Society News

  1. Tuberculosis Fundraising in Russia

    Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster Russian TB Poster

    In the first quarter of the 20th century tuberculosis was widespread and Russia had the highest mortality rate in Europe.

    The Anti-Tuberculosis League, created in 1909, fought the disease by raising charitable contributions with TB labels and lapel tags, thru education, and by providing relief. The symbol of the fight against TB was the white chamomile flower. One early appeal said: "to make everyone remember the existence of a constant, terrible, albeit invisible enemy of all mankind - tuberculosis, and to urge everyone to contribute to the common cause of the fight against it". Pre-revolutionary posters advertised “White Chamomile Day,” during which anyone could buy a paper flower lapel tag, or TB label. White Flower Day was held in churches, temples, on the streets, and in theaters and clubs.

    medical exhibitions were organized, doctors gave lectures on hygiene. In 1910, 104 cities in Russia took part in the White Flower Day campaign, and half a million rubles were collected - enough to build five new hospitals or sanatoriums for 40-50 people.

    On April 11, 1918, the All-Russian Tuberculosis League was abolished, and its property was transferred to the People's Commissariat of Social Security of the RSFSR. Three day tuberculosis events were held with medical educators, and large sections of the population. Charitable contributions "kruzhechny" were collected, and those who gave received a TB label.

    In 1924 the hammer and sickle, decorated with a scarlet poppy, replaced the white camomile flower as the new symbol of the fight against TB. The movement used the slogan, "Protecting the health of workers is the work of the workers themselves." From 1922 thru 1926 five annual three-day events took place in Moscow. Each of them had its own slogan: in 1922 - "Dispensaries-centers for the fight against tuberculosis", in 1923 - "Fight against childhood tuberculosis", in 1924 - "Fight against tuberculosis as a social disease", in 1925 - "For improving the work of tuberculosis dispensaries", in 1926 - "Improving the life of the working people."

    Before WW2 fundraising seals were discontinued in the Russia.

    Greens Catalog lists 117 pre WW2 Russian TB labels. Many were used as lapel tags and they often have pin holes. Metal and cloth TB items were also created. They are all rare. The basis of Green's listing was the collection of Frenchman, Albert Griffon (Griffon de Albert), whose collection was purchased in 1983 by John Denune. Download this 42 page collection, below.  Dr Alexey Rozhkov (rojkovab@gmail.com) also has a fantastic collection of Russian TB labels, many not listed in Greens. He modestly says he knows of 3 collections better than his, and has informed us of a catalog by Andrey Nedalvodin (andreyn1969@mail.ru) Andrey is a collector, https://portcol.ru/main and has written many specialized catalogs available for purchase at https://portcol.ru/catalogs Also illustrated here are Russian TB posters. It is interesting to note that Palestine and Israel after her, used the white camomile flower on their TB seals as the symbol for the fight against TB. 

    Russian TB album created by Dan Cousineau.

    PDF icon Russian TB Collection-1.pdf PDF icon Russia TB Album.pdf

  2. Christmas Seal Errors

    1907 type 1 HPIB 1907 type 1 VPIB 1907 type 2 VPIB 1909 VPIB 1910 HPIB 1911 type 2 HPIB 1914 HPIB 1915 HPIB 1918 type 1, perf 12, brown omitted 1920 perf 12 1/2, red omitted 1920 type 1, perf 12, blue omitted 1924 HPIB 1925 type 1, perf 12, HPIV 1925 type 2, green inverted 1925 type 1, perf 12, red & green only 1926 perf 12 1/2, blue inverted 1927, perf 12, HBg, HPIB 1929 perf 12 1/2, red & yellow inverted 1929 perf 12 1/2, red omitted 1929 perf 12 1/2, yellow inverted

    A Christmas Seal Error is a mistake in the printing or perforation, made by accident. This collection of Christmas Seal errors is not complete and includes 1) missing colors, 2) inverted colors, and 3) pairs with missing rows of perforations, where vertical or horizontal row(s) were omitted (creating HPIB, VPIB, HPIV and VPIH)

    Vocabulary Review

    HPIB- horizontal pair imperf between, may come from a sheet missing a single vertical row (or every other vertical rows) of perfs.

    HPIV - horizontal pair imperf vertically typically comes from a sheet missing all vertical perfs, and is imperf on the right and left side.

