This First Day Cover bears the 1974 U.S. 10¢ Christmas stamp whose central design shows a dove with an olive branch perched on a cross beneath the red script “Peace on Earth.” The cover is postmarked New York, NY on 15 November 1974, the official first day of issue.
Issued in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the stamp’s peace message struck a resonant chord with Americans seeking reconciliation and hope during the holiday season. The design deliberately merges Christian iconography with a universal symbol of peace, making it one of the more distinctive Christmas issues of the decade.
A notable detail is the pre-printed “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” cachet line that runs beneath the stamp, a common Artcraft-style treatment that collectors recognize as characteristic of mid-1970s U.S. FDCs.
This clean, well-centered example is an attractive addition for collectors of modern Christmas topicals, 1970s U.S. definitives, or general First Day Cover holdings.
