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LZ 129 Hindenburg Cover Collection (30) [186274]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
LZ 129 Hindenburg Cover Collection (30) [186274]
SOLD
1,000.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2024 Aug 23 @ 12:50UTC-7 : PDT/MST
UNCLAIMED MERCHANDISE: In the event that a successful bidder has paid in full for their merchandise but fails to settle outstanding shipping invoices or make arrangements for merchandise pickup within 60 days, HWAC reserves the right to declare the merchandise forfeited. This forfeiture will result in the merchandise becoming the property of HWAC and the successful bidder shall have no claim to or rights over the forfeited merchandise.
An unusually large and important collection of Hindenburg zeppelin philatelic covers
After the world-wide success of LZ 127, the Graf Zeppelin, efforts were made to build a larger airship, the LZ 128. But the plan was scrapped after a disastrous crash and explosion of another experimental airship, the British R101 in 1930. The Germans switched from the more explosive Hydrogen to helium in the building of LZ 129, the Hindenburg, an astounding 804 feet long. It was the largest airship yet built in the world, and like the Graf Zeppelin, captured the world's attention. The collection has a wide variety of philatelic covers with vignettes of the Hindenbujg and cancelled from many origins and destinations. Only 5 of the covers have USA sent origins, most of the rest are german sourced and used a variety of zeppelin stamps. The pictorial zeppelin covers are particularly fine. It is unquestionable that the Hindenburg covers are the most coveted airmail covers in the USA today. The Hindenburg was launched March 4, 1936 in Freidrichshafen Germany, the German zeppelin air base and construction site. It was ultimately filled with hydrogen because the US blocked the shipment of helium gas to Germany. The airship crashed on approach to the Lakehurst, NJ zeppelin facility on May 6, 1937 after ten successful round trips from Germany to the USA, carrying 1002 passengers in total. Germany made a grand display of the airship to the world when it flew over the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
This collection would take a normal person years to assemble, and has examples from many of the ten round trips. It is exemplary. The crash of the Hindenburg brought an abrupt end to the zeppelin-blimp idea for commercial air travel. While a number of "blimps" have been made for various purposes ever since, including military reconnaissance, they have never again been gas filled and taken paying customers. [] [] [] [] []