    Same for VPIB - vertical pair imperforate between, and VPIH - vertical pair imperforate horizontally

    HP-IB, HP-IV, VP-IB, and VP-IH - This is an old seal collecting designation for a gutter pair. The "-" indicates that the seals came from 2 different panes. These are not errors, and were excluded. 1908 type 1 exists as such a gutter pair (from an uncut booklet sheet) and is often considered an error, but it is not.

    Missing color errors can be confused with a stage of a progressive color proof (pcp), however they are either a different perforation, or a different combination of colors.

    Worn plate varieties such as 1936 missing candle flame, or 1941 no footprints in the snow, though listed in Green's Catalog as errors, really are not. Also, printer's waste, which can look a lot like errors, were also excluded from this image collection. Seals with a doubling (or tripling) of a color, where the subsequent print is lighter, did not actually run thru the press twice, and are not included here. Grossly misperforated sheets, where perforated and imperforate seals exist side by side, though errors, were also excluded.

  3. Eva & Juan Peron Christmas Seals

    Eva "Evita" Peron Christmas Seals, c.1950

    For a time, these fundraising seals, issued around 1950 replaced Christmas Seals in Argentina. This charity aided poor children and provided toys at Christmas, meals, candy and clothing. The organization faltered after Eva's death, and was shut down when Juan Peron was overthrown in 1955. From time to time, decades later, storehouses of toys from this charity, secured by the Peronists to keep them from being looted, have turned up. Thanks to Kevin Akin for providing this history. 

  4. 1918 Type 2 Non Straight Edge Seals

    1918-2x5, perf 12 1/2, PM at L 1918-2x4 perf 12 1/2, PM top, SE bottom, VM R&L 1918-2.2x4, perf 12 1/2 x roul 9 1/2, PM top, SE bottom, VM R&L 1918-2.4x4, roul 9 1/2 x perf 12 1/2, roul margin top, SE bottom, VM R&L 1918-2.6x4, roul 9 1/2 horizontally, roul 12 1/2 at left, and perf 12 1/2 thru the center (vertically) and on the right side, PM top, SE bottom, VM R&L

    The only 1918 type 2 Christmas Seal issued in sheet of 100 was imperforate; All other 1918 type 2's were from booklet panes of 10. Except for a few, nearly every seal from the 15 different type 2 booklet panes of ten are straight edge. The 7 1918 panes listed below yield a few type 2 seals perforated on all four sides (P4S), or non straight edge seals. These 7 panes are scarce so, when intact, they should never be broken.

    P4S Perforation 12 1/2

    1) Green's #18-2x5 (Scott #WX22m)1918 ty 2, perf 12 1/2, pane of 10, 2x5, straight edge on three sides (SE3S), perforated margin (PM) at left. This would yield 3 P4S seals. (Illustrated)

    2) Green's #18-2x7 (Scott #WX22L) 1918 ty 2, perf 12 1/2, pane of 10, 2x5, SE3S, PM at right . (WX22L). This would yield 3 P4S seals. (Illustrated)

    P4S Combo perf 12 1/2 & 12

    3) Green's #18-2.9x8 (Scott #WX22k) 1918 ty 2 perf 12 1/2 with 2nd and 4th vertical rows perf 12, pane of 10, 5x2, SE2S, PM at top and right. This pane will yield 3 P4S seals, 2 are combinations per 12 1/2 & 12 (perf 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 12, and the other perf 12 1/2 x 12 x 12 1/2 x 12 1/2).

    There is no 1918 type 2 perf 12 1/2 x 12 P4S seal.

    Any 1918 type 2 non straight edge seal tied on cover is rare.

    Also, there are 1918 type 2 panes with a varying margin (VM) at right and left, which will yield what might appear to be a non straight edge seal. These varying margins were created when some 1918 type 2 press sheets, with perforated or roulette vertical gutters were cut. A VM pane can show perfs, or roulettes on one or both sides, depending on how well the pane was cut. Sometimes, one side is straight edge, and the other side may have a tiny margin. Upon closer inspection, even though the perfs or roulettes are present, they are knife cut, not torn apart but cut apart.

