Stamp Smarter - Year in Stamps 1934

Postage Stamps of the United States - 1934

Politics

President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Postmaster General
James A. Farley

Music

Click Control Above To Hear
1934 "Stay As Sweet As You Are"

Postage Rates

Domestic Letter Rate: 3¢ per oz

Postcard Rate: 1¢

Air Mail Rate
Jan. 1 - Jun. 30: 8¢ per oz
Jul. 1 - Dec. 31: 6¢/oz.

Air Mail Special Delivery Rate
Aug. 30, 1934: 16¢/oz.

Stamps

Commemorative Postage Stamps of 1934
Flat Plate Perf 11 · see also: The Farley Issues

3¢ Maryland Tercentenary
FDC: Mar. 23, 1934
46,258,300 Issued

3¢ Mothers of America
FDC: May 2, 1934
15,432,200 Issued

3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary
FDC: July 7, 1934
64,525,400 Issued

Rotary Press Perf 11 x 10½

3¢ Mothers of America
FDC: May 2, 1934
193,239,100 Issued

The National Parks Issue of 1934
Flat Plate - Perf 11 - 200 Subject Plates - see also - The Farley Issues of 1935

El Capitan at Yosemite
FDC: July 16, 1934
84,896,350 Issued

Old Faithful at Yellowstone
FDC: July 30, 1934
30,980,150 Issued

"Great White Throne" at Zion
FDC: Sept. 18, 1934
15,288,700 Issued

Great Smoky Mountains
FDC: Oct. 8, 1934
18,874,300 Issued

The Grand Canyon
FDC: July 24, 1934
74,400,200 Issued

Mirror Lake at Mount Rainier
FDC: August 3, 1934
95,089,000 Issued

Glacier National Park
FDC: Aug. 27, 1934
17,472,600 Issued

Wizard Island at Crater Lake
FDC: Sept. 5, 1934
16,923,350 Issued

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde
FDC: Sept. 25, 1934
19,178,650 Issued

The National Recovery Act
The NRA
FDC: Aug. 15, 1933
1,978,707,300 issued

The Air Mail Stamp of 1934
Rotary Press - Perf 11 x 10½ - 200 Subject Plates

C19 - The Six Cent Winged Globe
FDC: June 30/July 1, 1934
302,205,100 issued

Although the new air mail rate of 6¢ did not go into effect until July 1, some of these stamps were issued on the day before. "First Day" Covers are from that date, although to meet the correct postage an additional two cent stamp was added to most of these covers. Some of the envelopes made it through the mails without the added 2¢ postage necessary to pay the then current rate of 8¢. The majority of the June 30 covers originated from the Baltimore Post Office, although covers are known from Brooklyn and New York City as well. All are very collectible. July 1, 1934 was a Sunday and, breaking precedent, the D.C. Post Office postmarked covers on that day. The July 1 covers, although officially the first day covers using the new stamps for the new rate, do not bring the premiums that the June 30 covers bring.

The Air Mail Special Delivery Stamp of 1934
Flat Plate - Perf 11 - 200 Subject Plates - see also: The Farley Issues of 1935

CE1 - Great Seal of the United States
FDC: Aug. 30, 1934
9,215,750 issued

The following postage stamp varieties were first issued by the U.S. in 1934

Ordinary issue
Number 635a - The 3¢ Lincoln Reissue - Distinguished by its Bright Violet Color

Commemoratives
Number 735 - 3¢ Byrd Antarctic Issue Souvenir Sheet of 6 (see also 1933) - Issued without Gum
Number 735a - Single stamp from the Number 735 sheet of 6
Number 736 - 3¢ Maryland Tercentenary Issue - Designer: Alvin R. Meissner Engravers: John C. Benzing (vignette) · Edward M. Hall (lettering)
Number 737 - 3¢ Mothers of America - Rotary Press - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: J. C. Benzing (vignette) · E. M. Hall & W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 738 - 3¢ Mothers of America - Flat Plate - Designer: Victor S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: J. C. Benzing (vignette) · E. Hall & W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 739 - 3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary Issue - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: Carl T. Arlt (vignette) · Edward H. Helmuth (lettering)
Number 740 - 1¢ El Capitan at Yosemite - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: J. C. Benzing (vignette) · W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 741 - 2¢ The Grand Canyon - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: L. S. Schofield (vignette) · W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 742 - 3¢ Mirror Lake at Mount Rainier - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: J. C. Benzing (vignette) · W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 743 - 4¢ Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: C. T. Arlt (vignette) · E. H. Helmuth (lettering)
Number 744 - 5¢ Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: C. T. Arlt (vignette) · W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 745 - 6¢ Wizard Island at Crater Lake - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: L. S. Schofield (vignette) · D. R. McLeod (lettering)
Number 746 - 7¢ "The Great Head" at Bar Harbor - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: J. C. Benzing (vignette) · D. R. McLeod & E. H. Helmuth (lettering)
Number 747 - 8¢ "The Great White Throne" at Zion - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: C. T. Arlt (vignette) · D. R. McLeod (lettering)
Number 748 - 9¢ Mount Rockwell at Glacier - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engraver: C. T. Arlt (vignette) · W. B. Wells (lettering)
Number 749 - 10¢ The Great Smoky Mountains - Designer: Esther A. Richards Engravers: L. S. Schofield (vignette) · E. H. Helmuth (lettering)

For Number 750 and 751 see also, respectively, Number 770 and Number 769, the Farley Special Printings issued without gum
Number 750 - The 3¢ Mount Rainier Souvenir Sheet of Six - Issued with Gum (not a Farley Special Printing)
Number 751 - The 1¢ Yosemite Souvenir Sheet of Six - Issued with Gum (this is not a Farley Special Printing)

"Lettering" refers to the lettering, numerals and, where applicable, the frame. Each engraver was assigned a portion of the stamp which emphasized his particular area of expertise. In practice, this meant the senior engravers were assigned the task of engraving the portrait or vignette and the less senior engravers the task of engraving the numerals, lettering and frame.

Air Mail
Number C19 -6 ¢ Dull Orange Winged Globe - Designer: A. R. Meissner Engravers: F. Pauling (vignette) · E. M. Hall (lettering)

Special Delivery
There were no new Special Delivery stamps issued in 1934.

Air Mail Special Delivery
Number CE1 - The 16¢ Great Seal of the United States - Designer: V. S. McCloskey, Jr. Engravers: J. Eissler (vignette) · E. H. Helmuth (lettering)
see also: The Farley Issues

Suggested reading
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Stamps of the United States 1933-1945 - by Brian C. Baur (1993 Linn's Stamp News)

The United States Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century Volume IV: Commemoratives 1933-1937 - by Max Johl (1938 H. L. Lindquist publisher)

The United States Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century Volume III: 1922-1935 Parcel Post & Air Mails - by Max Johl (1935 H. L. Lindquist publisher)