LEHMANN 2002
CHRISTMAS
TEST SEAL COVERS
* * * * * *
February 2003 Letter
(updated November 2003)
Dear Christmas Seal Cover Collectors:
Last year, 2002, registered my 23rd consecutive year of making test seal covers and ALA's 24th 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 one month late. Seals were available to me from two seal dealers and early enough to prepare covers but my First Day covers from Kansas City were delayed*. For those that do not have a PC, I will print and send you copies of these pages upon request.
*THE DELAY: I'm writing this paragraph in November having received my October 2002 covers on November 8 and 18, 2003. That's right 13 months late! Artmaster (who make House of Farnam) state in Linn's that they are 9 months behind in printing cachets on their covers. As you can see they are 13 months behind. They eventually shipped me blank covers to which I placed postage and seals and returned them. They then had them canceled before their deadline expired. My covers have my name of the back plus a pencil "F" for cachet desired. They added by account number "2112" and "H/F" not liking my F (they make several cachets but only one name begins with a F). Linn's also states they have Income tax problems. They have no 2003 cachets ready for 2003 holiday postage so I am dropping them. However, I do have cachet envelopes ready for this year. I had them made by a local cahetmaker to my specifications.
2002 COVERS: This year I have five cover types totaling 209 covers. I have Santa Claus, Indiana, cancels for Christmas Day plus Snowman first day's from Houghton, MI on October 28. I also have a few covers using the Madonna postage stamp in Chicago, IL with first day of October 10. 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 eight ALA basic seal designs this year. There is 1 version of the regular seal, 6 test seal designs, and 1 religious design. The Spanish inscription returns to only the regular seal this year and the Christian religious seal designs have not surfaced in any language. All 2002 seals I used were self-stick gum except for one design format. The usual assortment of sheet sizes, separations, backings, and paper varieties were way down this year. One test seal design remains elusive, the flowers design. The Christmas symbol's design was a test design last year and came back as a test design this year. The Chanukah regular seal was continued. I predict the repeat test design will become the 2003 seal but the ALA announcement is still pending
| REGULAR SEALS | ||
| DESIGN | COVERS | |
| 2002 seals | 2001 seals | |
| NATURE SCENES - white borders (4-designs, poinsettia, cardinal, pine cones, & birds) | ||
| —21x21mm green box | A1 | A1* |
| NATURE SCENES - silver borders | | |
| —English 22x26mm center design | B | NA |
| —English 22x27mm center design | B | |
| —Spanish Inscription (white borders) | B | |
| CHANUKAH (4-designs) | B | |
| * 2001 test seals have solid green borders | ||
| TEST SEALS | ||
| CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS - green borders (4-designs) | A2 & C | A2 |
| CHRISTMAS TREE - blue borders | C | NA |
| DOVES - with holly - green borders | C | |
| FLOWERS - (4-designs) | D | |
| KIDS AT PLAY - (3-designs) | D | |
| TOWN BUILDINGS - (3-designs) | D | |
| GIFT TAG SEALS (no flowers) | ||
| NATURE SCENES (5-different) | E1 | NA |
| CHANUKAH, KIDS & BUILDINGS (3 different) | E2 | |
| SYMBOLS, TREE, & DOVES (3 different) | E3 | E3 |
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 letters 'A' to 'E' 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.
02-A - PREDECESSOR NATURE SCENES: I had no trouble keeping this 22 year old tradition going in making my favorite cover (continuously from 1981 to 2002). 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 Houghton, MI First Day Cancel (FDC) of October 28, 2002 (above) with the House of Farnam cachet. This cover has 1 of 4 Snowman postage stamps. The ALA also distributed some calendars this year with stickers. None were used on my covers but the picture at right is from a calendar and shows one of the 4 scenes. I made 52 covers all at $3.95 each all FD dated October 28, 2002. Use order #02-A1 for the cover just described. If you prefer the religious stamp, I combined this with 13 of the Farnam Madonna cachets with the Chicago FD machine cancel dated October 10, 2002 (order #02-A2). For the latter cover, I used two test seals, the Christmas symbols from 2001 and 2002 (the 2002 seal is undated).
02-B - REGULAR/CHANUKAH: This philatelic creation uses four different seals. First, it has three regular seals (nature scenes), two English 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 silver bordered seals. The last seal is one of four designs of the regular Chanukah seal. The cover is postmarked on Christmas day at Santa Claus, IN. It uses their red pictorial rectangular cancel and 1 of 4 snowman postage stamps. I made 40 using the wreath Artopage cachet envelope ($3.95 each). (Order# 02-B)
02-C - CLASSIC SINGLES-I: This cover has one single seal from three 2002 national test seal sheets. Two sheetss had but a single design. However, the third sheet has four designs—poinsettia, bells, horn with music, and dove, 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 candle Artopage cachet. All covers use 1 of 4 of the Christmas snowman postage stamps and are $2.95 each (order #02-C).
02-D - CLASSIC SINGLES-II: This cover has one single seal from three 2002 national test seal sheets. Two sheets had three designs while the third had four designs, so, there is a mixture of designs used in the 40 covers made. The flowers design is hard to get. I only had one sheet of 32 singles and 8 gift tags. So, I used the gift tags on these covers but covered up the TO/FROM portion with the town building's seal. These use the red rectangular Santa Claus, IN pictorial cancel on Christmas Day. They have a Sleigh Artopage cachet. All covers use 1 of 4 of the linerless coil snowman postage stamps and are $3.95 each (order #02-D).
02-E - GIFT TAG MIX: These covers 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 E1 has the gift tags used on the five NATURE SCENE covers (A1, A2, and B). These are the four english (2 silver and 2 white bordered each with different size seals) plus the spanish seal. Santa Artopage cachet.—cost is $2.95 (8 made). Cover E2 has the gift tags of the CHANUKAH, KIDS & BUILDINGS. Tree Artopage Cachet.—Cost is $2.95 (8 made). Cover E3 has the gift tags used from the SYMBOLS, TREE, & DOVES sheets. However, I also added the 2001 Christmas Symbols gift tag for a gift tag predecessor cover. Also uses the tree Artopage cachet.—cost is $2.95 (8 made). All three types use the self-stick Snowman booklet postage stamp. These covers are postmarked on Christmas day at Santa Claus, IN. They use the red pictorial rectangular cancel.
Look at Additional 2002 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 2002 cover
has an March 31, 2002 black circular date stamp postmark. I use a self-stick flower booklet 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)