LEHMANN 2003
CHRISTMAS
TEST SEAL COVERS
* * * * * *
February 2004 Letter
Dear Christmas Seal Cover Collectors:
Last year, 2003, registered my 24th consecutive year of making test seal covers and ALA's 25th 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, seals were available to me from three sources and early enough to prepare covers including First Day Covers. There was one exception, I did not receive the Chanukah seals in time to make covers. For those that do not have a PC, I will print and send you copies of these pages upon request.
2003 COVERS: This year I have five cover types totaling 180 covers. I have Santa Claus, Indiana, cancels for Christmas Day plus Music Makers and Madonna postage stamp first day's from New York, NY on October 23. 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. Each year, the ALA does something strange. In 2003, they were not consistent in using a test design. If you note the upper corners of this page, I am showing the winning test design of 2002 compared to the actual design used for 2003. Three seals were changed with only the Cardinal remaining the same. The table summarizes both this year's ALA seals and my covers.
COMMENTARY: There are nine ALA basic seal designs this year. There is 1 version of the regular seal, 6 test seal designs, and 2 religious designs. The Spanish inscription is found with silver borders and white background this year and the Christian and Chanukah religious seal designs were issued. All 2003 seals I used were mainly self-stick gum except for two with gummed backing. The usual assortment of sheet sizes, separations, backings, and paper varieties were way up this year. The Christmas Tree design comes in more sheet varieties than Carter has liver pills. The Chanukah regular seal is absent from my covers. I predict the indoor or outdoor Christmas (or a combination of 4 designs of these 7 individual designs) test design will become the 2004 seal but the ALA announcement is still pending
| REGULAR SEALS | ||
| DESIGN | COVERS | |
| 2003 seals | 2002 seals | |
| NATURE SCENES - (4-designs, holly, male and female cardinals, & chickadees) | ||
| —Silver borders—Regular size | IA | IA* |
| —White background—Gummed—Rouletted | IB & II | IB* |
| —Silver Border—Spanish | II | NA |
| —Silver border—Large size | II | |
| —Silver border—Narrow size | II | |
| —White Background—Spanish | II | |
| —White background—Small size | II | |
| * Three of four 2002 test seals do not match 2003 design | ||
| TEST SEALS | ||
| CHRISTMAS TREE—Silver borders | III | NA |
| CHRISTMAS TREE—Blue borders | III | |
| OUTDOORS—(4 designs including snowman) | III | |
| CHRISTIAN—(3-designs) | III | |
| CHRISTMAS TREE—Large gummed rouletted—blue | III | |
| INDOOR CHRISTMAS—(4-designs including woodpecker) | IV | |
| OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS—(3-designs including red sock) | IV | |
| NATURE'S WATERCOLORS—(5-designs including lantern) | IV | |
| SNOW SCENES—(5-designs including igloo) | IV | |
| GIFT TAG SEALS | ||
| NATURE SCENES (5-different, 1 Spanish, 2 silver) | VA | NA |
| CHRISTMAS TREE (silver & blue), OUTDOORS, CHRISTIAN (4 different) | VB | |
| INDOOR & OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS, NATURE'S WATERCOLORS, SNOW SCENES (4 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. When I started making these covers, postage was 18 cents. Now it is 37 cents. I now also have to pay more to obtain both regular and test seal designs. However, rather than raise prices, I'm going to lower my discount. NOTE: orders of $14.80 or more receive a 10% discount and orders of $44.45 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.
03-I - PREDECESSOR NATURE SCENES: I had no trouble keeping this 23 year old tradition going in making my favorite cover (continuously from 1981 to 2003). 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 (sort of, see discussion above) but with two different dates. Seals used vary between silver border and white background. I use the New York, NY First Day Cancel (FDC) of October 23, 2003 (above) with a Ginsburg Covers cachet. This cachet launches a new era of cachets for this cover. Jack Ginsburg is a friend and local cachetmaker who made the cachet envelopes to my specifications. This cover has 1 of 4 music makers postage stamps. The music makers is not my favorite design but my tradition is to use the current holiday postage stamp. (Note, on the pictured design the instrument looks more like a stack of dynamite.) I made 50 total covers all at $3.95 each all FD dated October 23, 2003. Use order #03-IA for the cover just described and pictured above (35 made) using the silver border seals. I only had one sheet, so 5 more covers (no special code-by request only) use two gift tags instead. If you prefer the religious stamp, I made 10 with the white background seals (order #03-IB).
03-II - REGULAR/SPANISH: This philatelic creation uses six different varieties of the regular seal design (nature scenes). Three use a silver background, three use a white background. Two Spanish inscription (Feliz Navidad) seals included, one is silver and the other white. One white background is gummed and rouletted. See chart for descriptions and my other illustration page for an actual view. The cover is postmarked on Christmas day at Santa Claus, IN. It uses their red pictorial rectangular cancel and 1 of 4 music makers postage stamps. I made 35 using the sleigh Artopage cachet envelope ($3.95 each). (Order# 03-II)
03-III - CLASSIC SINGLES-I: This cover has one single seal from five 2003 national test seal sheets. Three sheets had but a single design—the blue and silver bordered die cut plus the gummed rouletted Christmas tree. The fourth sheet has four designs—snowman, angel, Santa, and birds in tree. The last sheet three designs—the three Christian designs using the manger, 3-kings, and angels. 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 Claus Artopage cachet. All covers use 1 of 4 of the Christmas music maker postage stamps and are $2.95 each (order #03-III).
03-IV - CLASSIC SINGLES-II: This cover has one single seal from four 2003 national test seal sheets. Two sheets had five designs while the other two had four designs, so, there is a mixture of designs used in the 35 covers made. The Nature Watercolor designs use two chickadees (pine branch), a sleigh, a lantern, two chickadees (holly branch), and two cardinals. The Snow scene designs use a rooftop, 4-kids, tree, igloo, and dove. The indoor Christmas scene designs use sock, candy canes, and wreath. The outdoor Christmas scene designs use Chickadee, woodpecker, wreath, and two cardinals. These use the red rectangular Santa Claus, IN pictorial cancel on Christmas Day. They have a Christmas tree Artopage cachet. All covers use 1 of 4 of the Christmas music makers postage stamps and are $3.95 each (order #03-IV).
03-V - GIFT TAG MIX: These covers have 4-5 gift tag seals. There are three varieties, each using a different set of gift tags for a total of 13 different if all are collected. Cover 03-VA has five different NATURE SCENE gift tags—2 silver bordered (1 large size), 3 white background (1 spanish and 1 gummed roulette). Wreath Artopage cachet—cost is $2.95 (5 made). Cover 03-VB has four gift tags—blue and silver Christmas tree, Outdoors, and Christian sheet seals. Wreath Artopage Cachet—cost is $2.95 (5 made). Cover 03-VC has four gift tags—Indoor and Outdoor Christmas, Nature's Watercolors, and Snow Scenes. Candle Artopage cachet—cost is $2.95 (5 made). All three types use the self-stick Christmas music makers postage stamp. These covers are postmarked on Christmas day at Santa Claus, IN. They use the red pictorial rectangular cancel.
Look at Additional 2003 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 2003 cover
has an April 20, 2003 black circular date stamp postmark. I use a self-stick love stamp as postage and an Artopage Easter cachet. I also added the 2003 ALA Easter seal to the cachet (not tied). Covers have a single Easter seal ($1.95).
I wish everyone live long and prosper in 2004 (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)