Editing Christmas seal (section)

==Collecting==
[[File:Denmark Christmas seals, block of four, 1920 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Danish Christmas seals in block of four, 1920 issue]]
When Christmas seals first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century they received much favor and acclaim from the general public, and from [[Stamp collecting|stamp]] and [[postal history]] collectors in particular. Prices for the various issues can  range from inexpensive, to moderately priced to those of considerable value, depending on availability, type,{{efn|Stamps and seals of a different "type" are most often those with minor, often unnoticeable, differences in the design, [[perforation gauge]] or color(s) used in the printing process..}} centering and condition.<ref name=denue'ab>[[#catalog2014|Denune, 2014]], pp. a-b</ref> The catalogue value of a Christmas seal, as with postage stamps and coins, usually increases over time. For example, in 1935 the Scott Catalogue{{efn|The ''Scott Catalogue'' is considered one of the leading authorities on postage stamps and related items.}} value for a Christmas seal issued in 1915 was 25-cents.<ref>[[#scott1935|Scott Specialized Catalogue of US Stamps, 1935]], p. 164</ref> In 1983 its catalogue value increased to $4.  By 2014 the Scott Catalogue Value was fixed at $9.00.<ref>[[#catalog2014|Denune, 2014]], p. 3</ref>  Used seals, and those with no gum and/or have a straight edge on one side, usually command about one-half the price of a seal in unused, (mint) fine to very fine (F-VF) condition.<ref>[[#scott1983|Scott Specialized Catalogue of US Stamps, 1983]], p. 614</ref><ref name=green's4>[[#green1946|Green's Catalogue of Tuberculosis Christmas seals]], p. 4</ref>

In cases where a Christmas seal is tied{{efn|"Tied" is a term used by collectors to define a stamp with a postmark on an envelope which overlaps the stamp.<ref name=denue'b>[[#catalog2014|Denune, 2014]], p. b</ref>}} alongside a postage stamp, with a postmark with the same year date in which the given Christmas seal was issued often commands much higher prices than those that have been cancelled and are no longer affixed to a postcard or envelope.<ref name=denue'ab/> As with various postage stamps, Christmas seals that exist in a 'block of four' are often scarce and can increase the value much higher than what four separate Christmas seals might be worth.<ref>[[#catalog2014|Denune, 2014]], pp. 3, 8, 14, etc</ref> On December 4, 2014, a postcard bearing a rare variety of a 1911, type 5,  considered the rarest U.S. Christmas seal, sold at auction on eBay for a record amount of $$3,433.83. The postcard was postmarked December 20, 1911, at Station C in [[Los Angeles]] and mailed to [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]]<ref name=linns>[[#linns2014|Linn's Stamp News, December 4, 2014]]</ref> In another definitive example, a 1919 issue U.S. Christmas seal of a rare type was sold at auction and realized a price of $3,872,533.<ref name="Denune p. 4"/>

In the United States beginning in 1936, the town of [[Santa Claus, Indiana]] has often been regarded by many collectors as the "official" First Day City for the initial release of Christmas seal issues in the United States. Special cacheted covers were often prepared in quantities that range from 500 to 2000. The quantities produced were documented for many years by The Christmas Seal and Charity Stamp Society members Joe Wheeler and Jerry Grigaitis. In 1936 the Santa Claus Postmaster would not allow the seals to be tied by a postmark, however, that policy was sometimes overlooked and a few covers received a postmark. Such covers command a substantial premium in the collecting world.<ref>[[#catalog2014|Denune (ed.), 2014]], p. II</ref>

{| style="margin:auto"
|  [[File:Christmas seal, first day cover, 1946.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Christmas seal, first day cover, 1946,<br>postmarked in Santa Claus, Indiana]] 
| [[File:Christmas seals, 1913, type I & II.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Christmas Seals, 1913 issue, types I & III, Printed by the [[American Bank Note Company]] &nbsp;Type I (at left) with poinsettia flowers in the side panels, is extremely rare, with only one sheet extant.{{efn|The Scott catalogue vale in 2017 was $1400<ref>[[#scott2017us|Scott Catalogue of US Stamps, 2017]], p. 995</ref>}} It is often considered the "Holy Grail",  of Christmas Seal collecting.<ref>[[#type'1-1913|Christmas Seal Society]]</ref><ref>[[#linns2024|Linn's Stamp News, January 8, 2024]]</ref>]]
|}

One of the oldest Christmas seal societies of service to collectors of Christmas seals is The Christmas Seal and Charity Stamp Society, founded in 1931, an affiliate of the [[American Philatelic Society]]. It functions as a source of information for collectors and publishes a quarterly journal, ''Seal News'', and a  large catalog of Christmas seal collecting literature. They also conduct auctions through each issue of their journal.<ref>[[#society|The Christmas Seal and Charity Stamp Society]]</ref>
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