ZEPPELIN MAIL

This page was last updated
03-Jan-2023 02:30

Zeppelin mail is somewhat of a controversial subject. It is estimated that around 90% of the mail carried by the Zeppelins was of a purely philatelic nature rather than being genuine mail where people communicate ideas, contact family members, or sell goods and services, in a time where the written word was the most popular form of communication.

Having said that, there is a certain appeal to many of the postal items that can be collected. Apart from the fascination with faraway destinations, there were also special stamps, postcards, cachets and cancellations that were only available on certain flights. The story of the Zeppelins is one of triumphs, spectacular failures and an innovative company struggling to survive. Without doubt, if not for the transportation of mail, the Zeppelins would have disappeared long before they did, as they were never a commercial success.

Transportation of philatelic material was where the money was, and the company certainly knew how to keep providing new material for the philatelic trade, be it new destinations, special cancellations or a myriad of different cachets. The downside to collecting Zeppelin mail is that it can be prohibitively expensive with covers costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.

For the beginner a good place to start would be with the Graf Zeppelin II, or LZ130. She had a limited number of flights (only 9) and she carried a large amount of mail with many of the items available for around $20 and upwards.