Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Fred
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Thanks for posting this. Very interesting! Right now I collect Christmas seals from the Scandinavian countries, Netherlands and South Africa. Perhaps the American seals will follow in the near future, who knows?
One question: in your article you refer to Scott numbers. Is there a special Scott Christmas seal catalogue?
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06:15:56pm
The Specialized US Scott's has a section with numbers for US Christmas seals - "WX" code
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Jan-Simon, there is not a Scott specialized seal catalogue. There is a Christmas seal catalogue (Green's) produced by Christmas seal and Charity Stamp Society. I have a suspicion will be getting their most recent catalogues, so an older one is likely to find its way here.
The Scott and Green's numbering systems are different, starting with different initial numbers.
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Thanks for this.
I have a digital copy of the US specialized. Browsing through it now and found the Christmas Seals section, hidden somewhere in the back... Sometimes one is richer than expected. It is basic, but will do for now. I already learned something: that for a certain time there were seals with and without "USA", the latter being meant for Canada.
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I managed to find one (!) seal without USA inscription.
Can anyone explain why these are not listed separately, given that they are obviously much harder to find?
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Hi Jan-Simon,
The initials "USA" appeared on United States National Christmas Seals for the first time in 1944. Similar plates were used by Canada and Great Britain but the "USA" initials were removed. Green lists these seals in the foreign section of his catalog (Green's Catalog of the Tuberculosis Seals of the World, Part III Foreign Seals). The seal you show from 1946 has Green's catalog No. 39 for Canada and for Great Britain it is catalog No. 15.
Scott would not list them as they are foreign seals.
Fred
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Jan-Simon,
Scott does mention in a footnote, in my 2026 US Specialized, for the 1944 seal that seals without the "USA" area for Canada, but as you mentioned they do not assign a catalog number.
And to make things more interesting, the 1946 seal design was used by Bermuda with the "stars" and "USA" removed "Bermuda" replacing the stars.0 It is Green's Bermuda No. 1. Scott mentions that the 1946 was used for Canada and Bermuda, but again, no catalog number. It does not mention that it was also used for the Great Britain seals which Green does mention.
Fred
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That was how I found out. It would not have crossed my mind to check for this small detail. Annoying that Scott does mention the difference and leaves it with that
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According to the Bermuda Specialized Catalogue Bermuda used US issued Christmas Seals in 1945. Bermuda issued it's own Christmas Seals beginning in 1946, which, as I understand it were knock offs of the US Seals, with USA omitted and Bermuda substituted. Bermuda continued to issue Christmas Seals in association with the US Tuberculosis Association through 1962.
Beginning in 1963, Bermuda aligned itself with the British Chest and Heart Association and used designs or variations of the designs supplied by the British organization.
Prior to 1946, two Charity Seals were issued in Bermuda by the Red Cross; the first in 1931 and the second in 1941.
The Bermuda Specialized Catalogue includes a complete listing of Christmas Seals, through 1990, using a "XC" prefix on the numbering. Bermuda continued to issue Christmas Seals until 1994.
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When I was editor of Scalpel & Tongs, The American Journal of Medical Philately, I wrote an article on the why Christmas Seals were produced. I have attached it below.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Fred
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re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
Thanks for posting this. Very interesting! Right now I collect Christmas seals from the Scandinavian countries, Netherlands and South Africa. Perhaps the American seals will follow in the near future, who knows?
One question: in your article you refer to Scott numbers. Is there a special Scott Christmas seal catalogue?
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Back when I had a bunch! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
23 Dec 2025
06:15:56pm
re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
The Specialized US Scott's has a section with numbers for US Christmas seals - "WX" code
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re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
Jan-Simon, there is not a Scott specialized seal catalogue. There is a Christmas seal catalogue (Green's) produced by Christmas seal and Charity Stamp Society. I have a suspicion will be getting their most recent catalogues, so an older one is likely to find its way here.
The Scott and Green's numbering systems are different, starting with different initial numbers.
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Auctions - Approvals
re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
Thanks for this.
I have a digital copy of the US specialized. Browsing through it now and found the Christmas Seals section, hidden somewhere in the back... Sometimes one is richer than expected. It is basic, but will do for now. I already learned something: that for a certain time there were seals with and without "USA", the latter being meant for Canada.
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likes this post.
Login to Like.
Auctions - Approvals
re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
I managed to find one (!) seal without USA inscription.
Can anyone explain why these are not listed separately, given that they are obviously much harder to find?
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re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
Hi Jan-Simon,
The initials "USA" appeared on United States National Christmas Seals for the first time in 1944. Similar plates were used by Canada and Great Britain but the "USA" initials were removed. Green lists these seals in the foreign section of his catalog (Green's Catalog of the Tuberculosis Seals of the World, Part III Foreign Seals). The seal you show from 1946 has Green's catalog No. 39 for Canada and for Great Britain it is catalog No. 15.
Scott would not list them as they are foreign seals.
Fred
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re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
Jan-Simon,
Scott does mention in a footnote, in my 2026 US Specialized, for the 1944 seal that seals without the "USA" area for Canada, but as you mentioned they do not assign a catalog number.
And to make things more interesting, the 1946 seal design was used by Bermuda with the "stars" and "USA" removed "Bermuda" replacing the stars.0 It is Green's Bermuda No. 1. Scott mentions that the 1946 was used for Canada and Bermuda, but again, no catalog number. It does not mention that it was also used for the Great Britain seals which Green does mention.
Fred
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Auctions - Approvals
re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
That was how I found out. It would not have crossed my mind to check for this small detail. Annoying that Scott does mention the difference and leaves it with that
Login to Like
this post
re: United States Christmas Seals: Their original purpose
According to the Bermuda Specialized Catalogue Bermuda used US issued Christmas Seals in 1945. Bermuda issued it's own Christmas Seals beginning in 1946, which, as I understand it were knock offs of the US Seals, with USA omitted and Bermuda substituted. Bermuda continued to issue Christmas Seals in association with the US Tuberculosis Association through 1962.
Beginning in 1963, Bermuda aligned itself with the British Chest and Heart Association and used designs or variations of the designs supplied by the British organization.
Prior to 1946, two Charity Seals were issued in Bermuda by the Red Cross; the first in 1931 and the second in 1941.
The Bermuda Specialized Catalogue includes a complete listing of Christmas Seals, through 1990, using a "XC" prefix on the numbering. Bermuda continued to issue Christmas Seals until 1994.
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