LEHMANN 2001
CHRISTMAS
TEST SEAL COVERS
* * * * * *
January 2002 Letter
Dear Christmas Seal Cover Collectors:
Last year, 2001, registered my 22nd consecutive year of making test seal covers and ALA's 23rd year of test seals. We still have no record of 1979 test seal covers and my 1980 covers sold out in 1981. Again, welcome to you who enjoy collecting this aspect of philately. This year, I am writing this overview on time. Seals were available to me from two seal dealers and early enough to prepare covers. For those that do not have a PC, I will print and send you copies of these pages upon request.
2001 COVERS: This year I have five cover types totaling 224 covers. I have Santa Claus, Indiana, cancels for both Christmas Day and First Day cancellations. I also have a few covers using the Madonna postage stamp in Philadelphia, PA. I used only the red rectangular pictorial cancel from Santa Claus, IN for the Christmas Day cancels. This letter includes an easy ordering price list with a complete price list and personal want list available upon request. The table summarizes both this year's ALA seals and my covers.
COMMENTARY: There are 10 ALA basic seal designs this year. There is 1 version of the regular seal, 7 test seal designs, 2 religious designs. The Spanish inscription appears on the regular seal and the Christian religious seal design. All 2001 seals I used were self-stick gum. The usual assortment of lick-and-stick gum, sheet sizes, separations, backings, and paper varieties were present for about 39 total varieties. I received 4 of the test seal design sheets just before Christmas, they are cover IV and should be harder to find cancelled in 2001. The star gazers design was a test design last year and came back as the single national design for this year. The Chanukah regular seal was continued. The Christian seal was discontinued in 1999 and returned in 2000 and was continued in 2001 but in both English and Spanish. This is the first year the Nativity (Christian Seal) design was used for the Spanish inscription in addition to the regular seal. The Nativity design is the same as last year indicating that last year's Nativity scene was a test seal (I called it a regular seal).
| REGULAR SEALS | ||
| DESIGN | COVERS | |
| 2001 seals | 2000 seals | |
| STAR GAZER SCENE (SINGLE-DESIGN) | | |
| Saw Tooth Diecut—English | IA & IB | IA & IB |
| Saw Tooth Diecut—Spanish Inscription | IV | NA |
| NATIVITY (5-DESIGNS) | III | III |
| NATIVITY (5-DESIGNS) SPANISH INSCRIPTION | III | NA |
| CHANUKAH | III | |
| TEST SEALS | ||
| CANDLE + ORNAMENTS (2-designs) | II |
1996 II |
| CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS - green borders (4-designs) | II | NA |
| OLD FASHIONED SCENES - sepia tone (3-designs) | II | |
| HUMMEL FIGURINES - (5-designs) | IV | |
| ENGELBREIT KIDS - (4-designs) | IV | |
| NATURE SCENES - green borders (4-designs, poinsettia, cardinal, pine cones, & birds) [Also exists with white border.] | IV | |
| HOCKEY PLUS - (3-designs, hockey, kitchen, & summertime) | IV | |
| GIFT TAG SEALS | ||
| STAR GAZER SCENE (SINGLE-DESIGN) | IC | IC |
| CANDLE + ORNAMENTS, CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS, OLD FASHIONED SCENES & STAR GAZER SCENE (4 different) | VA | NA |
| CHANUKAH, NATIVITY (ENGLISH), & NATIVITY (SPANISH) (3 different) | VB | |
| HUMMEL, STARGAZERS (SPANISH), NATURE, ENGELBREIT & HOCKEY (5 different) | VC | |
COVER TYPES: The following lists the five covers that I made this year. This listing uses my formal numbering system that is shown only as numbers 'I' to 'V' on the attached Easy Ordering Price List. NOTE: orders of $22.75 or more receive a 20% discount. Postage free within the United States. However, you may order using any list you choose. I only take checks, Postal money orders, and PayPal—no credit cards.
