{"product_id":"1973-christmas-8-washington-dc-first-day-cover","title":"1973 Christmas 8¢ Washington, DC First Day Cover","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis 1973 Christmas First Day Cover features the 8¢ stamp reproducing Raphael’s “The Small Cowper Madonna” from the National Gallery of Art. The Artmaster cachet depicts the Holy Family in a classic nativity scene with “Christmas 1973” lettering, cancelled on the official first-day date of November 7, 1973, in Washington, DC.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe stamp marked the continuation of the U.S. Postal Service’s annual Christmas series, which began in 1962. By choosing a Renaissance masterpiece for the design, the issue highlighted both religious tradition and America’s growing appreciation for European art housed in its national collections during the early 1970s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA notable detail is the Artmaster cachet’s hand-rendered illustration of Mary and the infant Jesus beside the manger, complementing the Raphael artwork on the stamp itself. The cover is addressed to Lorinda Alexander in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, a small borough founded in the 1740s that still retains much of its historic character.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA clean, well-centered example with a crisp Washington, DC postmark, this cover makes an attractive addition for collectors of Christmas topicals, Artmaster cachets, or 1970s U.S. postal history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maple Springs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51392084213924,"sku":null,"price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0580\/4713\/5908\/files\/20260629142120.jpg?v=1782776564","url":"https:\/\/maplespringsllc.com\/products\/1973-christmas-8-washington-dc-first-day-cover","provider":"Maple Springs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}