FDR the Collector

Franklin Roosevelt was a great collector. From an early age he gathered large collections of stamps, ship models, rare books, prints, coins, drawings, and historic relics, among other items. By the time of his election as President, he had amassed a fine collection of naval art and relics and impressive collections of Hudson River Valley art and historical prints.

FDR was especially known as avid, lifelong stamp collector who gathered over 1.2 million stamps into his personal collection during the course of his life. He began collecting stamps at the age of eight at the suggestion of his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, who passed on her collection to him. After FDR's death, his personal stamp collection was sold at public auction in 1946 in accordance with his wishes.

Explore a selection of objects FDR acquired for his personal collections.