Arago: Peace of 1783 Issue

Postmaster James A. Farley autographed this uncut sheet, plate number 21119, of four hundred 3-cent stamps honoring the Peace of 1783, signed at Newburgh, New York. The first stamp issued under Farley's term of office, the Peace of 1783 issue, honored his home state. Farley signed the sheet at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing as it came off the press, using crayons from the printing room. He signed each pane to his wife and children: Mrs. James A. Farley, Betty Farley, Ann Farley, and Jimmy Farley. The sheet, which is perforated and gummed, is dated April 11, 1933, eight days before first day of issue. Farley donated this sheet to the Smithsonian Institution decades later.