US Confederate Stamps Plus German Airships = A Wonderful Piece Of Historical Stamp Ephemera

Admittedly not a combination that one would normally put together in a single item, but such is the wonder of stumbling across the odd and unusual.

I picked this up from, who else, but Denny Peoples, at a 1-day show in northwest Indiana last weekend. Even though it's not in my area, I just couldn't say no. It's not just a great historical piece, but the aesthetics are great, in my opinion.

It is a 3-color letterhead from "The New Southern Philatelist" published by August Dietz, the "father of Confederate philately", signed by him, dated August 5, 1931 to a Karl Dietz. It references the giant German airship, the Dornier DO-X. Accompanying the letterhead is the original envelope, stating that the letter either was or was to have been carried abourd the DO-X.

Why I posit the latter rather than the former is that there is no cancel on the envelope, so I don't know whether the letter never made the trip or it was simply carried by someone who was a passenger on the flight as opposed to traveling through the regular post.

I don't read German, so I have no idea if there's anything in the note that answers this question.

Regardless, I think it's a lovely one-of-a-kind set.

The bi-color Confederate stamp reminded me I had recently picked up volume #1, #1 of "The Southern Philatelist".

The listings of the APRL note these related Dietz periodicals before, during and after revenuecollector's letterhead:
"The Southern Philatelist", Volumes 1-5, published 11/1924-10/1929
"The New Southern Philatelist", Volumes 6-9, published 11/1929-10/1933
"Stamp and Cover Collecting", Volumes 1-3 published 11/1933-10/1936.


Page 1 gives the introduction to the publication:


Google Maps shows the following street image from June 2023 with the business note "permanently closed":

This is philatelic, but still a nice cover to Dietz

Roughly...

Dear Karl,

Just one line. August sends you this DO-X letter out of gratitude and as a souvenir.

Your August

Greetings!
[signature]

Nice solo use of #339 on cover. Not to hijack the thread (there is a whole 'nother thread right now debating the subject), but why do you say philatelic? Just because it is from the philatelic bureau and mailed to a stamp collector, it looks like it is a legitimate commercial postal use and not just a contrived philatelic cover. I would be happy with that as a genuine usage on cover, unless it was mailed out of period, then less so.

Ten cents registry, three cents return receipt, two cents postage. I would call this a legitimate usage, too. I am sure it was used to send an order to Dietz.

Revenuecollector.......It's AWESOME!!!

Nice cover and letter Revenuecollector.
All the journals that John Becker referred to are available free for download from https://www.civilwarphilatelicsociety.org/
I am a member and highly reccomend this organization if you have any interest in Cival War history.

Vince

I was advised by a knowledgeable W/F collector that it was most likely Philatelic in nature. I'm please to have it whether philatelic or not. Glad to hear it probably may not be a philatelic usage. Still looking for a #339 single usage to Italy. The usage is 10/4/1910.

Unless it was mailed empty, I don't see how it could be philatelic.

One might argue that a letter that did not go through the mails at all and was something a person carried by an individual in their pocket to create a souvenir might not be considered mail and therefore would not be philatelic mail, The intent was purely to create a memento. On November 5, 1930 the Dornier Do X began her first transatlantic flight en route to North America. The
plane was commanded by Captain Christiansen, piloted by Captain Merz, and co-piloted by U.S. Navy Captain Clarence H. Schildhauer. Schildhauer, the third in command, autographed your souvenir envelope which lends it credulity that it was carried on the flight, just not as mail. I think it would be a nice addition to any advanced Do X collection.

Thank you for that information. I hadn't even considered the signature on the front of the envelope.

In 1910 the fee for a return receipt reg cover was 12c. 2c for postage and 10c for registration. Before 1925 it was no additional fee for return receipt. So the 13c W/F is most probably 1c overpaid. 13c of the previous issue(Sc 308) is found now and then as solo use on foreign registered covers as the rate for them was 13c until 1 Nov 1909, but the 13c W/F is probably very hard to find as it was issued in 1909. After 1 Nov 1909 there were very few 13c foreign rates. It could be 13th rate printed matters or 3rd rate registered printed matters but such items are of course extremely rare