Isle of Man – Inauguration of Postal Independence – 1973

First day cover details

FDC image	No image uploaded
FDC reverse image	No reverse image uploaded
Country	Isle of Man
Country code	IM
Issue title	Inauguration of Postal Independence
Date of issue	5 July 1973
Withdrawal or invalidation date	Not specified
Stamp type	Commemorative stamp
Stamp subtype	Historical event
Theme or subject	Postal independence; Viking history
Text credit
Designer or artist	J. Nicholson
Printer	Harrison and Sons
Printing process	Photogravure
Colours	Multicoloured
Paper and gum
Perforation	14
Stamp dimensions
Issue format	Single stamp issued in sheets of 50 (10 × 5)
Number of stamps	1
Cover type	First day cover
Cover producer
Cover reference
Limited edition	No
Edition limit	N/A
Copy number	N/A
Cachet or cover design
Addressed
Postmark type
Postmark location
Postmark date
Postmark inscription
Postmark notes
Postmark image	No postmark image uploaded
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
Condition
Collection Comment

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 first day cover relates to the Inauguration of Postal Independence issue, released by the Isle of Man on 5 July 1973. The issue comprised one 15p commemorative stamp, catalogued as IM-SG-34, depicting a Viking landing on Man in AD 938. Stanley Gibbons lists a first day cover for the issue.

The issue marked the establishment of an independent Manx postal administration on 5 July 1973. The Isle of Man Post Office later recalled that advance demand led to the planned quantity of the inaugural stamp being increased from 250,000 to 350,000.

Stamp design and production

The stamp was designed by J. Nicholson and printed by Harrison and Sons using photogravure. It is multicoloured and perforated 14. Sheets contained 50 stamps, arranged in ten columns and five rows. The catalogue records the cylinder numbers as 1A (×4).

Sales

Stanley Gibbons records a quantity sold of 350,000 stamps and states that the stamp sold out soon after issue. These details refer to the 15p stamp, not to the number of first day covers produced or sold.

Related stamp

For the 1983 15p stamp inscribed “POST OFFICE DECENNIUM”, see IM-SG-256.

Stamps in this issue

Image	Identifier	Face value	Subject	Format	Other catalogues	Notes
No image	IM-SG-34	15p	Viking landing on Man, AD 938	Stamp		Quantity sold: 350,000 stamps. Sold out soon after issue. For the 1983 15p stamp inscribed “POST OFFICE DECENNIUM”, see IM-SG-256.