August 4, 2009
FDR’s Stamp Collection: A Childhood Hobby He Took to the Oval Office
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had a passion for stamp collecting, a hobby he had cherished since childhood. A new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum highlights his philatelic interests, and provides rare insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of his administration.
During his administration, Roosevelt played a critical role in much of the creation, design and promotion of some 200 stamps released during his time in office (1933-1945).
Whether celebrating Mother’s Day, Arctic exploration, National Parks or New Deal programs, FDR believed three cents of postage (the going rate back then) could deliver more than just a letter. Curator Cheryl Ganz explains FDR’s motives in the video above.
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An excellent production by Cheryl Ganz and the National Postal Museum! Well done!
Very informative video,great job! I wanted to learn more about FDR’s collection, where is it,what is it worth today? Did other heads of state send him rare stamps? Thanks Again, David Cutler
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A new army of the post office has been devoted to military postal personnel died ….. He sees a bright future for the fans. “[Collectors Stamp] are often aging … Even during his presidency, he took time each day to work on his stamp collection.
Comment by anime
Stamps has been going on for many, many years since 1840. Today there are 20 million stamp collectors around the world, ranging from beginners to collectors Extreme. Stamp collecting is known as philately, which means the study of revenue stamps and postage.
The piece succinctly makes the point FDR attributed much of his understanding of the world to philately and further his interest in stamps encouraged Americans with love of country and appreciation of scholarship. Your article captures nicely these core concepts and is worthy of this dignified man and great President.
Sincerely,
John D.Ciko
Interesting video. While FDR is my fav president, I’m not into stamps but collect coins and currency. I appreciate the passion FDR had for his hobby as I have the same passion for numismatics.
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