It is estimated that only one in 10,000 pieces of mail has a Christmas Seal "tied on" by postmark, verifying it was used in a timely manner. Everyone is different, and no one has them all. Member George Painter's Tied on Guide details many factors that can enhance their value. Their popularity has helped the hobby of Christmas Seal collecting move into mainstream philately.
In a short time, the late Dan Cousineau managed to update nearly all of Green's part 3, Foreign TB Christmas Seals, writing around 1700 pages of catalogs, before he passed away September 2023. Dan will be missed. Brian McInturff, editor of Green's part 2, US Local TB Seals, Dan's friend, and fellow member, has graciously taken on the responsibility of finishing his work, which was believed to consist mostly of Europe less Germany and Denmark.
Nearly a year after Dan's passing, additional Green's Catalog files were discovered on his computer, including the rest of Europe, Oceania, and the Middle East. John Denune Jr. Wrote Green's Mexico 2024, which was added to Dan's South America, Central America, and Caribbean, to complete Latin America. So, virtually the whole foreign Green's is now updated and available, printed and CD, for sale at this site, at the Literature page. John Denune, Jr also wrote Green's Canada National 2024. Dan's Russian TB Seal album, Illustrating these rare seals in full color, is also available.
A large number of TB Christmas seal album files were also discovered on Dan Cousineau's computer, including a massive US Local album, many foreign countries, and a few All Fund charities. These will be offered free in the near future. Member Ed Dlugosz is off to a good start with his own US Local TB Christmas seal album and has graciously offered to donate his work to the CS&CSS.
This is what one dealer is using on his mail because he is not able to get new Christmas Seals from the American Lung Association. These were all created by AI (artificial intelligence) using the free Microsoft Bing Image Creator, and are without a doubt among the first AI Poster Stamps. Download these 3 files, and print 78 different poster stamps.
COLLECT CHRISTMAS SEALS-1.pdf Collect Christmas Seals-1a.pdf COLLECT CHRISTMAS SEALS - 3.pdf
Dorsey F. Wheless was a pioneer member of the CS&CSS who put our hobby in the spotlight thru articles, publicity, and by donating his incredible collection to the Cardinal Spellman Museum.
This 1933 publicity photo of a Christmas Seal Album being presented to President FDR includes Dr. William Charles White, President of the DC TB Association, Dorsey Wheless, the CS&CSS member who put the collection together, an unknown woman, and Dr. Kendall Emerson, Director of the National Tuberculosis Association.
In 1935, Wheless, who worked for Scott stamp and Coin Company, helped get Christmas Seals added to the Scott Specialized Catalogue of US Postage Stamps. Check lists of Christmas Seals first appeared in the Scott Monthly Journal, May 1928.
In the 1980's, John Denune, Sr. visited the Cardinal Spellman Museum in Weston, MA, to examine the Wheless collection and remarked on all the early Christmas Seal essays he had never seen. 35 years later a rather beat up collection came across our desk, some tail end of the Wheless - Rigney collection. Along with it came an interesting file of correspondence with the Cardinal Spellman Museum. Shortly before Wheless's death (1959-60), he asked May A. Rigney to combine his collection with the material she had accumulated while working at the National Tuberculosis Association headquarters. After Wheless' death, in December 1961 Miss Rigney presented the combined collection to the Cardinal Spellman Museum. William Rigney, May's brother made significant additional contributions in the 1970's.
wheless cardinal spellman-1.pdf
This Charity's first stamp like label was released in 1902, and they have issued thousands of different fundraising seals. They are attractive, and historic. Interesting "Related Material" abounds, such as tags, proofs, essays, membership certificates and even tin litho donation banks. Illustrated here are what had been 25 cent examples. Cinderella collector and expert, Michael Hide says, "... JNF material has risen sharply over the last 10 years or so. One can still find deals but they are few and far between. Also, many JNF items were actually issued out of their New York office."
Not to be confused with the Jewish seals listed in Mosbaugh's US All Fund Catalog, JNF seals were sold in many countries. After the British abandoned the Post Offices in 1948 they were used in Israel as postage stamps with various hand stamped overprints. The 2009 Catalog of Jewish National Fund, by Ralph Phillips and Izhak Wayman, lists 4200 different thru 2004. Another great JNF catalog is Rochlin's Handbook of the Issues of The Jewish National Fund.
Chicago Charity Tags date back to 1911, but beginning in 1925 the Chicago Associated and Federated Charities issued tags on official days. Funds raised from the drives were used for nursery groups, children's homes, settlement homes, where the poor could get support and services, social centers, schools for handicapped children, protective agencies, children's hospital wards, and homes for the aged.
chicago medical charity tags-5.pdf
This enormous ongoing project is making our journal, Seal News more useful; the work of Seal News Editor, and Vice President, David Teisler. When new issues of Seal News are released, the project is expanding, and includes, issue, page, author, date, and title of scholarly articles. With over six thousand pages of Seal News issued since 1931, there is a lot of material to cover. Logged on members can download, and read every one.
The 1934 Korean Methodist poster stamp tied on was a recent find of member Dave Lowental. What makes it especially interesting; it was sent from Rosetta Sherwood Hall, mother of Dr. Sherwood Hall who started Christmas Seals in Korea in 1932. She was famous in her own right; also a Korean medical missionary, she started the first women's medical school in Korea. See March 15th, 2023 News Item for more of her tied ons.
Table of Contents for Back Issues June 2023.xls
Many members of The Christmas Seal & Charity Stamp Society also collect poster stamps (mostly old ones). This Cinderella sheet was submitted by an anonymous member who says that all announced and likely candidates for President are represented here. However, I imagine many third party candidates may not be included; and more will be announcing in the coming weeks. The CS&CSS does not endorse any political party or candidate, but celebrates the American election process.
2024 14 dwarfs.pdf
The longest series of Christmas Seals which honor a different holiday, began in 1987. Spring ALA seals have Easter themes, and a whole book could be written about them.
Several other holidays were featured on American Lung Association Christmas Seals that collectors may not be aware of. Chanukah seals were issued from 1997 thru 2003, and the ALA of SE Florida issued Kwanzaa seals in 2001 and 2002 which feature Curtis, the comic strip of cartoonist Ray Billingsley. The 2001 had a finer roulette at the fold than the 2002 issue. Finally, in 2003 The ALA celebrated Halloween and Thanksgiving, along with Christmas Seals, all on the same sheet.
Collectors have observed a rise and fall of the number of Christmas Seal varieties, but as the landscape of America changes other holidays could be considered by the ALA. How about Cinco de Mayo, Diwali, or Ramadan?
I almost forgot, early US Christmas Seals from 1907 thru 1921 (with the exception of 1913) also honored "New Year" .
This 1998 eighty page album was designed to house American Lung Association (National US Christmas Seals) Design experiments and Spring issues. Design Experiment Christmas Seal began in 1979 and since 1980, nearly every national US Christmas Seal design was selected from a previous year design experiment, with one notable difference being the date. Spring issue ALA seals began in 1987.
More FREE Christmas Seal Albums here:
https://www.seal-society.org/node/45
and a Peruvian Christmas Seal album, here https://www.seal-society.org/node/63
album ALA design exp & Spring-1.pdf