Christmas
(03) Boy Scout Christmas Postcards: 1914; (10 designs - 3 printings)
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In 1914 the Boy Scouts of America copyrighted and published a series of ten Christmas postcards.

The copyright notice is on the back of the card at the base of the trees, just over the word Correspondence. The very distinctive backs show a small group of Scouts and a leader hiking over the crest of a wooded hill. Immediately above the spine, in a box clearly reserved for the purpose, is the Quality Cards trademark of the A.M. Davis Co. of Boston, Massachusetts who printed the cards.

With the country on the verge of war, and wishing to distinguish itself from its militant rival American Boy Scouts, just below "Boy Scouts of America" was the message "Non-military - teaching loyalty, patriotism, chivalry, and advocating universal peace."

Consistent with the practice of asking printers to remove trademarks after receipt of the BSA Congressional charter in 1916, the A. M. Davis Co. mark is missing in the second printing. On several cards there were subtle design changes as well.


Signal flags interchanged and sentiment lowered.
Between the second and third printings, all cards underwent significant design changes. The most consistent and obvious was a uniform update. The earlier versions of the cards showed Scouts wearing the original uniform with campaign jackets and puttees, but no neckerchiefs. In the third printing the Scouts are wearing long summer socks, knickers, shirts, and neckerchiefs.


In the 1970s an unknown publisher reproduced one of the cards. The border is more of a yellow-orange, the print is in green, and the "B" is filled in the color of the border. The back is plain and there is very little chance of confusing this card with one of the originals.