    4) 1918-2x4 (Scott #WX22f), pane of 10 (2x5) perf 12 1/2, PM at top, VM R&L (Illustrated)

    5) 1918-2.2x4 (Scott #WX22e), pane of 10 (2x5) perf 12 1/2 x roul 9 /2, PM at tom, VM R&L (Illustrated)

    6) 1918-2.4x4 (Scott #WX22h), pane of 10 (2x5) roul 9 1/2 x perf 12 1/2, PM at top, VM R&L (Illustrated)

    7) 1918-2.6x4 (Scott #WX22i), pane of 10 (2x5) roul 9 1/2 horizontally, roul 12 1/2 at left, and perf 12 1/2 thru the center (vertically) and on the right side, PM at top, VM R&L (Illustrated)

     

  5. #1 & #2 Norwegian TB Christmas Seals reversed in most Catalogs

    #1 1906 & #2 1907 Norwegian TB Christmas Seal tied on proving reversal of dates of issue.

    #1 1906 smaller seal, Queen Maud

    #2 1907 larger seal, Queen Maud

    These were discovered to be reversed, with the larger seal being the first, issued in 1906, and the smaller 1907. This error seems to have originated in early European catalogues. The proof of the reversal was the dates of the seals tied on cover.

  8. 100th Anniv of Int Union Against TB

    Tuberculosis Germ

    The Union is a global scientific organisation working to improve health for people in low and middle-income countries. Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable and treatable disease yet it is the leading infectious disease killer worldwide, accounting for 1.45 million deaths in 2018 alone. The Union works towards the global elimination of TB, and supports high-quality, accessible prevention and care for people with and at risk of TB.

    Christmas seals continue to be a tool in the arsenal of the war against TB, and the Union holds an annual Christmas Seal Contest among the nations of the world. Check out this year, and previous winners.

    The International Union against TB - Christmas Seal Contest 2014-2020

  9. 1924 Wheat Ridge Local TB - Varieties Discovered by CS&CSS Member Jerry Craig

    1924 Wheat Ridge US Local TB Christmas Seal pane of 5 1924 Wheat Ridge US Local TB Christmas Seal - Type One 1924 Wheat Ridge US Local TB Christmas Seal - Type Two 1924 Wheat Ridge US Local TB Christmas Seal - Type Three

    Green's #1024 1924 Wheat Ridge US local TB seal pictures three wisemen on camels following the Star of Bethlehem. Just this month, August 2020, CS&CSS member Jerry Craig discovered 3 varieties that seem to occur on every pane of five. From the top down, positions 1, 2, and 4 are type one. Position 3 is type two, and position 5 is type three. 

    Type One - Saddle under first rider has green rectangle, striped section of saddle under second rider with red background

    Type Two - Saddle under first rider with yellow rectangle, striped section of saddle under second rider with red background

    Type Three - Saddle under first rider has green rectangle, striped section of saddle under second rider without red background

  10. The National Christmas Seals of Canada 1927 - 2018

    Canadian National Christmas Seals

    Cliff A. Beattie, Andrew Chung and Robert D. Vogel
    Released November 2019.
    182 pages, 8.5 × 11, Spiral bound.
    Colour C$ 38.00 [ISBN 978-1-989280-02-7].

    This second edition of The National Christmas Seals of Canada 1927-2018 includes new National Christmas Seals since 2008, Quebec Christmas Seals and Country Hearts and Country Valentines to 2018, and Spring Seals to 2019 plus new discoveries and updates. New topics include the annual Christmas Seal sale and campaign letters; Christmas Seal errors, freaks and oddities; and ornaments and Christmas Seals issued by the provincial associations of The Lung Association.

    Andrew Chung has been active in Canadian philately since the mid-1970s. His collecting interests are Canada Christmas Seals, Replacement and Publicity first day covers of the Canada Post Office, postage due use, postal notes and money orders, postal rates and fees of the Elizabethan era, Universal Postal Union (UPU) and Postal Union of the Americas and Spain (PUAS) presentation items, and reply coupons (including Newfoundland).

    Cliff Beattie began collecting in 1960. In 1970, his collecting endeavours expanded to include Canadian National Christmas Seals, including the Local Christmas Seals issued by various sanatoriums in Canada. In 2008, he collaborated with Andrew Chung and Bob Vogel to create a first edition of the National Christmas Seals of Canada Catalogue and now, in 2019, he has again worked with Andrew and Bob to create the second edition.

    Bob Vogel began collecting mint and used Canada in 1964. In 1970, his interest turned to the postal history of Muskoka District and he gradually assembled a comprehensive collection, exhibiting it at the local level. In the mid-1990s his interest changed to the postal history of Berlin/Kitchener, Ontario, focusing on the machine cancels of that community, and he exhibited at National level. In addition to his involvement with the Christmas Seal catalogue, Bob is also the Chairman of the BNAPS First Day Cover Study Group.

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