New Plate Fault Indentified on Korea Methodist Anniversary Seal

I am pleased to announce that due to the sharp eyes of our former Chairman (and current Publisher) that a new consistent plate fault on the Korea 1934 Methodist Anniversary Seal can be announced. This seal was designed by Dr. Sherwood Hall. While there is no value number on the seal itself, it sold for […]

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Cover from Dr. Chang-mo Moon Sent In 1953 Is Discovered

To my great surprise, as I was scanning some philatelic material related to Korea’s awareness program to fight tuberculosis (TB) for an upcoming publication, I discovered a cover apparently sent by Dr. Chang-mo Moon in 1953. The cover has a 1953 Korea TB seal pasted on the back of the envelope, which would have been […]

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1925 cover with company seal

This cover, franked with a Japanese 3-sen definitive (Scott 131) tied with a comb-style cancellation KEIJO/14.7.16 (July 16, Taisho 14 (1925))/6-9 p.m., was sent to Mr. TAKEDA Chobei and Co. in Osaka, Japan, from the Keijo (Seoul) Branch (”京城支店” in rear lower center) of FUJISAWA Tomokichi (“藤澤友吉”), a precursor store of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd. […]

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More About Dr. Hall’s Stamp Collecting And Missionaries in Korea

It is encouraging that we are receiving so much new information from members of the Korea Stamp Society (KSS) and readers of the KSS website. In particular, I have been amazed at all the new information we have been receiving about Dr. Hall and other missionaries in Korea prior to WWII. This article is an […]

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North Korea Invades South Korea and Dr. Moon Chang-Mo Is Captured

This is the story of the rarest issued Korean tuberculosis (TB)/Christmas and New Year seal: the 1952 issue. One might believe that the rarest and most valuable Korean TB/Christmas and New Year seal is probably one of the series of seals that Dr. Sherwood Hall began to issue in 1932. However, discounting the unissued seal […]

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New Discovery of Two Very Rare Covers with Dr. Hall’s Unissued 1940 Korea Tuberculosis/Christmas Seals

There was recently an exciting find by a reader of the Korea Stamp Society’s (KSS) webpage. Mr. Edwin Burgoyne, who has been researching information on old covers that were part of his wife’s (Alison) missionary family’s collection, read the articles about Dr. Sherwood Hall’s TB/Christmas and New Year’s seals. He especially noticed the article about […]

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Chinese “Non Postal Value Souvenir Sheet” for Philakorea 1994

Many different types of philatelic products have been created over the years by many different organizations and individuals. In China the so-called “Non Postal Value Souvenir Sheets” are one specific example of a type of such a product. They were (and are?) created on a very large scale, but they are relatively unknown outside of […]

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New Variety of Fifth Year Souvenir Sheet Noted

In the article of December 28, 2018, on the KSS website discussing the 1936 Korean Christmas and New Year seal, there was also information given about “The Fifth Year Souvenir Sheet”. These souvenir sheets were used by Dr. Hall’s Christmas seal committee to promote the sale of the seals. It was noted that there were […]

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The “Corean Clown”: Tracing the history of a philatelic fantasy (1965)

The strange looking label illustrated here has been around for a long time, as a matter of fact, since 1879, and for some reason it has become known to collectors of album weeds ad the “Corean Clown”. While its connection with the philately of Korea is remote, to say the least, the following facts concerning […]

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Dr. Hall’s 1934 Korean Methodist Seal

There is an unusual Korean seal that occasionally shows up in Korean collections and on eBay, which sometimes confuses collectors. This seal was actually designed by Dr. Sherwood Hall and is sought out by some collectors of Dr. Hall’s Korean Christmas seals. It was issued for the “50th Anniversary of Korean Methodism” in 1934, shortly […]

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Strong Demand Continues for Korean Tuberculosis/Christmas and New Year Seals

What surprises many stamps collectors who do not collect Korean stamps is the strong demand and high prices for the early Korean Dr. Hall (1932-1940) and post WWII late 1940’s to early 1950’s Tuberculosis (TB)/Christmas and New Year seals. Because of the Korean problem with TB and Dr. Sherwood Hall’s program to issue these seals […]

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Dr. Hall Was a Stamp Collector Too!

Dr. Sherwood Hall, the creator of the Korean tuberculosis Christmas and New Year seals, was an avid stamp collector. His hobby of collecting of stamps, besides his knowledge of how the seals successfully raised money in other countries to fight tuberculosis, probably contributed to his original idea to promote the seals in Korea to fight […]

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Follow-Up to Dr. Hall’s Smithsonian Collection Article

In the December 15, 2018 article on Dr. Hall’s donation of his Christmas seal collection to the Smithsonian Institute in 1972, it was noted that the collection had been found at the request of the author. It had been moved to the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC in 1993. It was written that the […]

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Dr. Moon Chang-Mo Resurrects Korean TB/Christmas New Year Seal Program In 1949

The program begun by Dr. Sherwood Hall, who had been born in 1893 in Korea to Methodist missionaries and doctors, to raise funds to fight tuberculosis (TB) in Korea by issuing Christmas and New Years seals, ended in 1940, as the Japanese forced him to leave the country. It would not be until 1949 that […]

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The 1940 Korean Christmas and New Year Seal: Last Year of Dr. Hall’s Seals in Korea

From a collector’s standpoint, the 1940 issued seal is very simple. For the officially issued 1940 seal there is only one design, one type of booklet with 5 panes of 10 (5 x 2), one type of sheet of 25 (5 x 5) and two postcards designs. As with the 1939 issues, the postcards are […]

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2018 Christmas Seals (stamps and related products)

With all the recent publications on the 1930s/1940s Christmas seals on the KSS website by Robert Finder one might forget that these Christmas seals are not only interesting from a historical point of view. They are actually still around, being published every year! However, most publicity is available only to a Korean speaking audience. To […]

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The 1938 Korean Christmas and New Year Seal: Boys Playing Shuttlecock

The 1938 Korean Christmas and New Year seal program differs from past years in that there were two different booklet sizes. Other than the different booklets, there were sheets of 25 (5 x5) and two postcards designs. Some observers believe that the previous year program, 1937, was the peak in popularity and sales of Dr. […]

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