Zeppelin Envelopes For Review

Hello

A while back, I bought a box of papers and stamps at an estate sale. Just finally began to look through them. I came across two Zeppelin envelopes, one from 1929 and one from 1930... They are mounted on a board backing... I was excited to see these. Especially the 1930 with two Zeppelin stamps. Please let me know what you think. These were collected a long time ago by someone who would now be around a 120 yrs old. I have many pre-war stamps, etc. I will post a few that I have come across after the Zeppelin envelopes. All comments welcome.
Thank you for looking..

Nice find with the C13 Zepps especially if you got them relatively cheap in a box of papers and stamps. A used C13 catalogs for $165 in my 2017 Scott catalogue. Pasting them on a board that way probably reduces the value of the cover it would have had it been left intact and not mounted but you should leave it as is.

I agree that having them mounted on the board (and that it appears that they have cut the cover into two pieces) reduces the value. The board does not appear to be archival and will eventually damage the covers (not to mention whatever adhesive they used to glue it down). You can get a paper pH test pen on Amazon for under $10.

https://www.amazon.com/Lineco-Testi...=pH+test+pen

https://www.amazon.com/American-Cra...4183&sr=8-52

Getting these professionally removed from the cardboard backer may exceed the value of the covers but I would at least do some discovery and get quotes. If nothing else they may be able to de-acidify the backing cardboard for a reasonable amount.
Don

Thank you for the reply. I wish they were not glued onto the cardboard as well. I will have to give them so thought.. This is a very old collection, alot of it appears to be all pre WW2. Mostly US, but German, Neitherlands, England, etc.. I have come across a number of Lindberg stamps, "Flying Jennie" Stamps as well.

Here are a few more examples..

I don't see much value in the non-Zeppelin stamps especially in cases where a piece of a stamp is cut off.

As far as the board being non-archival, that is probably true but I'm guessing from the pictures that it's been that way for 50 years or even longer. I personally wouldn't worry too much that if the cover and stamps survived that way for half a century that it is suddenly going to ruin the stamps. Perhaps it might (or might not) cause a problem in another 50 years, if that's your timeframe for keeping the cover then you may have a concern. I don't see any visible damage to the cover or the stamps from the adhesive or the board. So unless the person glued it recently to the board I don't think you have an immediate concern. I am not an archival expert of course, just evaluating what I am seeing.

The stamps that look like they are glued directly to the board are a bigger concern but I don't see much value in the stamps pictured. You might want to soak them off yourself in a bowl of water. The Zeppelin stamps being on a cover are considered now a piece of postal history and depending on the usage might or might not add significantly to the value of the item than if the stamps were removed from the cover.

I believe that they have been this way for many years.. I do not see any deteriation that I can make out from the backer board. I cannot find out any information on the original owner other than she was born around 1900. It appears she has been dead for many years, and these were sitting in a box somewhere.. The collection appears to be mostly from the 20's and 30's. Some foreign, germany, etc.

Ouch!! We always tell folks to collect the way they want to collect. It appears the covers are intact at their bottom edge, but have been separated at top and both sides then glued? to whatever backing material that is. I guess the "collector" figured that in this format the front and back of the cover could be viewed at the same time. Ouch again! Dave

From the dates on the stamps that were collected, this must have been done before WW2.. Since this has been this way so long, I will leave them. I think these stamps and some of the others I have come across are pretty neat.. Amazing to think that they are 90 yrs old..

This person put a number of stamps on these boards. I suppose to help display the collection. There are hundreds of duplicates that are loose.
Here is another example..