Farley05

1934 National Parks
Regular Issue

As President Roosevelt began looking over the list of stamp suggestions that Postmaster General Farley had sent to the White House, Harold L. Ickes arrived with a suggestion of his own. As Secretary of Interior, Ickes had control over the national parks system in US. He had declared 1934 National Parks Year and decided that a good way to advertise was to portray them on postage stamps. FDR approved icke's idea.

FDC's signed by Farley

1934 1¢ Souvenir Sheet

Farley and Ickes looking at
the first sheet of the 1¢ National Park stamp.

1934 3¢ Souvenir Sheet

Vertical Pairs

1935 Special Printing

Singles

Vertical Pairs

Horizontal Pairs

The Ickes varieties
Supposidly ungummed sheets, fully gummed

Harold L. Ickes, Scretary of the Inrerior, had in his possession imperforate Farley Park sheets fully gummed. Some blocks had been sold at auctions an other blocks was even on covers from Ickes.

In the Weekly Philatelic Gossip
Sidney Bird's column, November 9, 1940

"It becomes increasingly apparent that Mr Farley's Follies will not down. Like the Broadway variety, they pop up every once in a while, dressed up differently -- new costumes, so to speak ...
Now we have a hot newspaper report that Mr Ickes imperforate sheets of Parks, with gumgoozulum on the backs, have been valued by him at no less than $125,000!"

So the Bureau of Engraving and Printing offered to the collectors to have their 1935 special printings gummed...

Horizontal Pairs

Blocks of Four

Blocks of Six

First Day Covers

Blocks of Six

First Day Covers