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1984 Australia Post FDC – Christmas

$5.95 AUD

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SKU: FDC30CHRISTMAS-2R1H Category:
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Australia Post FDC – 1984 – Christmas Mint condition first day cover celebrating Christmas 1984.

This cover has 3 x 55 cent, 1 x 60 cents and 1 x $1.50 stamps from the seasons postal offering.

Bright, colourful and of good cheer and nice philatelic item for the album.

SKU

Design

Standard Australia Post First day Cover Envelope

History

It is a matter of some debate as to which is the first Christmas stamp. The Canadian map stamp of 1898 bears an inscription “XMAS 1898”, but it was actually issued to mark the inauguration of the Imperial Penny Postage rate. The Christmas connection has long been reported to have been the result of quick thinking; William Mulock was proposing that it be issued on 9 November, to “honor the Prince” (meaning the Prince of Wales), but when Queen Victoria asked “what Prince?” in a displeased manner, Mulock realized the danger, and answered “Why, the Prince of Peace, ma’am”.

In 1937, Austria issued two “Christmas greeting stamps” featuring a rose and zodiac signs. In 1939, Brazil issued four semi-postal stamps with designs featuring the three kings and a star, an angel and child, the Southern Cross and a child, and a mother and child. In 1941 Hungary also issued a semi-postal whose additional fees were to pay for “soldiers’ Christmas”. The first stamps to depict the Nativity were the Hungary issue of 1943. These were all one-time issues, more like commemorative stamps than regular issues

The next Christmas stamps did not appear until 1951, when Cuba issued designs with poinsettias and bells, followed by Haiti(1954), Luxembourg and Spain (1955), then Australia, Korea, and Liechtenstein (1957). In cases such as Australia, the issuance marked the first of what became an annual tradition. Many more nations took up the practice during the 1960s.

By the 1990s, approximately 160 postal administrations were issuing Christmas stamps, mostly on an annual basis. Islamiccountries constitute the largest group of non-participants, although the Palestinian Authority has issued Christmas stamps since 1995.

The usual usage of Christmas stamps is to quickly apply them to a stack of Christmas cards to go out. In the age of email, Christmas stamps may represent some individuals’ largest remaining use of stamps in a year, and it is not unusual to see “leftovers” appear on regular mail during the first months of the new year. In Australia where Christmas cards can be sent at a discount (currently 5c lower than the regular domestic rate, and up to 85c lower for international rates), these stamps will turn up on regular mail after Christmas with additional stamps to make up the correct rate.

*All historical information taken from Wikipedia for educational purposes only

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