My German is terrible so I cannot make out what is handwritten, but the Hamburg-Amerika Linie was a German shipping company started in 1847 and is still going today under the name Hapag-Lloyd AG. For a very long time they were the largest German shipping company and part of that was due to their being the primary source of ships crossing the Atlantic with German emigrants to the US. If you have an ancestor from Germany, the likelihood is that they traveled on a Hamburg-Amerika Linie ship to get to the US. As such, covers with this company's pre-printed corner card or return address or such are quite common, as are postcards with images of their ships. It is unfortunate that this example is in poor condition with the discoloration, wrinkling and tearing, and difficult to read cancels but it is a testament of that time when so many tens of thousands Germans were leaving their country and coming to America.
Very interesting!! Thanks for the information and background. Yeah the condition is terrible indeed. I'm curious what that little note says though. Who knows
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Stamp Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Stamp Community Family - All rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Stamp Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Privacy Policy / Terms of UseAdvertise Here
Posted 10/04/2018 7:14 pm
