Why Stamp Collectors Love the Graf Zeppelins

The romance of the Zeppelin airmail stamps never fails to intrigue a true stamp lover.  These historic stamps are scarce, due to their extremely small issue quantities and the fact they were on sale a scant five weeks and two days, over 70 years ago!  The Zeppelin airmail stamps are the stuff collecting dreams are made of. 

An amazing history!

The Graf Zeppelin was named after its designer – Count ("Graf" in German) Ferdinand von Zeppelin.  An aluminum-framed, lighter-than-air craft, the Graf made its first dramatic trans-Atlantic voyage in 1928.  That voyage saw three crew members clinging precariously to the outside of the massive ship, attempting crucial repairs during a raging storm in mid-Atlantic!  Though that first trip was fraught with danger, it ended successfully, and those which followed were smoother.

Document the Graf Zeppelin’s incredible voyage across the Atlantic

On May 18, 1930, the Graf Zeppelin began its first round-trip voyage between Europe and North and South America.  This was the occasion for which the Zeppelin airmail stamps were issued.  The mail carried on that voyage bore the famous "Zeps," documenting for all time the importance of the giant aircraft in the development of world airmail service.  It was only after the crash of the German airship Hindenburg that the Graf Zeppelin was taken out of service.  Its history included many records, chief among them – the Graf was the only airship to fly around the world.  The stamps and covers which resulted from the many flights of the Graf Zeppelin have fascinated collectors from that time on – and they always will. 

The Zeppelin airmail designs depict the dirigible’s long journey over the ocean between Europe and the Americas, showing the giant airship traveling westward from Europe as well as eastward, back to its home port in Friedrichshafen, Germany. 

The Zeppelins and the mail they carried were an exciting chapter in the saga of airmail service in the early years of this century.  Those years were a time of daring and courageous airmail pilots whose exploits were carried out in flimsy, unstable, heavier-than-air planes such as the Curtiss Jenny as well as the unforgettable Zeppelins.  All mankind took a giant leap into the future as these heroes defied gravity and piloted their crafts into the wild blue yonder.  The Zeppelin stamps are historic artifacts from that exciting time.  Like all postage stamps, they tell us wonderful things about our nation’s great past.