1936 Hindenburg Zeppelin Flight Cover
LZ 129 Germany to Los Angeles with Letter
Essen to Los Angeles, June 1936, original letter includedDESCRIPTIONPosted at Essen, Germany on June 26, 1936 and addressed to Dr. George L. Turner in Los Angeles, this illustrated Lufthansa airmail envelope was prepared for the Hindenburg airship's mail to North America. It carries the red circular Deutsche Luftpost Europa-Nordamerika flight cachet, a handwritten German routing line that reads Mit Luftschiff Hindenburg nach Nordamerika, per Flugpost ab New York (by airship Hindenburg to North America, then by airmail from New York), and a printed blue Mit Luftpost / Par Avion label. The Essen date fits the Hindenburg's fourth North America flight of 1936, which left Frankfurt on June 30 and landed at Lakehurst, New Jersey on July 2.The franking is a 75 pfennig Mit LZ 129 nach Nordamerika airmail stamp (Scott C58), the airship design issued for the Hindenburg's North America service, paired with a 10 pfennig Deutsches Reich stamp bearing the portrait of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, the man the airship was named for. Essen date stamps dated 26.6 cancel both stamps.The original two-page letter from inside the envelope is included. Written in English in blue-green ink and signed Hans Noll, Essen, June 26, 1936, it thanks Dr. Turner for collecting American stamps for him, explains that his uncle Friedel in the United States sends him stamps and that he is still a beginner, admits it is hard to keep up with new issues "especially when a boy wants to play outside once in a while too," and says he is enclosing a set of Olympic Games stamps. He offers to help Dr. Turner in return and closes "Thankfully yours."The timing adds context. The Hindenburg was in its first season of service, and in the same week this was posted the airship was completing its crossing back to Frankfurt with boxer Max Schmeling aboard, days after his win over Joe Louis in New York. The fourth westbound trip made headlines of its own. It took 52 hours and 49 minutes, more than eight hours faster than any earlier westbound crossing that season, and it flew inland over Montreal and down the Lake Champlain and Hudson valleys before landing at Lakehurst.The address is 3780 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1009, Los Angeles. That is the Pellissier Building, the 12-story Art Deco tower completed in 1931 next to the Wiltern Theatre and now on the National Register of Historic Places.Images were scanned at 600dpi so you can study the cachet, the stamps, the postmarks, the reverse, and both pages of the letter up close. This listing is for the single cover and letter shown.Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day with tracking. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid packaging on all shipments, protected in acid free sleeves. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONOriginal 1936 envelope and letter with honest age and handling, and the photos show every mark. The printed airmail border, Zeppelin and Lufthansa illustration, blue Mit Luftpost label, handwritten address and routing, and the red circular flight cachet are all clear and complete. The 75 pfennig airship stamp has a torn, missing area at its upper left corner with brown toning along that edge, and the Essen cancel over that corner is partly cut off. The 10 pfennig stamp is intact and cleanly cancelled. The top edge of the envelope is ragged and torn with creasing along the top flap, the upper left corner is bent, and there are small yellow adhesive spots near it. The front shows scattered ink specks and light soiling. The reverse has two crossed strips of aged, toned paper tape, a few tiny dark specks, a small notch at the upper right corner, and no arrival postmarks. The letter is on thin cream paper with a center fold and light creasing, and the ink is clear and fully legible on both pages. The Olympic stamps mentioned in the letter are not included.
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