This First Day Cover bears a block of four 10¢ Christmas stamps issued October 23, 1974, in New York, NY. Each stamp reproduces a detail of angels from a fifteenth-century altarpiece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
U.S. Christmas stamps began in 1962 and quickly became an annual tradition. By 1974 the series had shifted toward fine-art reproductions, linking postal issues with major museum holdings and broadening their appeal to both holiday mailers and art enthusiasts.
The cover carries a distinctive cachet of a globe formed entirely from envelopes and letters, underscoring the worldwide reach of the postal service. The neatly canceled block of four remains fresh and well-centered.
A strong addition for collectors of Christmas topicals, Metropolitan Museum issues, or 1970s U.S. First Day Covers.
