In the stamp world, Christmas is never really over

U.S. Stamp Notes — By John M. Hotchner

The shadow of Christmas seems to lengthen every year, and nowhere does it appear earlier than with the U.S. Postal Service injunction in the form of a cancellation that instructs “Please mail early for Christmas.”

In the U.S. Stamp Notes column in the Jan. 2, 2017, issue of Linn’s, I showed an Aug. 29 (1998) cancellation with this message from Pittsburgh, Pa., and invited Linn’s readers to find an earlier example.

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Jerry Belber of Brimfield, Mass., reported the new record holder — a cover canceled in Springfield, Mass., in 1992 with the date of July 13.

Can anyone come up with a cancellation even earlier in the year? If so, please contact me, John Hotchner, by mail at Box 1125, Falls Church, VA 22041-0125, or email me.