Gallery

4. Now we come to the question of the r1it Luftpost label. Perhaps there is a more accurate listing of the printing dates of various labels, but we will utilize the French Air Etiquette catalog published in 1947. The box-framed label shown in Figure 1 is listed as being first printed in 1925. Hence it would have been impossible to mail our subject cover on 19.10.23 with a 1925 label attached. Col. Halle reports that verifying cover dates by analyzing air labels can be a shaky business due to the over zealous stamp dealers’ urge to decorate their covers with labels. It is true that some legitimate covers could be ruined by this practice, but knowing the published dates could be a valuable tool for us. We’ll try to more accurately pin down label dates in future Reports, but let’s use the French method for now.

5. The following covers contain Mit Luftpost labels of various styles:

The earliest recognized label (Catalog date: 1923) is shown on a card from Danzig to Warsaw, 6.5.23. This label displayed black type on a light blue-gray paper (the catalog says green) and was approximately 20 x 55 min in size. It was printed in sheets of 10 (2 x 5). Stamp validity: Feb.-April thru 2 November 1923.

Another example of the same type-face but on white paper is shown in Figure 4 in a cover flown to Dresden. The label size was at least 16 x 55 mm. The reverse side is also illustrated.

 

Danzig Report  Nr. 4 – Summer - 1975, Page 3.