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 (258.51 KB)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
2013 simplified Green's Catalog. Free download, not for resale please.
Christmas Seals have enlisted the help of celebrities back into the 1920's. There were dignitary signings, radio spots, movie trailers, posters, and national chairmen were celebrities as well. In 1958 The National Tuberculosis Association, with the help of Clark Gable promoted the annual Christmas Seal Campaign. Celebrities of the past include Babe Ruth, Charles Coburn, Lee Trevino, Jack Lemmon, and Rock Hudson, to name a few. This was Clark Gable movie trailer was submitted by Christmas Seal collector, Jim Stone, Many such trailers exist. If you find them, please email a link to your webmaster, John@christmasseals.net and I will upload and credit you on this news page.
1914 The Temple of Moloch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HIx2QNbPNE
1925 restored Christmas Seal cartoon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nYwZvxaJlA
1938 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYdA32RWm1E
1944 Bob Hope https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TkvC5dAGh0
1947 thru 1951 compilation with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, Virginia Mayo, Robert Young, Ray Milland, and Gary Cooper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsxSKZkhzlc
1952 Abbott & Costello https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7amiP7fVtHw
1954 Rod Cameron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzzZHjg8RaM
1956 Jimmy Cagney https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3giawv
1958 Clark Gable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7fXSWHwGR8
1959 Canada - Barry Morse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU_aq-EqGI4
1960 Rock Hudson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCPX8_JhGB0&t=1s
1961 Jack Lemmon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6arFL_4hw
1967 Walter Brennan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnW1nNQzbCI
1968 James Coburn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSQ8dsxx7rM
1969 Henry Fonda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZzXmCv7UWU
1970 Rock Hudson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGATkZWtN10
1973 Barbara Eden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OB-AcjrA_g
1985 Pearl Bailey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuI-PzUuNBQ
More Christmas Seal trailers: The 1912 film, Hope: A Red Cross Christmas Seal Story and the 1915 film, The Lone Game are available on DVD collections. (1912: Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film 1900-1934, National Film Preservation Foundation, Disk 1; 1915: Edison: The Invention of the Movies, Kino Video, Disk 2).
