Society News

  1. Unique 1913-4 Christmas Seal Tied On

    1913 type 4 US Christmas Seal Tiedon

    Submitted by CS&CSS member Michael Willis, who says about it:
    I "acquired" it as a teen. My father was a career naval officer who was also a buyer and seller of collections while we moved around. He purchased a huge lot of stamps that included a cigar box full of miscellaneous stuff from around the world which he sold me for I think $20. In it, I found this card and I just stuck it away with my other accumulated "collection" and eventually realized its rarity.

    The origin of the type 4 seal is not known. Green's Catalog states: Unknown Printer, A very good copy of Type 2 but slightly smaller, with green dotted lines between seals which resemble rouletting, red and green on heavy manila paper, ungummed, 35×21½mm, imperforate. Copies exist with printing on back.

    This only known 1913 type 4 tied on was published in Seal News some years ago, and appears in CS&CSS member George Painter's census of tied ons. It is unfortunate that the glue used to affix the seal is burning through, but like the British Guiana one cent Magenta with the corners cut off, it is still unique. However, unlike the world's most valuable postage stamp, which sold 3 years ago for nearly 9.5 million USD, the value of this tied on is estimated to be $2,000.00

  2. Mystery of Američtí Češi Sobě - Mosbaugh All Fund Ethnic #2230

    1902 Czech American Ethnic Fund

    In the 1970's, when Ray Mosbaugh wrote the US All Fund Catalog, he must have had difficulty translating Američtí Češi Sobě, Ethnic #2230, but with the help of the internet, the meaning is "Czech American Rooms". Issued in 1902, this is a very early US Czech Ethnic fundraising seal. CS&CSS member Richard Bridges reported that #2230 was issued by The Council for Higher Education, or CHE (Matice Vyššího Vzdělání), with Šimek and W. F. Severa as the founding members.

    In 1901, Cedar Rapids businessman W.F. Severa attended a high school graduation in that city and was impressed by the intelligence and presence of the valedictorian, who was also a Czech-American. Severa was dismayed when he learned that the young man was to become a manual laborer because he could not afford to attend college. Severa agreed to finance his education. The young man, Efrem (Jeffrey) Hrbek, refused what he considered to be charity, but accepted an interest-free loan. Hrbek became the first recipient of a CHE award and eventually received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and became a professor of Czech language and literature at the University of Nebraska.

    Within one year of its founding in 1902, the CHE had 155 members, received $1,452.39 in donations, presumably in part from selling these fundraising seals, and made loans ranging from $25 to $200. The first president of the Board of Trustees, Professor Bohumil Šimek of the University of Iowa, undertook a series of nationwide lectures and wrote articles promoting the value of education to the Czech-American community. The history of Czech Language Programs and the Komenský Club are inseparable. The club, a branch of the CHE, named for Jan Amos Komenský (Comenius) was instrumental in the fight for Czech language instruction.

    Two portraits appear on the lovely American Bank Note Company intaglio engraved seal.

    John Amos Komenský (Comenius) was an impoverished Czech born in the late 1500's. He became a philosopher, theologian, and religious refugee, but is best remembered as one of the earliest champions of universal education.

    Karel Jonáš (Charles Jonas), a Czech emigrant to the US in 1862, was a journalist and politician. He was elected to the Senate twice, and was the Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. His home in Racine is on the National Register of Historic Places.

  3. 1907 Christmas Seal Related Material

    1927 first edition Happiness and Other Verses, by Emily Bissell, cover 1927 first edition Happiness and Other Verses, by Emily Bissell, frontispiece and title page 1927 first edition Happiness and Other Verses, by Emily Bissell, autograph page

    Priscilla Leonard was Emily Bissell's pen name. in 1927 she published a book of poetry, Happiness and other Verses, with an enlarged embossed facsimile of her 1907 type one Christmas Seal on the cover. The rare first edition was printed by J. B Lippencott, Philadelphia, and is 224 pages, with hard cover. Emily Bissell autograph most of them and stuck in a genuine 1907 type 1 seal. The frontispiece illustrates a US Christmas Seal collection through 1927, "Collected by W. L. Kinkead, Ridgeway, N.J.". Kinkead was the #1 member of the CS&CSS as well as the first President of our club. The appendix, The Christmas Stamp in America, is an article by Bissell on her 1907 Christmas Seal campaign, when education on the nature of the disease was as important as treatment for the sick.

