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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • "Graf Zeppelin" Pan American Flight cover
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"Graf Zeppelin" Pan American Flight cover

Object Details

Description
In 1930 the Post Office Department issued three postage stamps depicting the German airship LZ127 Graf Zeppelin. The denominations of sixty-five cents, $1.30, and $2.60 paid the rates for postcards and envelopes send on various legs of the Graf Zeppelin's Pan American flight from Germany to South America to North America and back to Germany. The Zeppelin Company received a percentage of the postage to help defray its operating expenses.
The Washington, DC, post office postmarked this envelope on April 19, 1930, the first day of issue of the three stamps. The letter rate for the round trip from and to Friedrichshafen, Germany, was $3.90. The sender of this example overpaid the rate by sixty-five cents in order to create a souvenir with all three stamps. The envelope traveled by regular means to Germany and then by Graf Zeppelin on the entire flight. The cachets -- a red German postal cachet, the US post office cachet illustrating the flight route, and the smaller, circular cachet stating that this mail made the complete trip -- provide evidence of service.
James Farley, postmaster general of the United States at the time, donated this cover to the Smithsonian Institution from his personal collection. It is addressed to Herbert S. Chamberlin, a philatelic agent in the Division of Stamps for the third assistant postmaster general.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
April 19, 1930
Object number
0.209045.76.30.3
Recipient
James A. Farley, American, 1888 - 1976
Type
Covers & Associated Letters
Medium
paper; ink
Dimensions
Height x Width: 4 1/8 x 9 7/16 in. (10.48 x 23.97 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
Title
Scott Catalogue USA C13
Scott Catalogue USA C14
Scott Catalogue USA C15
Topic
National Stamp Collection
Covers & Letters
Record ID
npm_0.209045.76.30.3
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm82f3c7960-f709-4852-9beb-7c860b28e6db
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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