GIANTS OF THE SKY

The Graf Zeppelin, Hindenburg and Graf Zeppelin II

 

One of the displays I give to clubs and societies is one titled ‘Giants of the Sky’. Part of this display includes material related to the German Zeppelin airships of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Although I specialize in postcard’s I do also have some envelopes which are included. I show all the mounted items here regardless of what they are. My main interest is carried mail, items which were transported, carried, on board the zeppelins and most of this display relates to this type of material. I do include a few interesting mint postcards as well and a couple of postcards with interesting and related cachets, mainly ones available to tourists and visitors to the Friedrichshafen hangers which were the home base of the zeppelins.

In most cases you get to see both sides of the cards and envelopes (where the reverse side or front is also interesting) – where the second image is a separate card or item, I will state this in extra text underneath the sheet, otherwise assume you are looking at both sides of the same article.

It has been a while since I posted a large selection in one go here, but this one is in my opinion worth doing as I am pleased with the selection I have managed to compile, especially as I was a late starter to this theme.  

 

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 As stated at the header, some of these items are envelopes, but I enjoy the full postal history around these zeppelin flights

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Some Zeppelin items are quite valuable which means people have had them certificated as genuine. This is the only certificate I have and its for the item depicted immediatley above. Its the use of the US Zeppelin stamp on a genuine carried piece of mail which is the reason for the value.

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This sheet has two seperate items on it. The top item is a plain backed postal card (no printed stamp), whilst below that is a fine photographic postcard of the Graf Zeppelin (the value of these has gone up over the years)

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This one is a little special because of the autograph on the front

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This card was not flown, but it does have some interest through the special cancels and the meter mark applied to it - the front design does feature the Hindenburg

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This sheet contains two different items. The top card is a plain backed postal card whilst the bottom postcard is a painting postcard from a set of transport images issued in 1936

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This sheet is a bit different as it shows zeppelin interaction with my home town of Southend. These two postcards obviously have a local interest, although the top postcard is an adapted image with the Graf Zeppelin superimposed over the major landmark in Southend. 

The bottom card shows much earlier World War 1 bomb damage caused by a zeppelin. 

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The red cachet applied to this card, and the ones above and below, were applied to cards sold to tourists and visitors to the hangers where the zeppelins were housed

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Graf Zeppelin - Third 1932 South America Flight (S 150B)

Special illustrated Zeppelin mail card franked with three Danish airmail stamps (catalogued at £262 over 12 years ago), posted in Copenhagen and flown to Friedrichshafen via Berlin and by Graf Zeppelin to Brazil. Addressed to Asuncion, Paraguay. Has a special 'Berlin-Friedrichshafen' connecting flight cachet in red and a Zeppelin flight cachet in violet. The reverse side has a Paraguay arrival datestamp.  

 

Reverse side of above card

 

Postcard - Front (Zeppelin flown 1929)

 

Reverse side of above postcard

 

Card - First flight to England - Graf Zeppelin

 

Graf Zeppelin and hanger postcard

 

Reverse side of above Postcard:

Graf Zeppelin - Ninth 1932 South America Flight (S 195Ab)

Franked with 1 RM Zeppelin stamp and 40pf President Hindenburg issue and posted on board Graf Zeppelin during the flight to Brazil. Has a special orange Zeppelin flight cachet and Recife arrival datestamp - Addressed to A. Thasler, crew member on Graf Zeppelin. 

 

Graf Zeppelin - Netherlands Flight 18th June 1932 (S 165A)

Registered special Graf Zeppelin envelope franked with three Dutch stamps, flown by Graf Zeppelin from Enschede to Friedrichshafen. Has a special blue windmill flight cachet and Friedrichshafen Zeppelin arrival machine cancel on reverse. 

 

Reverse side of above envelope

 

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Reverse side of above envelope

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Reverse side of above envelope

 

1931 Graf Zeppelin Avril 1931 

50 m on 27m Brown 

Very Fine Used 

 

Sixth1934 South America Flight (S270)

Graf Zeppelin.

Registered envelope with five paraguay stamps including '1934' overprinted 22.50 Pesos Zeppelin provisional; issue. Flown from Asuncion, Paraguay to Rio de Janeiro and by Graf Zeppelin to Friedrichshafen. Has specil boxed Paraguay Zeppelin flight cachet in blue and airmail label. 

 

Reverse side of above envelope

 

Mint Envelope

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This sheet, and the one shown below were not mounted by me. I bought these two sheets at a London Stampex show some years ago. They depict modern commemorative postcards with Zeppelin anniversary cancellations. 

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© Mark Routh