46-1x, WX130, NTA 1946 U.S. Christmas Seals Sheet, pm E, full gum, F, MNH. Issued 1946 by the National Tuberculosis Association (NTA). Designed by Mary Loise Estes. Art work by Lloyd Coe. Portraits drawn by Constance L. Naar. Image of Lamplighter. Fresh, firm paper, bright colors, full gum, never folded, shipped flat in an archival safe sheet protector. Scan is of a sheet.
Sheet of 100 (10x10), olive black, red, and blue. Seal size: 17x23mm. Perd. 121/2x12.
Portrait seals: The four center seals are portraits of people who, more than any others, were responsible for the issuance and successful sale of the first seal in 1907:
(1) Seal #45 - Jacob Riis, who first called attention to the 1904 Danish Christmas Seal and urged that the U.S. adopt the idea to raise funds to fight TB; (2) Seal #46 - Miss Emily Bissel, who designed the seal; (3) Seal #55 - E.A. Van Valkenburg, editor of the Philadelphia North American, the newspaper which publicized the seal; (4) Seal #56 - Leigh Mitchell Hodges, the man whose interest was aroused by Miss Bissell, and who wrote the articles which aroused public support for the sale of the first seals.
Printer's Mark: white "E" in the blue background above the "R" of "GREETINGS" in the lower left corner of seal #86.
1946 Christmas Seals were printed by four printers. The letter "E" "D" "S" or "U" appears on seal #56.
Christmas TB Seals are also known as Christmas Seals, and are usually classified as Charity Seals, or Cinderella Stamps.
