Roosevelt Franklin


Franklin D. Roosevelt Stamp Collection, 25 Original Album Pages Annotated by FDR







25 album pages from the personal stamp collection of 32nd U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), with pencil-inscribed annotations in the hand of FDR found throughout. The album pages, which feature over 150 stamps from Panama and Colombia, were once offered for sale at H.R. Harmer, Inc., International Stamp Auctioneers, during the spring of 1946, and are stamped accordingly. Accompanied by an original Harmer auction folder, and a transmittal envelope from the Canal Zone Government to Nathan L. Levy, a well-known Latin American stamp collector. Expected light wear including minor chipped edges, else near fine. Each album page measures 10" x 11".







Two of the album pages are unnumbered, and the rest are paginated 1-23. The stamps are neatly mounted in rows on preprinted gridline pages with wax paper protective sheets. Each page is also stamped "From the Franklin D. Roosevelt Collection / Auctioned Feb., April, 1946 by H.R. Harmer Inc. N.Y." at top in red. The album pages were acquired from Scott Stamp & Coin Co., NY. Pencil annotations throughout include numbering, grading, dating, and retail price.







Franklin D. Roosevelt's love of stamps began as a child, and continued his entire life. He acquired stamps at auction, via dealers and stamp shows, and was gifted many stamps by well-wishers as well. Roosevelt worked on his stamp collection every day, even at the White House. His son James recalled, “I have vivid memories of Father sitting at his desk when he had a half hour or hour with no appointments…with his stamp books and an expression of complete relaxation and enjoyment on his face.” Roosevelt's hobby informed presidential business: some 200 U.S. stamps were released during his 12-year-long presidency, commemorating fairs, parks, and other achievements. FDR did not just authorize the stamps, he often weighed in on specific design questions.







Roosevelt's stamp collection included U.S. and international postage from Latin and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His U.S. / Latin American collection appears to have been especially strong; this was sold during the first session of the H.R. Harmer auction in early February 1946.







H.R. Harmer, Inc. was a prominent New York-based philatelic auction house. It liquidated FDR's world-famous stamp collection during four sales, in February, April, July, and December 1946. The entirety of FDR's stamp collection was then appraised at $80,000 ($1.1 million in 2019 currency), but its sales greatly exceeded that figure. In the preface to the Harmer auction catalog, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote: "These stamps gave my husband great pleasure and I hope they will continue to bring pleasure and good luck to those who may handle them in the days to come." Ex-FDR pieces are still very much in demand among modern day stamp collectors.







Roosevelt's other hobbies included photography, bird watching, model ship building, and manuscript collecting, but none of these is as closely associated with FDR as his passion for stamp collecting. In fact, some countries have issued stamps showing Roosevelt working on his stamp collections!







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