. 199.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 41.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood.
- ↑ Royal Wedding – Mercury cover(Reference photograph).Reference: Collector-supplied image(20261011-135349).png, examined 11 October 2026..Illustrative reference for a wanted cover; not a scan of an owned example. The reverse and accompanying material have not been examined.
- ↑ Royal Wedding stamp issue information card(Information card).Isle of Man Post Office Authority.Card accompanying the owned official cover; illustrated at information card scan. This does not establish the accompanying material for the wanted cover recorded here.
