German C38 1930 Cover...fake?

First, I'm sorry about having to use a link. My scanner gave out on me. Of course since it quit I've stampcrow'd two differentlots. A bunch of stuff I'm not familiar with like Roman States and some revenues etc.

This one I can't wait on. So I took a picture and up loaded it to flickr. A cover in great condition but I'm not sure it's legit. It has contents which is a letter from the sender too their nephew.
My problem is, I thought 2M was only for postcards. Also there is no Brooklyn received post mark.

I really like how simple this cover is. Not a contrived stamp dealer cover. But, would like it better if I knew it was real.
Any thoughts?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/128709968@N05/

stampcrow, no backstamp at all?

It does have a backstamp. Similar to the one tying the stamp to the cover except it's FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (top), 20 7 30 20-21 (center), Bodensee (bottom). The bodensee is bracketed and has a star on either side.

stampcrow,

I think you have a mixed bag here.

This Graf Zeppelin flight departed Friedrichshafen on 20 July 1930 for Lachsen/Neustadt. At Lachsen/Neustadt, it landed, then took off and did a circuit around town, then landed again. It then returned to Friedrichshafen, still on 20 July 1930.

The markings indicate it was posted on board en route to Lachsen/Neustadt, where it received an arrival cancel and confirmation stamp (the red one). It then remained on board and received an arrival cancel on the back from Friedrichshafen. I see nothing suspicious about the markings, as they appear to be correct in type, date, and time (10-11 in Lachsen, 20-21 in Friedrichshafen).

However, it doesn't appear to have been forwarded to Brooklyn. I think that the domestic flight rate was 2 RM at that time, which would mean the postage was sufficient to cover the Zeppelin flight, but not forwarding from Friedrichshafen to New York. There's also no arrival cancel from Brooklyn.

YES! that makes sense. I never considered a Zeppelin making short runs like that. That also works with the letter inside the envelope. In fact I wonder if the sender maybe put this envelope and contents inside a package sent to Brooklyn...?

The letter starts..."My dear nephew Vincent, In accordance with your expressed wish relayed to me by your father, I take great pleasure in sending you this letter per/for (not sure which) Luftschiff Post Graf Zeppelin".
It also mentions being in Friedrichshafen the home of the Zeppelin and wishing he were there also.

Would this have been LZ 127?

stampcrow, yes the Graf Zeppelin was LZ-127. The LZ-126 was flown to the US and became the USS Los Angeles in 1924. The LZ-128 was a planned followup for the Graf but was never built. The LZ-129 was the Hindenburg and the LZ-130 was the Graf Zeppelin II, which was built but never was used much. Both 127 and 130 were scrapped in 1941 (I think it was '41). If you are fluent in German, consider getting a Sieger Zepp catalog, which lists all zepps and their flights and postmarks. If like me, you do not spreche Deutsch then consider a Frost catalog.

regards, Theron.

By the way, stampcrow, the c38 (südamerika fahrt) on a cover such as yours is not overly common. I do not recall seeing one on anything that was not sent to South America. I hope you picked it up for a good price.

regards, Theron.

Theron, alas...,I would need the Frost catalog. I'm a bit red in the face right now. I thought "Graf" was just a generic term, like "the" Zeppelin. I have a post card (I believe to be first flight) of the LZ-127 so I was hoping this was the same ship.

Price? It's hard to say. This was in an old ledger type book that someone (perhaps the person this was addressed to) had used to mount stamps in. Mint stamps from the same era as this cover. U.S., Canada, NewFoundland and a couple of New Zealand stamps. Along with my first Albino embossed cover.

The ledger was in the bottom of a box underneath some old framed needlepoint and other picture frames. I paid $22.50 plus tax and 10% premium for the lot. One other person was bidding. I believe they wanted the old frames. No one bothered with the old ledger book!

These general estate auctions are great for getting deals on decent material. Rarely are there other stamp collectors present.

$22.50 + 10%, trust me, you got a good deal!

regards, Theron..

stampcrow,

Sieger (2001) doesn't list a CV for the round-trip on-board post. For one-way on-board post, CV is from €60-110. Michel (2003) lists it at €150.

Thanks for all the help and insight.
I think it would be quite a sight to see Zeppelin's delivering mail.

stampcrow,

I should also mention -- those catalog values were just for a cover properly used on that flight. The stamp itself, on cover, catalogs for €500-€650, depending on watermark.

Would it be possible for you to post a much larger, more detailed photo of the stamp? Forgeries of this issue are common, but fairly easy to spot on close examination.

still don't have a working scanner. Trying to make do with camera. hope this works.

stampcrow, you said


If you travel to Germany, you could hitch an expensive ride on the Zeppelin NT.

http://www.zeppelinflug.de/en/

There was also a sister ship in the US, based in in Moffett field in the Oakland area. In 2010 it came to the Seattle area and my wife and I took a 45 minute ride on it, and it was a great experience. My avatar is a picture I took of it coming in for a landing. Alas, that company went bankrupt and that hangar is going to be residence to some tech company.

regards, Theron