The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-01-18

one LOT AQIllTdl byIu, lIlG6uueQ
admirals latest trip to the South
Pole to get away from 1t all. And
there was one for the town of
Newburgh, N. Y, which is close to
Mr.. Farley's native Haverstraw,
where he used to play first base
on the ball club. This one was
supposed to commemorate the
fact that George Washington once
made his headquarters at New
burgh, although anybody who
knows Mr.. Farley will realize that
he was only going out OF his way
to boost the little town of New
burgh.
DUT it turns out that Mr.. Far
ID ley happened to hear that
Mr.. Roosevelt was one of those
nine million American stamp COL
lectors and thought it would be
nice thing to grab off one of the
first sheets of each issue as it
came from the press urnerforated
and ungummed, write his name
across it, and send it over to the
President for his collection. with
the compliments of James A. Far
ley, a pal.
This Mr.. Farley did and, while
he was at it, he dealt in Mr..
Louis McHenry Howe, the PreSi-
dents secretary. And still while
he was about it, he decided to cut
himself in, too, for complete
series, just as souvenirs for his
loved ones. Moreover, because
Mr.. Harold Jckes, the Secretary
of the Interior, had jurisdiction
over the parks, he sent Mr.. Ickes
souvenir sheets of the ten designs
which comprise the parks issue.
Meanwhile, however, Mr.. Far
ley was beginning to learn some
thing about the enthusiasm of the
nine million stamp nuts, because
every time a memorial issue was
turned out, the nuts would buy up
from $4,000 to $4,000 worth of
stamps. Some of them were used
and some we're just put away in
books never to be Cancelled.
DUT the $4,000 to $4,000 was
ID just so much gravy for the
Postoffice Department, because the
facilities for handling the mail
have to be maintained anyway.
Mr.. Farley was much cheered be-
cause seventeen times $4,000 to
$4,000 was $4,000 to S680,000
almost clear profit.
Then, last week, out of Nor
folk, Va, there came a little dis
patch for the papers saying that
one of those special souvenir
sheets of the Mothers Day issue,
unperforated and ungummed, had
turned up in the philaetlic mar
ket and was quoted at some out
landish price between $4,000 and
$4,000.
1t develops that a sheet of
stamps without perforations or
glue on the back is a museum
piece and worth big, coarse
money. This sheet was one which
Mr.. Farley says he sent to friend
of a friend just as a favor to his
friend.
There were just four such sheets
on the Mothers Day issue with
drawn from the preSs-run by Mr..
Farley. One was for the Presi-
dent, one for Mr.. Howe. one for
himself and one for this friend
of a friend. Of course, he paid
their face value into the cash box,
but he had. by his favoritism,
handed over to MIR. Roosevelt. Mr..
Howe, himself and this friend of
a friend each stamps of an actual
value of about $4,000.
60 Mr.. Roosevelt, Mr.. Howe and
~ Mr.. Farley. each having an
imperforate, ungummed sheet OF
all II issues and there being few,
if any, other such sheets in ex-
istence, each has $4,000 worth OF
stamps. And Mr.. Ickes, with his
10 sheets of the parks issue would
have 100000 worth.
Four of these stamps in group,
showing the lack of perforatiop,
recently sold for 5000 in the
philatelic market for $50 each, in
dicating that few of the parks is
sue was in circulation.
These figures are a guess. based,
however. on the opinion of one Of
the foremost dealers. He was I'M
able to anchor his estimate with
out knowing exactly how many
sheets of each issue had been al
lowed to get out.
Mr.. Farley VOWS, Of course, that
none of his stamps nor the Presi-
dents. nor Col. Howe's, nor Mr..
Ickes will ever reach the market.
But they are their property
nevertheless and even if they don't
sell them, their estates may.
AS an old collector. Mr.. Roose-
Welt might have known the value
of the stamps which Mr.. Farley
was sending him with his COM
pliments. How would you go
about bringing that up?