1936 3c Third International Philatelic Exposition, souvenir sheet

U.S. #778
1936 Third International Philatelic Exposition
Souvenir Sheet

Issue Date: May 9, 1936
First City: New York, New York
Quantity Issued: 2,809,039
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Flat Plate
Perforation: None
Color: Violet

On May 9, 1936, the Post Office Department issued U.S. # 778 to salute the Third International Philatelic Exhibition, held in New York City on May 9-17, 1936. The souvenir sheet included four different postage stamps, all of which had been issued individually during the past year. Each stamp carried a 3¢ denomination. The stamps commemorate the Connecticut Tercentenary, the California Pacific Exposition, the Michigan Centennial, and the Texas Centennial. 

300th Anniversary of Connecticut Settlement

The Connecticut Tercentenary celebrated the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Connecticut. Dissatisfied colonists from Massachusetts left their original settlements and came to Connecticut in search of religious and political freedom. In 1636, the early settlements of Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windsor united to form the Connecticut colony. King Charles II of England granted the colony its first charter in 1662. In 1687, after several attempts to gain control of the colony, Sir Edmund Andros, the governor of several other New England colonies, demanded Connecticuts charter, but the people refused. Supposedly, they had hidden it in the oak tree pictured on the 3¢ stamp.