a) a commerical decorative Christmas poster stamp used on Christmas mail and packages

b) a tuberculosis or lung charity label issued at Christmas time, as stated in this pamphlet issued in 1976 by the American Lung Association. "...with the help of Green's Catalog... 76 countries with lung association issuing Christmas Seals... it's world-wide!" See pdf below for the entire informative pamphlet.

c) a fundraising seal which includes the double barred cross, or Cross of Lorraine proposed in 1902 at the international conference on TB in Berlin, as the international symbol of the fight against TB

d) a tb seal issued by the ALA, or any other Organizational or Constituent Member of the International Union against TB & Lung Disease

e) an entry in the Christmas Seal contest held at the World Conference on Lung Health, the annual convention of the International Union against TB & Lung Diesase

f) a seal issued by the ALA or it’s predecessors, since it’s acquisition of a registered trademark for the term in 1987.

If you choose “f”, you are correct, Christmas Seal® is a registered trademark of the American Lung Association.

 

Because "Christmas Seal" is part of the name of our Society, we are vitally interested!

Below is a list of articles and notes from newspapers making reference to "Christmas Seals" before the ALA registered their trademark. The dates range from 1915 to 1982 , a good time range to show how "Christmas Seals" is a generic term. Five of these are from the first year of the seals' issuance (Boys Town, Catholic Charities, HCA, New Mexico Boys Ranch, and Roweton Boys Ranch). I think this is additional evidence of the generic nature of the term, since the organizations used it right from the beginning. four are the earliest reference I've found (Grace, NAACP, Starr, Lutheran Sanatarium Wheat Ridge).

Commercial Decorative Christmas Seals

Illustrated is a 1926 generic use of the term "Christmas Seal" by the Mistletoe Seal Company which sold commercial decorative Christmas Seals. These did not have a charitable purpose. One early series of these commercial Christmas Seals were the Santa Claus Post which began in 1908. These are well cataloged in Larry B. Hixon's Santa Post Catalog, edited by Joseph D. Ward, Jr., published by the CS&CSS. Other commercial Christmas Seals followed. Some of these commercial Christmas Seals are difficult to distinguish for actual charitable fundraising seals, particularly Catholic fundraising seals. Quite a few were die cut and have irregular shapes. Attached is a downloadable pdf file which illustrate some commercial Christmas Seals tied on cover. The last page has several Santa Claus Post.

Patent denied when inventor waited too long

Patent case, denying patentability because the inventor waited "almost a decade" before filing. Even though it's a patent case, it's relevant to someone waiting 80 years, as the ALA did, to file for a trademark. In that 80 years, many organizations jumped in and used the term. The case is abstracted below.

In the 1876 case Consolidated Fruit Jar Company  v. Wright, the Consolidated Fruit Jar Company alleged other jar manufacturers were infringing its patent on Mason jars and requested the Court forbid their competitors from selling their versions of the jar. The Court refused, reasoning that, because the Mason jar was not patented for almost a decade after its creation and introduction to the marketplace, the original inventor “acquire[d] no title, and his invention or discovery . . . is lost to him.”

George Painter, member CS&CSS

Boys Town - Allen (OK) Advocate 12-8-49 1,1.pdf (55.6 KB)

Catholic Charities - Glens Falls Post-Star 12-5-1921 p9.pdf (91.66 KB)

Grace - Nemaha County (NE) Herald 11-13-31, 2,3.pdf (79.53 KB)

NAACP - California Eagle 12-13-35 5,5.pdf (78.87 KB)

HCA - Catholic Union and Times 12-2-15 5,6.pdf (116.44 KB)

Roweton - Chillicothe Gazette 12-5-68 pp.2,23.pdf (99.48 KB)

New Mexico - Clovis News-Journal 11-30-55 4,3.pdf (228.13 KB)

Starr - Battle Creek Enquirer 11-19-45 8,3.pdf (50.18 KB)

