Farley And Me

Folks, I've stumbled upon blocks of four of each of the ten National Parks issues from 1934. (It's the imperf. versions I really wanted--and I have them too. And, yes, it's a long story.)

I'm hoping you'll advise me as to what I might do with the perforate blocks. I'm think of giving them as gifts, but things would go farther, of course, if I break up the blocks. Again, they're blocks of four, so nothing too special, but I really don't know what's best.

You might use the "search" function for these and see what others have done. There is a couple of really great posts on this forum!

Peter

Thank you, Peter!

KGB,

Welcome to my world. I collect US MNH, but I'm also a big FDR fan. Last year I discovered that MYSTIC Stamp Company has an entire supplement (100 pages) devoted to Farley NGAI (no gum as issued) stamps. Top arrow blocks, bottom arrow, Line blocks, etc, etc. Then there are the vertical line pairs, horizontal; gutter blocks and pairs. On and on and on. Its really the only "topical" part of my collection. I have a MYSTIC binder dedicated to it. You might want to go in this direction too. As for the perforate blocks, you could just get some blank pages and include them.

Jack Kelley

Jack, I hope that what you have isn't catching!

KGB,

Like I said, it is a sickness. In the Farley album, I also have an FDR cover that was in his personal collection. Also a cover with his 1st Inauguration postmarked 3/4/33 Hyde Park, NY and a cover postmarked 4/12/45 Washington DC (date of death). I'm in the hunt for a 4/12/45 Warm Springs cover. You haven't seen one, have you?

Throw in BoB airmail, ducks, etc and you can see what is happening. A sickness, I tell you. Of course, Washington-Franklins are on the top of the list.

Jack Kelley

Jack... here you go, my friend... top of the list...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...5&_sacat=261

Randall

disi123,

Thanks for thinking of me.

That one has been listed and re-listed for quite a while now. Look closely, Randall. Very closely. It is actually dated 4/12/46 - the first anniversary. I almost jumped on it back when. I've made mistakes like that before. Only once did I return something when I was the one who was wrong. I explained to the seller (a hinged - NH issue) and he let me off the hook. I don't like doing that but it was a lot of money (to me)

Jack Kelley

Hi, Jack... ahhhh.... I see...

I didn't click in to see a closeup...

Good luck on your quest...

Randall

An interesting story about FDR's last day:

United States, 1945
Scott #928

Every stamp collector knows that Franklin Roosevelt took an active interest in most postage stamps issued during his thirteen year presidency, often designing them himself. Few, however, know that the design of one particular stamp occupied his last hours on earth.

In early 1945, Roosevelt discussed with Postmaster General Frank Walker the need for a commemorative stamp to mark the organizational conference of the United Nations, scheduled for April at San Francisco. They decided that, like the Overrun Countries series of 1943-'44 and the Chinese Resistance issue of 1942, the new stamp would be denominated at 5¢, the international surface rate, to maximize its use overseas.

At the end of March, Walker forwarded several designs to Roosevelt, who was on vacation at Warm Springs, Georgia. The president rejected all of them. Late at night on April 3, he phoned Walker with his own design: the phrase TOWARD UNITED NATIONS and the opening date of the conference, April 25, 1945, in Gothic lettering on an unadorned background. The stamp's sole illustration would be a single sprig of bay laurel, the ancient symbol of victory. Simple—even severe—the Roosevelt-designed United Nations commemorative would be the nation's first non-pictorial stamp. Walker ordered a proof prepared and rushed to the President for his approval.

Executed by Victor McCloskey of the BEP, it was placed on an April 12 Army flight carrying state papers to Warm Springs. Roosevelt decided to sleep late that day, then rose and worked on his stamp collection for about an hour. The United Nations stamp was brought to him; he approved it and arranged to purchase the first sheet from the San Francisco postmaster when he arrived to address the conference. Roosevelt continued working on his mail until about 1:15, when he dropped his pen, slumped in his chair and muttered "I have a terrific headache." They were his last words; the president slipped into unconsciousness and two hours later was dead at 63 of a cerebral hemorrhage.

As a memorial to Roosevelt, Walker ordered quotation marks added around the stamp's three lines of text, and "Franklin D. Roosevelt" inscribed in small, dark-faced letters. The resulting stamp went on sale April 25, as scheduled, only thirteen days after the president's death. It was the stamp collecting president's last stamp.

Kent B. Stiles, "News of Stamp World." New York Times, 15 April 1945, p.

"Parley Stamp Bears Roosevelt's Name." New York Times, 17 April 1945, p. 15.

"Toward United Nations." Journal of the United Nations Philatelists, June 2003.