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Stamps and first day covers

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Revision as of 16:22, 16 September 2026 by PhantomSteve (talk | contribs) (→Postmark types: new section)

This section records individual postage stamps, stamp issues and first day covers in the collection.

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Collection summary

Record type Number of pages
First day covers 49
Owned first day covers 0
First day covers wanted 18
Individual stamps 129

Browse by country

Isle of Man

Naming conventions

Individual stamp pages

Use the following page-title format:

CC-Catalogue-NumberVariant

Examples:

  • IM-SG-9999
  • IM-SG-9999a
  • DE-Mi-385

The parts are:

  • CC — two-letter country code
  • Catalogue — catalogue abbreviation, such as SG or Mi
  • Number — catalogue number
  • Variant — optional suffix, such as a, b or c

Use the same identifier for the principal image filename:

IM-SG-9999a.jpg

Additional images may use descriptive suffixes:

IM-SG-9999a-back.jpg
IM-SG-9999a-detail-1.jpg

First day cover pages

Use:

Country – Issue title – Year

Where several different covers exist for the same issue, include the producer or cover type:

Country – Issue title – Producer – Year

Catalogue abbreviations

The countries shown are examples rather than complete coverage lists. Countries currently included in this collection's country-code table are shown in bold.

Catalogue Identifier abbreviation Example countries or postal areas covered
Stanley Gibbons SG United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Australia, Canada
Michel Mi Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Ukraine
Zumstein Zum Switzerland, Liechtenstein, United Nations Geneva
Scott Scott United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan
Yvert et Tellier YT France, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium
Sakura Sakura Japan, Ryukyu Islands and historical Japanese-administered territories
AFA AFA Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands
Facit Facit Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands
Minkus Minkus United States, Germany, France, Japan and worldwide issues
Sassone Sass Italy, San Marino and Vatican City
Edifil Edifil Spain, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea and former Spanish colonies
Unificato Unif Italy, San Marino, Vatican City and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Philex Philex Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France and Spain

Notes:

  • Sakura is principally a Japanese catalogue. Its additional coverage includes historical postal administrations rather than a second modern sovereign country.
  • Minkus is retained for older collections and references, but its independent worldwide catalogue and numbering system are no longer actively published.
  • Philex country catalogues normally reproduce Michel numbering. Where that is the case, use Mi in the stamp identifier rather than Philex.

Country codes

Stamp identifiers use the two-letter ISO country code of the issuing country or postal authority.

Country or postal authority Code Example identifier
Germany DE DE-Mi-385
Isle of Man IM IM-SG-9999a
Kyrgyzstan KG KG-Mi-123
Liechtenstein LI LI-Mi-123
Switzerland CH CH-Zum-123
Ukraine UA UA-Mi-123
United Kingdom GB GB-SG-1234

First day cover types

Use the broad value in the cover-type field and record the specific organisation or company in cover-producer.

Cover type Description Example producers
Standard cover Standard cover produced or commissioned by the postal authority. Royal Mail, Isle of Man Post Office
Commercial cover Privately produced cover created for sale to collectors. Cotswold, Mercury, Philart, Stuart, Abbey
Official or sponsored cover Cover officially produced or sponsored by an organisation connected with the issue. Museum, charity, regiment, government department or event organiser
Commemorative cover A cover marking an event or anniversary that is not necessarily the official first day cover for a stamp issue. Various
Other A cover that does not fit one of the standard classifications. Record the details in cover-producer and collection-comment

Postmark types

Postmark type Description
Special handstamp A special pictorial or commemorative handstamp produced for an issue, event or location.
First Day of Issue postmark A postmark specifically identifying the first day of issue. This includes Royal Mail FDI postmarks used from 1964 to 1988.
Counter date stamp An ordinary circular date stamp applied at a post-office counter.
Slogan postmark A cancellation containing wording, advertising or a commemorative slogan.
Machine cancellation A mechanically applied cancellation, normally containing a date stamp and cancelling lines.
Meter mark A postal marking produced by a postage meter rather than an adhesive stamp.
Other Any postmark that does not fit the standard types. Add an explanation in postmark-notes.