Issued: New York, NY - November 21st, 1952

First day cover

Plate Size: Sheets of 200 (4 panes of 50) on electric eye plates.


Pane of 50

Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Watermark: USPS, single lined

Quantity Issued: 136,220,000

Look for blocks of four or six,
MNH with the plate number as shown above.
Do not bother investing in graded stamps as they
only depreciate for this year.

Above is a Christmas cover, this was the days before the Post Office realised that selling Christmas stamp was another profit opportunity. After the first Christmas stamp in 1963, the Post office issued so many that any Christmas stamp is usually worth much less than other issues of that year.

The above cover is a Dorothy Knapp cover, as can be seen in the lower right. She hand painted all her covers and they are now quite collectable and much sought after by those cover collectors. The above example sold for $500.

The founding committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, 1863

The stamp is simply one big mistake. the stamp would have been better off just celebrating the International Red Cross and left it at that. But to celebrate it on the 88th anniversary? Well that was the mistake, the stamp declares in big bold letters that the Red Cross was founded in 1864. Yet, back in 1952 it was well documented (you only had to ask the Red Cross) that the International Red Cross was founded in 1863, in Geneva, Switzerland. On the true anniversary of the founding of the International Red Cross, in 1963, the Bureau got it right and put the correct date on the stamp, see examples below.

The 1952 stamp showing the incorrect date of 1864

The 1963 stamp showing the correct date of 1863

There are no varities of #1016

1016-1Pa
Die proof on india
Die sunk on card

VARIOUS ESSAY DESIGNS FOR #1016