1934 2c Grand Canyon, Arizona, Red, Perf.11, Vertical Pair, Imperf. Horizontal

U.S. #741a
1934 2¢ Grand Canyon
Imperforate Pair
National Parks Issue

Issue Date: July 24, 1934
First City: Grand Canyon, AZ

Stamp #741 was printed on a flat plate press and perforated with 11-gauge perforations. A few of these stamps were only perforated vertically. This is one of those scarce stamps. It pictures a view of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

As a stamp collector, President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally oversaw the selection of stamp subjects and designs during his administration. As Roosevelt was reviewing suggestions for the 1934 schedule, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes saw an opportunity to advertise the national park system. Ickes felt many Americans were unaware the federal government had set aside vast amounts of land for their enjoyment and for future generations. At his suggestion, 1934 had been declared National Parks Year. Ickes now proposed the legacy of the national parks be portrayed on postage stamps to give people a glimpse of their diversity and natural beauty. FDR approved the idea immediately, and ten parks were chosen, each to be pictured on a different denomination ranging from 1¢ to 10¢.