You may have noticed that the familiar symbol of the American Cancer Society, the Sword of Hope, has been included in many of the cachet designs for this commemorative stamp.  The Sword of Hope was originally the result of a 1928 nation-wide poster contest sponsored by The American Society for the Control of Cancer (later to become the American Cancer Society).  The winning entry was designed by George E. Durant of Baltimore MA, and included the first version of the Sword of Hope.  It was used by the Society in an endless variety of ways for over fifty years.  The sword's blade represents the crusading spirit of the cancer control movement, while the twin-serpent hilt emphasizes the scientific and medical aspects.

However, the natural effectiveness of this recognizable symbol was weakened by the fact that it was used with no consistency in color, placement or fonts.  In 1982 the Sword was updated and made central to a new, standardized corporate identity.  The redesigned logo consisted of two elements: the Sword of Hope, and the words "American Cancer Society", which are referred to as the logotype.  Under the new standardized rules adopted in 1982, these two elements should normally appear as a single block unit.  This new corporate identity program was contributed to the American Cancer Society by the Los Angeles advertising agency Baxter, Gurian & Mazzei.  In 1998, the Society decided to add the words "Hope.Progress.Answers" to the official logo.

Surrounding this text are several examples of how the Sword has been utilized over the past 75 years.  The beautiful bookmark to the left was distributed during the 1950 Cancer Crusade.  The back features the Seven Cancer Danger Signals.  The first two items below are buttons featuring the Women's Field Army, a 1930s collaboration of the Federation of Women's Clubs and the Society.  The goal of the collaboration was to involve women as volunteers to carry out public education and fund raising activities.

In addition to cancer related stamps and first day covers, I also collect old American Cancer Society memorabilia.  If you have any for sale, please drop me a line at smith@in.net.