Christmas Seal Tied on Postcard

This is the image of the address portion of a Christmas-themed picture postcard. I have collected this item, because it shows the Christmas seal "tied" to the cover by the Post Office clerk's handstamp. These are less common than those cancelled by machine, because the clerk saw the card's incorrect usage.

These covers are quite popular, since they show a use of the charity seal that is actually illegal. The address portion of a cover or postcard was supposed to have only postage stamps attached in the upper right (where they would be cancelled). The person who sent this card also violated the rules by placing the stamps on the left-hand (non-address) portion of the postcard.

This item was used on December 24, 1918 from a town in Minnesota. The Christmas seal [17k JPG] itself has a particularly striking design, based on the Statue of Liberty, undoubtedly part of the Victory celebration of the end of the First World War.

By the end of the War, Americans were very familiar with the Red Cross, since they had been inundated by fund-raising drives, and the activities of many Red Cross volunteers on the home-front.

If you wish, you can load the picture separately [28k JPG].

Copyright©1999 Robert Swanson

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