Wheatridge - Brooklyn Standard Union 10-7-23.pdf (73.13 KB)

Christ Child Society, Washington Star 11-26-26, 27,1.pdf (84.76 KB)

Capper Foundation Christmas Seal 11-25-82 1.1.pdf (131.08 KB)

commercial christmas seal tied ons-1.pdf (2.06 MB)

Pictorial Hist of Xmas Seals 1976 Am Lung Assn.pdf (3.63 MB)

Written in 1934 by Charles Lorenz. US Christmas Seals were issued by the American Red Cross between 1908 and 1919. Varieties of the 1919 Red Cross buttons were used in the 1918 Christmas Seal Campaign

Red Cross Buttons, by C. Lorenz 1934.pdf (11.71 MB)

Many collectors under 60 may not know what an ink blotter is. They date back to an earlier time when people still filled their fountain from a bottle of ink. advancements of quick-drying inks and ballpoint pens in the 1950's made blotters obsolete. I have never seen more than about a half dozen different Christmas Seal blotters. They are listed in the front of the 1983 edition of Green’s part 2, US Local Christmas Seals, along with other “back of the book” national items, like Christmas Seal bonds, bookmarks, booth envelopes, menu labels, milk bottle caps & collars, napkins, package inserts, place mats and transit passes (to name a few). Some of these interesting categories listed in Green’s, like Christmas Seal Buttons have been made into entire catalogs on their own. Other categories, like bookmarks were re done in Seal News (back in the late 80’s I think). I had the opportunity to scan a wonderful collection of 125 different Christmas Seal blotters. The collection includes both National and local blotters and begins in 1913. Click on the pdf download below to view the entire collection

Christmas Seal Ink Blotter Collection8.pdf (10 MB)

Special thanks to Joseph Ward & Rod Stuart, and George Painter for help on this News item. Like many collector groups, the CS&CSS has an Archive. Today, this Archive consists of a complete Seal News reprint, as well as a collection of early articles pertaining to Christmas Seal collecting, and history. Formed in 1931, The CS&CSS's first official organ was Linn's Stamp News, and the "Christmas Seal and Charity Stamps" monthly department served as our official bulletin, and was edited by A. W. C. Brumfield. 1931-1934 issues are included in the Seal News section, available at this website with member login. Fifty cents covered annual dues which included a subscription to Linn's, double the normal Linn's subscription fee. Later, April 4th, 1934 thru February 5th, 1947, The Western Stamp Collector carried the official bulletin of CS&CSS, first called "Charity Review" thru February 1940 before changing it's name to "Official Bulletin of CS&CSS". The official society column published in the WSC was edited by Harold V.B. Voorhis thru 1938 when he was called to serve in WW2. Ben Morris edited the column thru 1945 and passed away while holding the position of editor. Dick Green took over as editor of the WSC column thru February 1947 before splitting off the Western Stamp Collector, and editing "Seal News", first issued on March 1947. I'm searching for a long run of the CS&CSS Western Stamp Collector bulletins, so they can be added to the Seal News section. For a time, The CS&CSS and The Poster Stamp Collectors of America used a combined journal, The Poster Seal Bulletin. The known issues are included in the Seal News section, which are May 1941 thru October 1941, and a part of a 1943, leading me to believe they were issued for several years. The heading or title page lists both organizations and their respective officers. They even had separate Editors. The CS&CSS was so decimated by the war that the planned Society Exhibition, May 6, 1942, in Philadelphia in conjunction with the Pennsylvania TB Society's 50th Anniversary, was in jeopardy. Attendance was expected to be low but some, notably Charles Lorenz anticipated it, and made the event a success. The exhibit that Lorenz put together with members material demonstrated that it was an exceptional event. A report on this May event was published in The Western Stamp Collector, CS&CSS bulletin, June 1942, and is included in the Seal News section. Joseph Ward also wrote a scholarly article on this event published in Spring 2005 Seal News. During the early years the CS&CSS was a very active group with chapters in New York, Chicago, and later adding Missouri, Wisconsin, and Sacramento. The following are highlights of the CS&CSS Archive, as well as early Christmas Seal articles submitted by members. The first article is by Leigh Mitchell Hodges, The Philadelphia North American newspaperman who was instrumental in making the 1907 seal a success. The first Christmas Seal, conceived by Danish Postal worker, Einar Holboll, became a reality in 1904. Emily Bissell picked up his idea from an article she read to save a small TB sanatorium in the state of Delaware. The article, The Christmas Stamp, by Jacob Riis was published in this News section September 2014. Several articles mention the newly formed CS&CSS, while others contain fascinating back stories to events, such as President FDR receiving a Christmas Seal collection from The National Tuberculosis Association; an album put together by members of the CS&CSS. FDR mentioned a prized Christmas Seal item in his collection, a Danish West Indies TB Seal tied on cover. A publicity photo of this event can be seen in the September 2014 News. Many are written by or about early CS&CSS members collections or exhibits. In the June 1933 article, written by Emily Bissell; she responds to a discovery of some 1907 seals at the NTA office; "We regret that discovery of a quantity of these 1907 seals in cleaning up our office has brought us so much unfavorable publicity, causing people to think we are dickering in the seal trade." Bissell's office had offered 5,000 1907 seal for sale. Collectors correctly predicted the price drop from $5/ $7.50 (type 1 & 2) to .50/ .25 a year later. In 1938 the NTA allowed the CS&CSS to give advance notice of the limited edition Christmas Seal souvenir pane, or Deluxe Pane. With 25,000 printed, they were priced at .25.

