1934 National Parks Issue
As a stamp collector, President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally oversaw the selection of stamp subjects and designs during his administration. As Roosevelt 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¢.
Yosemite, California
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Mount Rainier, Washington
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Yellowstone
Crater Lake, Oregon
Acadia, Maine
Zion, Utah
Glacier National Park, Montana
Great Smokey Mountains
North Carolina and Tennessee
On August 28, 1934, the Post Office Department issued U.S. #750 as a souvenir sheet in conjunction with the American Philatelic Society’s Convention and Exhibition being held in Atlantic City. The sheet contained six 3¢ stamps featuring the breathtaking beauty of Mt. Rainier.
American Philatelic Exhibition
Trans-Mississippi Philatelic Exhibition
The National Parks series was issued imperforate in 1935 as part of the infamous “Farley’s Follies.”
Great article. Would love to see an in-depth series on ‘Farley’s Follies’. In the above article, for balance you need to add text for #751 similar to what you wrote for #750. Eg What was the issue date and occasion?