Zeppelin Cover

Zeppelin Cover - New York to Stoke-on-Trent, England.1928

The postmarks on this cover are very messy, but they are still legible,Maplewood NJ OCT 27 7pm.

The purple cachet reads "FIRST FLIGHT AIR MAIL VIA GRAF ZEPPELIN UNITED STATES GERMANY OCT 28 1928"

The 2c embossed envelope had the additional stamps added - 5 x 20c 'Golden Gate' and 2 x 1½c 'Harding'.
The writer of the letter has typed his name Robert Whitney Blackwall, above the printed return address of the Bank of New York and Trust Company 76 William Street New York N.Y.

This has the distinction of being one of the most tatty covers in our collection. However, it, and the letter inside tell a historic story and it is worth keeping for that alone.

Zeppelin - letter inside the envelope

The printed headed paper Bank of New York & Trust Company is of historic interest itself as it gives names of bank officials,(President Edwin G Merrill) a 'temporary address during construction of new building at Wall Street' and telegraphic addresses.

click here for larger image

Copy of contents of letter sent by the German Dirigible Z.R.127 Lakehurst, New Jersey

October 27, 1928

Dear Friend Jim :-

This is only a short note as I hope to have it go across on the Zeppelin so you will have this letter to keep as a souviner being transatlantic by air.

Going to ask a favour if you will do it for me, the enclosed card belongs to a young friend of mine in the Boy Scouts. He wanted to have it said that he had mail aboard the Zeppelin, would you please put the card in an envelope and return it to him, the address is

Mr Lewis Larson
31 Tuscan Road
Maplewood, N.J.
U.S.A.

He would be glad if you would drop him a card with it if only to say hello. Very much interested in the Zeppelin trip, I saw it over New York.

Have not heard from you in a long time, hope that I will receive a letter before long. When in Canada I sent a pennant also postal-folders. Soon as the British dirigible comes to the United States, hope that I will be fortunate enough to receive a letter aboard that from you. Will appreciate it if you will send the enclosed card to my friend, wanted to give him a chance to tell his “gang” about it, he is only 16 years old. Cheerio Jim, and lets hear from you soon
Your pal,
Bob

The letter is written on cream paper which has an interesting watermark. The wording is CRANE’S above an image of what appears to be a circle containing an image of a stylised bird, and then underneath this image, the words JAPANESE LINEN.

This has been on our website since 1996, but in 2025 we did an internet check of this watermark and there is a lot more information now than was available in the 1990s. The information now shows that this is the watermark of a well-known paper maker of Japanese origin, and the crane is very much a Japanese symbol. On the listing on the internet page there is also the words MADE IN USA, but we could not see that on our letter.

Copyright EARS Leisurewrite 1996.(updated in May 2025).

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