12-5-07 WIlmington Morning News.pdf (389.7 KB)

12-9-17 Wilmington Morning News.pdf (2.48 MB)

12-12-07 Wilmington Morning News.pdf (2.43 MB)

12-13-07 Philadelphia North American.pdf (1.65 MB)

12-17-07 The Optimist.pdf (1.94 MB)

12-18-07 Philadelphia North American.pdf (1.31 MB)

12-19-07 Philadelphia North American.pdf (857.23 KB)

12-23-07 Philadelphia North American.pdf (768.5 KB)

1-3-08 Philadelphia North American.pdf (2.41 MB)

1908 The Christmas Stamp in America, The Outlook, Priscilla Leonard (Emily Bissell).pdf (326.95 KB)

12-16-11 Philadelphia Stamp News, The Am Red Cross Stamps by Percy McMann-1.pdf (601.21 KB)

1911 Charity Stamps that Collectors Seek.pdf (959.53 KB)

The Christmas Seals, Jacobs Dec. 1912.pdf (5.09 MB)

cs&css Dec 1929.pdf (1.05 MB)

CS&CSS 10-10-31 Linns.pdf (1.17 MB)

CS&CSS Dec 1931.pdf (758.37 KB)

cs&css 1931 seal exhibits.pdf (1.83 MB)

cs&css 1932 noted artists.pdf (1.53 MB)

1932 Christmas Seal Artists.pdf (894.48 KB)

CS&CSS 1932 xmas seal story- radio broadcast.pdf (4.54 MB)

cs&css Mar 1933.pdf (862.02 KB)

cs&css june 1933 NTA discovery.pdf (1.05 MB)

cs&css Dec 1933 FDR.pdf (1.13 MB)

wheless, dorsey.pdf (4.75 MB)

1933, Dec 16, Stamps, Dorsey Wheless.pdf (153.58 KB)

cs&css Nov 1934 Linns.pdf (10.59 MB)

cs&css 1934.pdf (3.95 MB)

cs&css Dec 1934.pdf (1.42 MB)

article 1934 jacobs.pdf (6.96 MB)

cs&css Dec 1935.pdf (1.7 MB)

cs&css 1935 nat coin & hobby.pdf (1.51 MB)

