1939–1940 New York World’s Fair PRESS Archive – Michael Havens, GM Futurama For Sale

Offered here is an exceptional, fully named press archive from the 1939–1940 New York World’s Fair, preserved together and attributed to Michael Havens, journalist and Night Life Editor for the New York Journal-American. This cohesive group spans both years of the Fair and includes multiple official press credentials, corporate access, original condition cards, and the period wallet that housed them.

This is not loose ephemera, but a rare, intact working archive documenting press access to the Fair at its height.

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Archive Contents

1939 New York World’s Fair Press Photo ID

• Official Short Term Press Pass, issued by New York World’s Fair 1939 Inc.

• Includes original photographic identification

• Issued to Michael Havens, New York Journal-American

• Valid through October 31, 1939

• Signed in ink

• Numbered and fully authentic

Photo press passes are the most desirable format from the Fair and rarely survive intact.

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1940 New York World’s Fair Press Identification Card

• Issued by New York World’s Fair 1940 Inc.

• Features the Fair’s 1940 slogan: “For Peace and Freedom”

• Press designation clearly printed

• Signed and numbered

• Confirms continued accredited press access for the 1940 season

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1940 General Motors Press Club Membership Card

• General Motors Press Club, World’s Fair, New York

• Issued for the famed “Highways and Horizons” exhibit — home of GM’s Futurama

• Non-transferable corporate press credential

• Named to Michael Havens

• Signed by the GM Director of Public Relations

This is a corporate press credential, not a general admission card, and Futurama-related material is especially sought after.

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Original Press Club Wallet

• Period-correct blue wallet

• Proper size and format for Fair credentials

• Retained with the archive and shown with contents

• Adds provenance and display value

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Original Conditions / Instruction Cards

• Multiple original condition cards retained

• Typically missing from surviving examples

• Printed rules and regulations for press access

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Historical Significance

The New York World’s Fair of 1939–1940 represented American optimism, technological progress, and modern design on the eve of World War II. Press credentials from this period—especially photo IDs and corporate access passes—were issued in limited numbers and discarded after use.

The survival of:

• Multiple credentials

• Across both Fair years

• For the same named journalist

• With wallet and inserts intact

…makes this a museum-grade grouping, suitable for institutional collections or advanced private archives.

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Condition

• Authentic period wear consistent with use

• Age toning and edge wear present

• All cards intact, legible, and unaltered

• Original ink signatures present

• Wallet shows expected wear but remains solid. Missing some stitching on the bottom left as seen in the pictures

No restorations. No reproductions. No modern replacements.

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Display & Collecting Appeal

Ideal for:

• World’s Fair collectors

• Journalism and press history collections

• General Motors / Futurama collectors

• Museum or archive display

• High-end historical ephemera collections

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Guaranteed original 1939–1940 material.

Ships carefully packed and fully insured.

Please look at the pictures very closely as they are representative of the condition and part of the description and ask any questions before buying. Thank you for looking.