Christmas Seals: Charity Labels, TB History, and Display

Christmas Seals collecting is the charity-stamp specialty focused on the annual seals issued by the American Lung Association (and its predecessors) and similar organizations globally since 1907 to fund tuberculosis and lung-health research. Emily Bissell's 1907 Delaware seal is the foundational American issue, and the American series has run continuously since, with yearly designs by named illustrators (Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, the American Lung Association commissioned work from notable artists throughout the 20th century). Collectors work complete year runs, specific illustrator sets, pre-gummed versus modern self-adhesive issues, and the broader international Christmas Seals tradition.

Christmas Seals matter because they document American public health history and illustration art in the same small rectangle. The early 1910s and 1920s seals represent specific moments in tuberculosis-awareness campaigns, and the illustrator commissions produced consistently high-quality small-format artwork across decades. The Christmas Seal and Charity Stamp Society maintains the shared reference framework.

Two practical habits. Collect seals on original covers where possible, because seals used on actual mail as charity supplements have additional philatelic interest beyond mint seals alone, and the cover provides dating context that mint seals lack. And invest in the standard Christmas Seal catalog (the ALA has published reference guides over the decades), because attribution for early seals is surprisingly specific and the catalog numbers are the shared language of the collecting community. This community runs on generosity and careful cover preservation.

Patience in charity-stamp collecting

Learn the Stamps fundamentals - Christmas Seals annual history, illustrator attribution, which dealers actually handle Christmas Seals material reliably - and keep a simple log of what you paid and why.

Find the other Seals collectors

Niches like Christmas Seals grow sharper when collectors working specific eras can compare sheets. Amassable lets you log seals, covers, and illustrators, show the album like a gallery, and meet others chasing the same years. Early members help shape how a specialty grows.

Your turn

Turn the album into a browsable charity-stamp archive. Amassable is built for Christmas Seals collectors - catalog what you own, refine the want list, and start conversations. Download Amassable from the official store links on our homepage, and help bring the Christmas Seals community together, one seal at a time.