This Art Craft First Day Cover features the pair of 8¢ Christmas stamps issued by the United States on November 9, 1972, and postmarked in Washington, DC on the official first day of issue.
By the early 1970s, the U.S. Postal Service had established an annual Christmas stamp program that alternated between religious and secular themes. The 1972 issue presented both: one stamp reproducing the 15th-century painting “The Presentation of Christ in the Temple” by the Master of St. Lucy Legend from the National Gallery of Art, and the other depicting Santa Claus with toys beneath the opening line of the beloved poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”
The colorful cachet illustrates the poem’s famous sleigh ride with reindeer, while the dual-stamp franking and clear “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” hand-cancel make this an attractive example of 1970s holiday philately.
Addressed to a collector in San Francisco, the cover remains in fresh condition with vibrant cachet colors and a crisp Washington, DC postmark.
A pleasing addition for Christmas topical collectors or anyone building a run of U.S. holiday First Day Covers.
