Commems Collection Classic: 1935 Connecticut Tercentenary - Philatelic Tie-In

It's taken me nearly three years, but with this post I've reached the 2,000 mark. I didn't envision reaching such a count when I joined CCF, but I've enjoyed my time here and hope I've added something of value to the conversation.

In my posts about US commemoratives, I've often illustrated items from my collection that are "beyond the coin." I enjoy supplementing the coins that I collect with closely associated numismatic material (e.g., medals), paper ephemera and philatelic items.

For post number 2000, I thought I'd share one such item...

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The 1935 half dollar to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Connecticut Colony was just one of the early US commemorative coins that was joined by a companion US commemorative stamp.

The stamp depicts the iconic "Charter Oak" in a view that is very similar to the one used by Henry Kreiss for the half dollar. Kreiss used Charles DeWolf Brownell's painting of the Charter Oak as his design reference; it appears likely that Victor S. McCloskey, the stamp's designer, used the painting as well.

Historical Note: The "Charter Oak" was the name given to the tree in Hartford, Connecticut that was used to hide the colony's Royal Charter when an attempt was made by King James II (through his local administrator Sir Edmund Andros) to retrieve and revoke it.

The commemorative stamp was used on dozens of privately-issued first day covers; one could form quite a collection of FDCs pursuing nothing but!

Though I've looked at Connecticut Tercentenary FDCs for some time, it was only recently that I came across one issued by the Connecticut Tercentenary Commission - the sponsors of the commemorative half dollar. So, when I encountered the cover shown below, it was an easy decision to add it to my collection as an official tie-in to the coin.

You'll note that the depiction of the Charter Oak used for the cover's cachet is from the opposite side of the tree. I'm guessing that the artist responsible for the cover's artwork believed the opposing views of the tree would give the cover better visual "balance" - it works for me!

In addition to the FDC, I've also included an image of Brownwell's original painting and the obverse of one of my Connecticut half dollars for comparison; the coin's toning comes from its long-term storage in one of the original cardboard boxes used for its distribution.