Statue of Liberty

April 28, 1956

A stamp sheet consisting of two commemorative postage stamps on the 5^th International Philatelic Exhibition :

Issued by United States of America

Issued on Apr 28, 1956

Issued for : This Special Collector stamp sheet honoring the Fifth International Philatelic Exhibition (FIPEX) was issued April 28, 1956 in New York, New York. The date marked the opening of the exhibition, which ran through May 6 in the New York Coliseum. Featured on the sheet are enlarged versions of the 3¢ and 8¢ Statue of Liberty stamps.

Type : Souvenir Sheet, Mint condition

Denomination : 3 & 8 cents

Colour : Multi Colour

About :

The Statue of Liberty has become known as the foremost symbol of American freedom and democracy. A gift to the American people from the people of France, the monument celebrates the friendship between the two nations. It was formally presented to an ambassador to the United States in Paris on July 4, 1884.
Officially named “Liberty Enlightening the World”, the statue towers 305 feet above Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor. It is constructed of copper sheets and depicts a woman dressed in loose robes raising the torch of liberty in her right hand. Her left hand holds a tablet on which the date July 4, 1776 is inscribed.
French historian Edouard de Laboulaye, a great admirer of American political institutions, proposed the building of the statue. It was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who also selected the site on which it stands. Construction costs of about $250,000 were funded by the French people, and Americans contributed a similar amount for the building of the pedestal.
After the official unveiling in 1884, the Statue of Liberty was disassembled, packed into 214 cases, and shipped to the United States. Reconstruction at its permanent home took more than a year. The last rivet was driven on October 28, 1886, the day the monument was formally dedicated by President Grover Cleveland.
In 1903, Emma Lazarus’ poem, “The New Colossus”, was inscribed on a tablet in the pedestal. Lights were added at the base in 1924, and a massive reconstruction project was completed in 1986 in time for the Statue of Liberty’s 100^th birthday celebration.
The original stamps comprising the brilliantly colored stamp sheet were issued as part of the Liberty Series. The 3¢ Statue of Liberty stamp was issued June 24, 1954 in Albany, New York and the 8¢ stamp was issued April 9, 1954 in Washington, D.C. Taken together with the background, these stamps make this one of the most dramatic Special Collector stamp sheets produced.