Bermuda Derigible First Flight. Is It Real?

Some things about this that bother me. I believe this is the wrong stamp. Should be the 2 1/2 not 3. I cannot find another cover of this flight, with these markings. Any thoughts on authenticity?

stampcrow, both Sieger and Frost show the confirmation postmark, "Bermuda First Overseas Airmail" as correct both in black and violet as your cover shows. I cannot make out the date, but it should be April 25th(I think). My only covers of this flight are US to Bermuda. So, the only question is the stamp, from your pic it does look tied to the cover. You are correct, though, in that the only rate I have seen is the 2 1/2 d. I see no mention of a 3d on such a cover, so perhaps you have hit the jackpot!
Or, perhaps not.

Here is a nice link that describes the Los Angeles flight to and from Bermuda.

http://www.coverspecialist.com/ussla.html

regards, Theron

Checkout this old sales record from ebay for a similar cover with similar postage affixed:

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...il-425574048

so stampcrow, it looks like you have the real deal! These covers go for what seems to me a very low price, considering that the Los Angeles only carried 2 bags of mail on the flight from Bermuda to Lakehurst. Compare that to the many many thousands of covers carried by the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg.

regards, Theron.

Thanks!
wt1 that's a great find. It shows that these were in fact sent with that stamp. Might be that's just a stamp the sender had in their pocket at the time.

Yakboomer, it seems to not be very valuable but a unique addition to my small zeppelin group. This one is nice and clean.
Would love to find a "dropped" letter from that first U.S. to Bermuda run.

This is listed in the American Air Mail Catalog as Z-506. There were three different cachets used - the ones on your are the most common. The less common one is a three line cachet reading "AIR MAIL / SERVICE / BERMUDA" The rare one reads "AIR MAIL / VIA / U.S.S. LOS ANGELES" and is applied in combination with a ship cancel that reads "U.S.S PATOKA - BERMUDA BWI" There were three sacks of mail weighing about 100 pounds which would translate to about 3,000 to 3,500 covers given the light weight of empty philatelic covers. Given the modest number of air mail and airship collectors these days and the high rate at which airship covers were saved, it is not unusual for these to sell for affordable prices. I agree that it is surprising given how cool old air mail and airship covers are, but that is the way it is for more common covers such as this one.

stampcrow here's two U.S.S. Los Angeles covers carried on flights from the US to the Caribbean from my collection. Unfortunately the first one (which has a Roessler cachet) is stained. But fortunately, the second cover (addressed to Philip Ward) is to Puerto Rico which seems to command crazy prices on e-bay

Thanks for all the info and insight. Sure enough I was able to grab this cover for $12.50. Nice clean cover! Also unique with the 3d Bermuda stamp.
Jenny2U, now I need to add one like your top one.

Congrats on snagging the cover for a great price!

Hi Jenny2U. Are your covers backstamped?

The one to Bermuda looks okay since they started accepting and cancelling mail on April 15 even though the flight did not actually leave until April 1. Too bad it did not get one of the official cachets but that is Roessler for you. He was pretty quirky before he got arrested and tried for postal forgery. Also, please understand that the people in Bermuda can be a bit offended when people say they are in the Caribbean. Actually Bermuda is in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Charleston, South Carolina.

The second cover does not make much sense to me at this point. There was a flight by the Los Angeles from Lakehurst, New Jersey to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico but that happened on May 3, 1925. Those covers were postmarked with the same red (or sometimes found in violet) "Air Mail Service - New York" cancel that was used on the Bermuda flight ocvers. That flight is listed as Z-507. Perhaps this was mailed too early in anticipation of the fight and so it missed getting the correct special cancelation? What is the back stamp?

Hi Jenny2U, your USS Los Angeles cover to Porto Rico has the correct pmk. Both my Frost and Sieger catalogues show Arpil 27, 1925 as cancellation date on the flight to PR even though the flight occurred May 3 - 4.

regards, Theron.