11-27-36 story of xmas seal. cole-1.pdf (1.66 MB)

cs&css Aug 1937 WSC.pdf (2.52 MB)

cs&css un 1938 WSC.pdf (2.06 MB)

csss Oct 1938 WSC.pdf (2.18 MB)

article 12-40.pdf (4.63 MB)

CS&CSS 1942 Story of Xmas Seal, Hodges.pdf (3.14 MB)

c&cs Mar 1945 WSC.pdf (389.91 KB)

12-16-56 Lorenz.pdf (884.46 KB)

article 12-53.pdf (4.11 MB)

12-1960 Dateline Delaware.pdf (9.49 MB)

article 6-3-63.pdf (3.36 MB)

NTA 8-65.pdf (753.11 KB)

halls of india.pdf (398.69 KB)

article berlin ontario 5-89.pdf (3.43 MB)

article 2-95.pdf (4.69 MB)

modern christmas seals 1995.pdf (4.68 MB)

federated womens club article.pdf (739.01 KB)

Green's Catalog of Tuberculosis Seals of the World was completed in 1930, and between 1935 and 1937 was published as a series in The Western Stamp Collector, a stamp collecting weekly. The same electrotype images, supplied by the National Tuberculosis Association, were used in 1935 to illustrate the "Christmas Seal" section of The Scott Specialized Catalogue. It was a simpler time. The NTA encouraged hobbyists, and knew that cataloging Christmas Seals was good publicity, and recognized that every collection was a testament to their important work.

1930 was not the first year that the National Tuberculosis Association called upon dignitaries to create sought after collectibles, but it may have been the largest list of celebrities ever used in a single year. *thirteen of the twenty different illustrated here, are from the collection of John Denune, Sr. The Babe Ruth was discovered 10-28-2022 stuck in the middle of some imperforate 1930 sheets. The seal collector cared more for the printer's mark block, which has been removed.

*Claudette Colbert

* Andrew Mellon, Secretary of State

*Gloria Swanson

* Ronald Colman, Movie Actor

* Gene Tunney, World Heavyweight Boxer

* William "Bill" Tilden, Tennis Champion

Franklin D. Roosevelt, then Governor of New York

Amos an' Andy, Radio Celebrities

Bobby Jones, Golf Champion

Admiral Richard Byrd, Antarctic Explorer

*Babe Ruth, Baseball Legend

* Guilio Gatte-Casazza, Impresario

Helen Wills Moody, Tennis Champion

* Mary Pickford, Movie Actress

* Jane Cowl, Stage and Movie Actress

*Jimmy Walker, Mayor NYC

* Harold McCormick, Businessman

Al Smith, 4 time Governor of New York

* Will Rogers, Political Humorist

Maurice Chevalier, Singer, Stage and Movie Actor

Scott's Specialized is the Bible of US Postage Stamp collecting. In 1935, with the help of CS&CSS members including, Dorsey F. Wheless, and W. L. Kinkead, first president of our club, Christmas Seal were added to The Scott Specialized Catalogue of US Postage Stamps. Check Lists of US National Christmas Seals first appeared in Scott's Monthly Journal, May, 1928.

Scott Specialized 1935 Christmas Seal Section.pdf (7.66 MB)

Advanced Beginner Christmas Seal Album

43 pages, provides spaces, as required, for singles, pairs, blocks, slogan and portrait blocks, booklet panes of 1918, 1930, 1931, 1939, the 1938 deluxe pane, and full sheets from 1907 through 2012. Spaces for both types of 1907 seals are provided.

Comprehensive Christmas Seal Album

170 page specialized album providing spaces for type and perf varieties for singles, pairs, blocks and sheets (as required) 1907 through 2009. Also included are spaces for slogan blocks, portrait blocks, booklet panes, specimen overprints, some perforated proofs and essays, local overprints, US lookalikes from Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Ryukyu, Nicaragua, modern Spanish text, silver foil, etc.

