Canada Poster stamps: 1983 CANADA Christmas Seals sheet of 24 - UNI #82
  • Three Designs - Full pane of 24 stamps
 The History of Christmas Seals in Canada

Christmas Seals have been a cornerstone of fundraising efforts to fight TB since the early 20th century. The history of Christmas Seals is inextricably linked to the history of tuberculosis in Canada and the origins of the Canadian Lung Association. TB was a major public health concern in Canada in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Often called “consumption”, TB was highly contagious and spread quickly in the crowded, unsanitary conditions that were prevalent at the time. Lack of access to things like healthy food, pasteurized milk  and accommodations that weren’t crowded, unhygienic and unventilated meant that TB disproportionately affected working-class Canadians. Donations were required to help pay for TB treatment and prevention for those who couldn’t afford it. This led to the creation of Christmas Seals.

Christmas Seals are truly a global tradition: the original idea came from a postman in Denmark. Christmas Seals debuted in Copenhagen in 1904 and raised a whopping $20,000 to fight TB in their first year. Seals were first created in Canada in 1908. In its first year, the Canadian campaign raised $7,358.65 (the equivalent of almost $200,000 today).

Christmas Seals have become a popular collector’s item among philatelists and the general public alike. 


Before we were the Canadian Lung Association, we were the Canadian Association for Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis, founded in Ottawa in 1900. In fact, the double-barred red cross of Lorraine, which has been synonymous with lung associations worldwide, was identified as the official emblem of TB associations around the world three years later.

Why did Canada need a national TB association? 

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      • Scott or Unitrade Catalog numbers used unless noted otherwise.

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      DESCRIPTIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED.

      MNH= Mint Never Hinged or Un-mounted,

      MINT OG= Unused having been hinged with its original gum,

      NG= No gum,

      CTO= Canceled to order,

      OTHER ABBREVIATIONS USED:

      DG= disturbed or spotty gum, RG= re-gummed, NGW= natural gum wrinkle, LH= a lightly hinged copy, VLH= very lightly hinged, HR= has a hinge remit, HHR= has a heavy hinge remit, AD= some type of adhesion (such as paper, album offset, etc.) on its gum, PMG= pencil mark or notation on its reverse, FDC= First Day Cover or a First Date of Cancel, CR= crease, TE- tear, TH= Thin, MD= a minor defect, SF =space filler.


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