Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official stamp set cover – 1976
| FDC image | 
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|---|---|
| FDC reverse image | No reverse image uploaded |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Country code | IM |
| Issue title | Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official stamp set cover |
| Date of issue | 12 March 1976 |
| Withdrawal or invalidation date | 11 March 1977 (stamps withdrawn from sale)
|
| Stamp type | Commemorative stamp |
| Stamp subtype | Anniversary |
| Theme or subject | American Revolution; William Christian; Patrick Henry; bicentenary |
| Text credit | |
| Designer or artist | Waddingtons Studio (information sheet); John Waddington (catalogue) |
| Printer | John Waddington of Kirkstall Ltd. (information sheet); John Waddington (catalogue) |
| Printing process | Lithography |
| Colours | Multicoloured; four colours (information sheet) |
| Paper and gum | Coated paper, 102 g/m² (information sheet); gum not specified |
| Perforation | 13½ |
| Stamp dimensions | Approximately 27.94 × 44.45 mm, including perforations (information sheet; printed order) |
| Issue format | Sheets of 50, comprising two panes of 25 (5 × 5) |
| Number of stamps | 4 |
| Cover type | Official first day cover |
| Cover producer | Isle of Man Post Office Authority |
| Cover reference | |
| Limited edition | No |
| Edition limit | N/A |
| Copy number | N/A |
| Cachet or cover design | The addressed official envelope is headed Commemorating Colonel William Christian of Virginia, with a coloured bicentennial emblem and Isle of Man Post Office Authority official first day cover wording. |
| Addressed | Yes |
| Postmark type | First-day-of-issue postmark |
| Postmark location | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Postmark date | 12 March 1976 |
| Postmark inscription | FIRST DAY OF ISSUE / 12 MAR 1976 / DOUGLAS / ISLE OF MAN |
| Postmark notes | Two circular Douglas first-day strikes. The detail scan is from this owned cover. |
| Postmark image |
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| Signed | No |
| Signed by | N/A |
| Signature details | N/A |
| Information sheet included | Yes |
| Information materials | Double-sided information sheet |
| Information sheet title | American Revolution Bicentennial 1776–1976 — Commemorating Col. William Christian |
| Information sheet image | 
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| Information sheet reverse image | 
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| Information sheet notes | Held with the owned official stamp-set cover. Both printed sides are supplied. |
| Certificate of authenticity included | No |
| Certificate of authenticity image | N/A |
| Certificate of authenticity reverse image | N/A |
| FDC owned | Yes |
| Condition | |
| Collection Comment | Owned, with a double-sided information sheet. Addressed; recipient details are not transcribed. Envelope reverse not supplied or confirmed blank. |
The Isle of Man issued the four stamps IM-SG-75–IM-SG-78 and miniature sheet IM-SG-MS79 on 12 March 1976 for Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration. Stanley Gibbons records first day covers for both formats.[1]
The cover
The addressed official envelope is headed Commemorating Colonel William Christian of Virginia, with a coloured bicentennial emblem and Isle of Man Post Office Authority official first day cover wording. Four separate stamps are arranged from left to right in ascending value order: 5½p, 7p, 13p and 20p. Two circular Douglas first-day cancellations dated 12 March 1976 tie the stamps. Recipient details are not transcribed here. The collector owns this cover and its double-sided information sheet. The envelope reverse has not been supplied or confirmed blank.[2]
The genuine stamp detail scans and the information sheet used below come from the Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official stamp set cover – 1976.
Issue background
The issue commemorates the bicentenary of the American Revolution and Colonel William Christian. The official information sheet relates his Manx ancestry through his father, Israel Christian, and describes his association with Patrick Henry, Virginia politics and military service. It presents the four designs as stages in Christian’s life.[3]
Design and production
The catalogue credits John Waddington with design and lithographic printing. The information sheet supplies the fuller credits Waddingtons Studio and John Waddington of Kirkstall Ltd. It specifies four colours and coated paper weighing 102 g/m². No gum specification is supplied.[1][3]
The ordinary stamps are perforated 13½; the information sheet states 13½ × 13½. The miniature sheet is perforated 14, stated as 14 × 14 on the sheet. The stated stamp size is 1.1 × 1.75 inches including perforations, approximately 27.94 × 44.45 mm in the printed order.[1][3]
Ordinary sheets contain 50 stamps in two panes of 25, each 5 × 5, with a gutter between panes. The catalogue lists plate numbers 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D, each ×4. These are production records, not plate markings identified on these individual examples.[1][3]
Miniature sheet
The catalogue describes MS79 as 150 × 90 mm and containing the four designs SG75–78. The information sheet gives 6 × 3½ inches, equivalent to 152.4 × 88.9 mm. Both stated sizes are retained with their sources rather than treated as exact equivalents. The miniature sheet has perforation 14, distinct from the ordinary stamps’ 13½.[1][3]
Catalogue variety
The catalogue lists IM-SG-77a, the 13p stamp with the black face value and inscriptions printed double. This entry is not an identification of the error on the cover shown.[1]
Sales and withdrawal
The catalogue records stamp sales of 487,310 (5½p), 524,144 (7p), 558,348 (13p) and 424,728 (20p), and 209,367 miniature sheets. These are stamp and miniature-sheet sales, not numbers of covers produced or sold. Withdrawal from sale was on 11 March 1977; no separate sold-out or postal-invalidation date is supplied.[1]
Stamps on this cover
The photographed cover bears the complete ordinary stamp set, SG75–78.
| Image | Identifier | Face value | Subject | Format | Other catalogues | Notes
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
IM-SG-75 | 5½p | William Christian listening to Patrick Henry | Stamp | Cancelled stamp detail from the owned official stamp-set cover.
| |
|
IM-SG-76 | 7p | Conveying the Fincastle Resolutions | Stamp | Cancelled stamp detail from the owned official stamp-set cover.
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IM-SG-77 | 13p | Patrick Henry and William Christian | Stamp | Cancelled stamp detail from the owned official stamp-set cover.
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IM-SG-78 | 20p | William Christian as an Indian fighter | Stamp | Cancelled stamp detail from the owned official stamp-set cover.
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Related first day covers
- Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official miniature sheet cover – 1976
- Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Cotswold stamp set cover – 1976
- Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Mercury miniature sheet cover – 1976
- Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official commemorative stamp cover – 1976
- Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – William Christian cover – 1976
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Stanley Gibbons.Channel Islands and Isle of Man 2022 Edition Stamp Catalogue(31st combined edition).Stanley Gibbons.2022.Section: Isle of Man.p. 201.Catalogue system: Stanley Gibbons.Catalogue number(s): 75–78, 77a and MS79.ISBN: 978-1-911304-89-0.Place of publication: Ringwood. Details transcribed from the catalogue by the collector.
- ↑ Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official stamp set cover – 1976(Owned first day cover).Reference: Owned front scan and postmark detail..Ownership and accompanying information sheet confirmed by the collector.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 American Revolution Bicentennial 1776–1976 — Commemorating Col. William Christian(Information sheet).Isle of Man Post Office Authority.Reference: Front and reverse of the sheet held with the collector’s Isle of Man – Bicentenary of American Revolution and Colonel William Christian Commemoration – Official stamp set cover – 1976..The sheet gives 12 March 1976 as the issue date. The front provides a biography; the reverse describes the designs and technical details.