740-49 – 1934 National Park Issues, Complete Set of 10 Stamps

As a stamp collector, President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally oversaw the selection of stamp subjects and designs during his administration. While he was reviewing suggestions for the 1934 schedule, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes saw an opportunity to advertise the National Park System. Ickes felt many Americans were unaware the federal government had set aside vast amounts of land for their enjoyment and for future generations. At his suggestion, 1934 had been declared National Parks Year. Ickes now proposed the legacy of the national parks be portrayed on postage stamps to give people a glimpse of their diversity and natural beauty. FDR approved the idea immediately, and ten parks were chosen, each to be pictured on a different denomination ranging from 1¢ to 10¢.

The Stamps of the 1934 National Park Issue

740 – 1934 1c Yosemite, California, Green, Perf. 11

741 – 1934 2c Grand Canyon, Arizona, Red, Perf. 11

742 – 1934 3c Mt. Rainier, Washington, Purple, Perf. 11

743 – 1934 4c Mesa Verde, Colorado, Brown, Perf. 11

744 – 1934 5c Yellowstone, Wyoming, Blue, Perf. 11

745 – 1934 6c Crater Lake, Oregon, Dark Blue, Perf. 11

746 – 1934 7c Acadia, Maine, Black, Perf. 11

747 – 1934 8c Zion, Utah, Sage Green, Perf. 11

748 – 1934 9c Glacier National Park, Montana, Red Orange, Perf. 11

749 – 1934 10c Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina, Gray Black, Perf. 11

On August 28, 1934, the Post Office Department issued US #750 as a souvenir sheet in conjunction with the American Philatelic Society’s Convention and Exhibition being held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The sheet contained six 3¢ stamps featuring the breathtaking beauty of Mt. Rainier. A second souvenir sheet of six 1¢ Yosemite stamps followed on October 10th for the Trans-Mississippi Philatelic Exposition and Convention held in Omaha, Nebraska.