Christmas seals went national in 1908

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

Christmas seals were introduced to the United States in 1907. They were small labels, distributed only in the Wilmington, Del., and Philadelphia, Pa., area.

The object was to gather donations at a penny per seal for treatment and research to eliminate tuberculosis as a major cause of illness and death.

The first version of the seal with its “Merry Christmas” greeting was so popular that its creator, Emily Bissell, had a second printing done, which added the words “Happy New Year.” The two seals are shown in Figure 1. Together, they raised a total of $3,000.

It was decided to take the 1908 seal campaign national with a seal that was twice the size of the 1907 seal. William Howard Taft was president of the American National Red Cross, which sponsored the seal and benefited from its sale. He was also president-elect of the United States when the 1908 seal made its appearance.

To produce enough seals for the expected nationwide demand, two printers were engaged, resulting in varieties of design, gum and perforation/roulette, as well as the availability of seals in booklet form.

The basic seal is shown in Figure 2. This is Scott WX4, the type 2 version, overprinted “Specimen” and punched at bottom right to deface it for use. Note that it has rounded corners, with the holly leaves in both green and red and a relatively thin red cross.

Another version, type 1, with a fatter red cross, squared-off corners and green-only holly leaves is shown on the Christmas Greetings card in Figure 3. The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers gives it the number WX3.

An immediate problem was that some users were confused about the purpose of the seals. They assumed the seals were valid for postage because they had paid the requested penny per seal. Figure 4 shows an example of this mistaken impression on a postcard with an added 1¢ postage due stamp.

Of course, the seals were to be used for decorative purposes on fully prepaid letters and packages, or other Christmas-related items, such as the gift tag shown in Figure 5.

The 1908 campaign brought in donations totaling $135,000, and a tradition was established.

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