Isle of Man - Sculptures of Michael Sandle RA - 2022
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| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Sculptures of Michael Sandle RA |
| Date of issue | 8 March 2022 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | Not specified
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| Stamp type | Commemorative stamp |
| Stamp subtype | Art and heritage |
| Theme or subject | Michael Sandle RA; sculpture; public art; war memorials; maritime memorials |
| Text credit | Michael Sandle RA |
| Designer or artist | EJC Design |
| Printer | Cartor |
| Printing process | Offset lithography |
| Colours | Four-colour |
| Paper and gum | 110 gsm paper; PVA gum |
| Perforation | 13 per 2 cm |
| Stamp dimensions | 52 × 40 mm |
| Issue format | Sheets of eight |
| Number of stamps | 6 |
| Cover type | Official first day cover |
| Cover producer | Isle of Man Post Office |
| Cover reference | ABE91 |
| Limited edition | Yes |
| Edition limit | 2000 |
| Copy number | |
| Cachet or cover design | Typographic design bearing the issue title “Sculptures of Michael Sandle RA” |
| Addressed | No |
| Postmark type | First-day-of-issue postmark |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 8 March 2022 |
| Postmark inscription | Sculptures of Michael Sandle RA · Douglas · Isle of Man · 08.03.2022 · First Day of Issue |
| Postmark notes | Black circular postmark incorporating the issue title |
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| Signed | No |
| Signed by | N/A |
| Signature details | N/A |
| Information sheet included | Yes |
| Information materials | Double-sided information sheet containing descriptions of the six sculptures, commentary by Michael Sandle RA and technical details of the issue |
| Information sheet title | Sculptures of Michael Sandle RA information sheet |
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| Information sheet reverse image | 
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| Information sheet notes | The information sheet includes photographs of the Lifeboat Men Memorial and The Viking |
| Certificate of authenticity included | No |
| Certificate of authenticity image | N/A |
| Certificate of authenticity reverse image | N/A |
| FDC owned | Yes |
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| Collection Comment |
This issue presents six major public works by sculptor, draughtsman and printmaker Michael Sandle RA. Sandle was born in Weymouth in 1936 but moved to the Isle of Man during his childhood. He studied at the Douglas School of Art from 1951 to 1954 before attending the Slade School of Fine Art.[1]
Two of the sculptures depicted are situated on the Isle of Man. The Memorial to the Lifeboat Men in the Marine Gardens at Douglas commemorates the rescue attempt following the wreck of the St George in 1830. Sandle modelled the fourteen lifeboatmen from memory and used forced perspective to represent the crew aboard the boat.[2] The Viking, on the exterior of the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin, depicts a Viking funeral viewed from above and incorporates the four-horned Manx Loaghtan sheep.
The remaining stamps depict the Malta Siege Bell Memorial in Valletta, St George and the Dragon at Blackfriars in London, the International Seafarers’ Memorial outside the International Maritime Organization headquarters in London and A Twentieth Century War Memorial. The Malta memorial was created to commemorate those who died during the siege of Malta and incorporates a thirteen-tonne bell which rings at midday.[3]
The stamps were designed by EJC Design and printed by Cartor using four-colour offset lithography. They measure 52 × 40 mm, are perforated 13 per 2 cm and were issued on 110 gsm PVA-gummed paper in sheets of eight. Photography was supplied by Simon Stringer, Ben Johnson, Howard Grey and Michael Sandle RA. The official first day cover was limited to 2,000 copies.
The reverse of the cover contains a short biography of Michael Sandle and details of his artistic education, academic career, public commissions and representation in major international collections.
The identifiers P2745–P2750 are provisional PhantomWiki numbers. They preserve the expected Stanley Gibbons sequence but have not been published or confirmed by Stanley Gibbons.
Stamps in this issue
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
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IM-SG-P2745 | 1st Class | Memorial to the Lifeboat Men, Douglas, Isle of Man | Stamp | Sculpture by Michael Sandle RA; provisional PhantomWiki number
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IM-SG-P2746 | Europe | Malta Siege Bell Memorial, Valletta | Stamp | Sculpture by Michael Sandle RA; provisional PhantomWiki number
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IM-SG-P2747 | £1.26 | St George and the Dragon, Blackfriars, London | Stamp | Sculpture by Michael Sandle RA; provisional PhantomWiki number
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IM-SG-P2748 | £1.71 | International Seafarers’ Memorial, London | Stamp | Sculpture by Michael Sandle RA; provisional PhantomWiki number
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IM-SG-P2749 | £2.32 | The Viking, Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, Isle of Man | Stamp | Sculpture by Michael Sandle RA; provisional PhantomWiki number
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IM-SG-P2750 | £2.64 | A Twentieth Century War Memorial, London | Stamp | Sculpture by Michael Sandle RA; provisional PhantomWiki number
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References
- ↑ Isle of Man Post Office.“Isle of Man Post Office showcases the work of renowned sculptor Michael Sandle RA in six landmark stamps”. Isle of Man Post Office. Isle of Man Post Office. 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Paul Hardman.“RNLI memorial is marked in set of famous sculptor’s stamps”. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Emma Borg.“Michael Sandle, the Siege Bell Memorial and the Isle of Man stamp issue”. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2026.