Gallery

 

Letters to the Editor

The card was autographed on the Zeppelin by four signatories:
Viktor Zander (State Councjllor and Director of Post - one of the chairmen of honour of the exhibition), Hella Grafin Brandenstejn—Zeppeljn (the Count’s daughter), Captain Lehmarin (the Commander of the flight) and Captain Witteman one of the navigational officers). It is Mencke’s view that the card was signed on board, since the passenger list shows that the flight commander did not disembark from the airship at any point. The Graf in Brandenstein—Zeppelin was a passenger on both the outboard and return flights but not on the round trip when she was making social visits. The addressee of the card, Bayer, was a member of the exhibition jury. I imagine that he was therefore also the sender which begins to explain how he managed to obtain the various favour cancellations and autographs. Herr Mencke thinks the manuscript endorsement Rundfahrt Danzig on the card is of no significance in this instance.

I have never seen a used example of the Luposta Kinderfest balloon card --- well, Mencke has one and, as you see below, he kindly sent a copy of it!

To Mencke’s knowledge, some 300 of these cards were serially numbered and hole—punched (for affixing to the balloons). At some later stage, numerous cards without serial numbers or punched holes came onto the market. Mencke has seen one used as a normal post card.

With thanks to Ian Nutley and Hans Georg Mencke for an enjoyable “visit” to Luposta!

[In reference to a U.S. air card sent to Giles from the Editor:] Thanks for your postcard...the stamp imprint features the Yankee Clipper. I thought that you might like to see the enclosed copy of a philatelic cover from my collection which was posted in Danzig on 19 June 1939, to

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 75 - April - May - June - 1992, Page 21.