Progressive Color Proofs & Imperforates Christmas Seal Album

177+ pages, provides spaces, as required, for PCP's from 1927 thru 1994 (last year issued). PCP's usually contain 7 stages and show colors separately and in combination, leading up to the complete design. This album also provides spaces for imperforate pairs, blocks, and sheets, as required, from 1917 thru 1995

Canadian National Tuberculosis Seal Album

51 pages, 1927 thru 2001, provides spaces, as required, for singles, pairs, blocks, and sheets, as well as French and English text, slogan blocks, and booklet panes. 

Other Free Christmas Seal Albums were created by Joe Ward, and published in Seal News, as follows: January 2000 US Local TB Louisiana, Summer 2003 Sister Kenny, October 2003 US Local TB Federated Women's Club, Summer 2004 US Local TB Butler County, Summer 2005 Boystown. Join the CS&CSS and access every issue of Seal News at this website.

full.sheet_.pages_.pdf (117.28 KB)

Blank 'Christmas Seals' Album Page.pdf (10.57 KB)

new album 2018 (3).pdf (3.13 MB)

Advanced Beginner Album, part 2.pdf (17.15 KB)

comprehensive christmas seal album 2014.pdf (417.17 KB)

full.sheet_.pages_.pdf (117.28 KB)

PCP cover and full sheet pages.pdf (346.46 KB)

pcp album.pdf (309.47 KB)

imperf album.pdf (53.41 KB)

Canadian Album.pdf (261.69 KB)

Canadian full sheet album pages.pdf (30.87 KB)

The Scott Specialized Catalogue is the Bible of US postage stamp collecting, and through the help of CS&CSS member Dorsey Wheless, Christmas Seals were added in 1935. I'm happy to report that John Denune Sr, and Jr are listed in the 2015 edition as individuals who have assisted in preparing the information for the Christmas Seal section. 

Current Scott Catalogue Editor, James E. Kloetzel met the Denune's at the CS&CSS booth at APS StampShow 2013 in Milwaukee. The Denune's had contacted Scott's Catalogue about proposed changes to the Christmas Seal Section in 1982 without result so, 31 years later, this came as quite a surprize. The Editor wanted to include some earliest known useages, early errors, and to make sense out of the 1918 booklet pane varieties. Earliest known useages (EKU) of seals tied on cover (or postcard) are included thru 1935. George Painter, editor of the Tied On section of Green's Catalog provided the EKU's and is in charge of the CS&CSS ongoing census of Tied On Christmas Seals. His name should be in Scotts Catalogue too.

The Denune's wanted to correct the false statement at the end of the section, Beginning in 1979 there was no longer a single National issue..., which now reads,

"Beginning in 1979 there was more than one Christmas Seal issued each year. However collectors familar with these seals easily recognized the national issues from the design experiments. These test seals were used regionally or in targeted markets. With few exceptions, a previous year design experiment has been selected for the following year's national issue with one notable difference being the date. Starting in 1983 Spanish text Christmas Seals have been used in Spanish speaking parts of the US. In 1988 Christmas Seals branched out into Easter or Spring issues, Chanukah issues in 1997, and Kwanzaa issues in 2001."

The Denune's plan to continue to work with the Editor, correcting and adding EKU's, and hope to add errors, tied ons, 1908-1A/ 1B varieties, 1911 type 4 & 5, 1913 type 2A/ 2B varieties, 1913 type 4, and wish to see the section expand someday to include Christmas Seals issued since 1979.

This article, The Christmas Stamp, was published in the 6 July 1907 issue of The Outlook. It was written by Danish born muckraker journalist and social worker, whom President Teddy Roosevelt called a great American, Jacob A. Riis. Right after reading this article, Emily P. Bissell was inspired to create the first US Christmas Seal. Riis had six brothers die of tuberculosis, and suggests a Christmas time penny TB seal campaign, similar to what was so successful in Denmark since 1904, be used in the US for education and prevention of the disease.