01-I - PREDECESSOR STAR GAZERS: I had no trouble keeping this 21 year old tradition going in making my favorite cover (continuously from 1981 to 2001). The cover takes the winning test seal of the previous year and combines it with the regular seal of the current year. The result is the same seal design but with two different dates. Both seals are self-stick with die cut perforations. I use the Santa Claus, IN First Day Cancel (FDC) of October 10, 2001 (above) with the House of Farnam steel-die engraved cachet. This cover has 1 of 4 Santa Claus postage stamps. I made 61 covers all at $3.95 each all FD dated October 10, 2001. Use order #01-IA for the cover just described (40 made and pictured). If you prefer the religious stamp, I combined this with 10 of the Farnam Madonna cachets with the Philadelphia FD machine cancel (order #01-IB). Last, I made 11 gift tag covers with the Santa Artopage cachet and Santa Claus, IN First Day (order #01-IC).
01-II - CLASSIC SINGLES: This cover has one single seal from three (early issues) 2001 national test seal sheets. These designs all would make a nice 2002 National seal but my vote is for the candle and ornaments design. The latter design was also tested in 1996 using lick-and-stick gum. The designs were redrawn but are very similar. I decided to add this seal so there are 4 seals per cover as shown in the chart. In a way, you have a predecessor cover but of two test seals. The three panes had 2, 3 or 4 designs, so, there is a mixture of designs used in the 50 covers made. These use the red rectangular Santa Claus, IN pictorial cancel on Christmas Day. They have a tree or wreath Artopage cachet. All covers use 1 of 4 of the Christmas santa postage stamps and are $2.95 each (order #01-II).
01-III - RELIGIOUS/SPANISH: This philatelic creation uses four different seals. First, it has three Christian Nativity seals, two English (peace on earth) and the third with the Spanish inscription (Feliz Navidad) seal. NOTE: the designs are all the same but the Spanish is not a translation of the English. The two English inscribed are the 2000 (test) and 2001 (regular) seals. Again, you have a predecessor cover within this cover category. The last seal is the regular Chanukah seal. The cover is postmarked on Christmas day at Santa Claus, IN. It uses their red pictorial rectangular cancel and the santa postage stamp. I made 50 using the candle Artopage cachet envelope ($3.95 each). (Order# 01-III)
01-IV - CLASSIC SINGLES-II: This cover has one single seal from four (late issues) 2001 national test seal sheets plus the Spanish inscribed stargazers regular seal. These designs all would make a nice 2002 National seal but my vote is for the candle and ornaments design. The nature design here is a strong candidated to be next year's regular seal. There are 5 seals per cover as shown in the chart. The four test panes had 3, 4 or 5 designs, so, there is a mixture of designs used in the 40 covers made. These use the red rectangular Santa Claus, IN pictorial cancel on Christmas Day. They have a Santa Artopage cachet. All covers use 1 of 4 of the small booklet pane Christmas santa postage stamps and are $2.95 each (order #01-II).
01-V - GIFT TAG MIX: These cover's have 3-4-5 gift tag seals. There are three varieties, each using a different set of gift tags for a total of 12 different if all are collected. Cover V-A has the 3 gift tags used on the classic singles cover 01-II plus the regular star gazer gift tag—cost is $2.95 (13 made). Cover V-B has the 3 2001 gift tags of the religious/Spanish cover 01-III (minus the 2000 predecessor). Otherwise, the Chanukah and the English and Spanish Nativity scene gift tags—Cost is $2.95 (12 made). Cover V-C has the 4 gift tags used on the classic singles-II cover 01-IV plus the regular star gazer Spanish gift tag—cost is $2.95 (8 made). All three types use the self-stick Santa postage stamp (booklet size on V-C) with an Artopage sleigh cachet envelope. These covers are postmarked on Christmas day at Santa Claus, IN. They use the red pictorial rectangular cancel.
Look at Additional 2001 Cover Pictures (Reduced Sizes) (Shows the design of this year's Santa Claus, IN pictorial cancel.)
EASTER SEALS: I also sell tied Easter seal covers since no one else does. These I cancel in Nazareth, PA on Easter Sunday. The 2001 cover
has an April 15, 2001 black circular date stamp postmark. I use a self-stick love stamp as postage and an Artopage Easter cachet. I also added the ALA Easter seal to the cachet (not tied). Covers have a single Easter seal ($1.95).
I wish everyone live long and prosper in 2002 (plus the tied cover you have always been looking for). Cordially:
Douglas K. Lehmann
P.O. Box 1312
Falls Church, VA 22041-1312
(dlehmann@erols.com)