    PDF icon The 1907 Christmas Seal Campaign by Emily Bissell.pdf

  6. Early Christmas Seal Dealers

    A. W. Dunning's Christmas Seal/ Poster Stamp Pricelists 1941 Ben Morris Christmas Seal Pricelist 1932 L. H. Jackson Christmas Seal Pricelist

    One of the earliest Christmas Seal dealers was a well known stamp dealer, A. W. Dunning, who was written about by philatelic historian, Herman Herst. In the 1930's Elmer Long dealt in stamps as well as Christmas Seals. Vernon Bressler worked for Long, and eventually purchased his Christmas Seal inventory. Vernon Bressler was a well known Christmas Seal dealer for decades, working into the 1990's. A copy of his 1969-70 Christmas Seal Handbook was submitted by CS&CSS member, George Painter. Bressler, and Long before him used illustrations by professional cartoonist, Couthard.
    Many members of the Christmas Seal & Charity stamp society were also dealers. Amy Ellen Davis, and Charles Lorenz, who ran a collector service for the National Tuberculosis Association, before purchasing the inventory, were two of them.

    PDF icon Burton Price List ca 1937.PDF PDF icon 1969-70 Vernon Bressler Christmas Seal Handbook Pricelist.pdf

  7. Rare California Local Tied On

    Rare 1909 Santa Barbara US Local Christmas Seal tied on postcard

    So far, this seal is more rare mint than tied on. With less than five known copies, still many collectors would prefer a tied on. The 1909 Santa Barbara US local TB seal was not discovered until the late 1970's. The same seal exists with other California city names. This was discovered on eBay. Unfortunately for the seller, the primary illustration was a rather ordinary picture postcard.

  8. Seal News Table of Contents for Back Issues

    1929 thru 1969 Imperforate Christmas Seals

    This ongoing project of our Seal News Editor, David Teisler, is making our journal more useful. As new issues of Seal News are released, the project is expanding, and includes, issue, page, author, date, and title of scholarly articles.

    The 'Seal News Table of Contents for Back Issues' project is not to be confused with early Seal News indexes which covered the period of 1947 through 1988. These early indexes, mostly written by past Seal News Editor Ray Mosbaugh, primarily contained information on seal issues by date and society, as well as the name of the collector that reported them. They were published in December or January between 1960 and 1989, and are useful to anyone writing a catalog of seals.

    Office spreadsheet icon Table of Contents for Back Issues, April 2017.xls

  10. Early Tropical Fish Events & The Haile Selassie Ethiopian Fund & 1935 Christmas Seal Song

    Tropical Angel Fish Early Event Poster Stamps Ethiopian Haile Selassie Fund Poster, Harlem, NY - Poster - Front Ethiopian Haile Selassie Fund Poster, Harlem, NY - Poster - Back 1935 Christmas Seal Song Tropical Fish European Event Poster Stamps

    I love these early European tropical fish events. At one time I had 7 fish tanks and have bred quite a few different species, including Pterophyllum scalare, the fresh water angelfish pictured here. Occasionally, I wish I had the space for a tank, but instantly recall that collecting seals is a lot less work. Going thru a fine reference collection of Ethnic Seals listed in Mosbaugh's All Fund Catalog; came across a fascinating Haile Selassie Ethiopian fundraising poster. This US Fund was sold in Harlem, NY. The 1935 "March of the Christmas Seal" Song, written by Ruby Erwin Livingston and Kate Strauss Shibley, was dedicated to Erle Chambers, Executive Secretary of the Arkansas TB Association.

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