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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 30, 2013 17:41:10 GMT
Another highlight from the collection -- the 1914 Luftschiffexpedition to New Guinea. Prior to WWI, the island of New Guinea was controlled by three European powers -- Germany, Britain, and the Netherlands. Despite their claims to the entirety of the island, very little of the territory had actually been explored. The interior is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, and the colonial powers confined their settlements primarily to the coastal plains. Link to Google Map of German Post Offices in Deutsch-Neuguinea In 1913, the three colonial powers began planning for a joint expedition to New Guinea with the purpose of exploring and mapping the interior of the island via airship. The Dutch backed out of the project early on, but the Germans and English continued on schedule for a voyage in 1914. The airship was to be crewed by a joint crew, with scientists aboard from both countries. The man selected to lead the expedition was Lt Paul Graetz, a German officer who had famously been the first man to drive across Africa in an automobile. Graetz crossing a wooden bridge on his drive across Africa, 1907-1909 In order to promote and help finance the Luftschiff Expedition, a pair of stamps was printed beginning in Jully 1913. These stamps were not valid postage, but could be purchased as collectors' items or for use with valid postage. Proofs of 2 RM and 1,000 RM values exist, but only the 2 Pfennig and 1 RM values were produced for sale. Sieger ISieger IIThe Luftschiff Expedition was scheduled for 1914, but was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I. The stamps therefore never made it into widespread circulation, and are considered extremely rare. Used copies are even more rare. Only three used copies of the 2 Pfennig value are known to exist. One of the other two known used copies of Si I is on cover with the only known used copy of Si II. It's the Holy Grail of these issues, and it was last seen at auction in September 2013, when it sold for €13,500. Si I and II on cover (not from my collection)Additionally, the Verlag der Hilfsstelle für vaterländische Arbeit (Publisher of the Aid Agency for Patriotic Work) in Berlin produced postcards advertising the Expedition. And as an added curiosity, here's a piece of German postal stationery (Frech 106B-16/02) produced in 1934 as an advertisement for Heinrich Keimel, a stamp dealer in Munich. On the front, a photo of the 2 Pfennig issue and the statement "Diese Marke such ich zu kaufen" (I'm looking to buy this stamp).
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Post by stampgeezer on Dec 30, 2013 18:29:56 GMT
PostmasterGS - thanks for showing this. Zeppelin issues are one of my favorite subjects. Theron.
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Zuzu
Member
Inactive
Self-Proclaimed Black Belt in Google Fu
Posts: 768
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Post by Zuzu on Dec 30, 2013 18:39:24 GMT
Thank you for another fantastic post. Your time and effort in sharing your knowledge is greatly appreciated!
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firstfrog2013
Member
Posts: 3,276
What I collect: BNA Liberia St Pierre U.S. Bolivia Turkey
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Post by firstfrog2013 on Dec 30, 2013 21:46:57 GMT
That's a great post.Hard to not like this handsome issue.Who designed and produced that colorful issue reminds me of Authur Szyk's work.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Nov 4, 2014 19:51:11 GMT
Here are a couple recent additions to my Luftschiffexpedition collection. This is a really nice corner copy of the 2 Pfennig value. And this bad boy... This is a rare one. Prior to the issue of the stamps in 1914, postcards were printed allowing collectors or users to order copies of the 2 Pfennig, 1 Mark, and (eventually never-issued) 20 Mark values. The details of this postcard are truly unknown -- no idea how many were printed or whether they were ever widely available. This copy was not used for its intended purpose, but appears to have been sent through the mail for philatelic purposes. Perhaps this is why it survived. There's a possibility that other copies were available and used for their intended purpose, but as cards used for ordering purposes would have all been to the same destination (the Luftschiffexpedition Office in Berlin), they could have been destroyed en masse upon the cancellation of the program. The end result -- this is the only copy of the order card known to exist.
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,877
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Nov 24, 2014 23:34:57 GMT
100% originals just $142
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Post by PostmasterGS on Nov 25, 2014 20:10:55 GMT
If those are "100% originals", the seller is an idiot. Final hammer price of £79 for a pair with a CV of €2,500 (just short of £2,000), and which routinely sell for north of 50% CV.
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,877
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Nov 25, 2014 23:36:46 GMT
If those are "100% originals", the seller is an idiot. Final hammer price of £79 for a pair with a CV of €2,500 (just short of £2,000), and which routinely sell for north of 50% CV. Just exposing what some think is a scam. I think it pertinent all members here be aware. It may go something like this, Ebay seller lists a stamp image cut from a magazine, or taken from a philatelic site. Lists it for a bargain price. Sells for whatever, whereby the vendor, plops a piece of blank paper in an envelope, tears one edge, and seals it with tape, and mails it off with tracking. Paypal and ebay can evidence tracking, purchaser receives mail which appears to be tampered with. Seller has long gone with the cash. Personally, I have yet to suffer any inconvenience at all with ebay, it has been 100% successful, yet it is worthwhile to keep suspect deals open for consideration. Expensive stamps I only buy from dealers I have a long association with.
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Admin
Administrator
Posts: 2,637
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Post by Admin on Nov 26, 2014 0:49:51 GMT
With eBay/PayPal new 180 days to open a claim will help to stop these scams. But you will always have crooks that will open up shop and shut down fast, as Rod said take the money and run.
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,877
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Nov 26, 2014 3:40:10 GMT
With eBay/PayPal new 180 days to open a claim will help to stop these scams. But you will always have crooks that will open up shop and shut down fast, as Rod said take the money and run. Well, there's a point Admin. would not ebay hold funds till the 180 days expire? how does that work?
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Admin
Administrator
Posts: 2,637
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Post by Admin on Nov 26, 2014 4:26:03 GMT
With eBay/PayPal new 180 days to open a claim will help to stop these scams. But you will always have crooks that will open up shop and shut down fast, as Rod said take the money and run. Well, there's a point Admin. would not ebay hold funds till the 180 days expire? how does that work? Once you are established selling on eBay they release the funds once the buyer pays. A new seller will have to wait around 21 days before the funds are released, this way it allows the vendor to build up some trust with EBay/PayPal. Sometime sooner if they receive positive feedback. If a PayPal dispute is open by the buyer then PayPal will put a hold on the amount in question, if the vendor does not have the funds in his account they will go into a negative. If the decision is made in favour of the buyer then the funds will be taken from the vendors account and into the buyers. Same thing if in favour of the vendor the hold on the funds is removed. It don't take long to establish yourself as a seller so a scammer can set themselves up very quickly with the help of a few crony's. I not sure if the 180 days is in effect yet?, 45 days to open a dispute can be a little to short, if a buyer wants to send a item in for a cert they be cutting it close. On day 46 item arrives back with a cert saying its not what it was sold as, Hard luck to the buyer. Most reputable sellers will work with the buyer, But to the con artist its easy pickings. With 180 days that's 6 months plenty of time to sort things out. Only draw back is the little guy that sells a few items here and there, 5 months go by and next thing PayPal has put a hold on your funds. I think the 6 months is really more for the home appliances and electrical stuff, this gives the buyer a nice warranty period. But for the stamp collector maybe a little to long. If your PayPal is linked to your bank account they will take funds from your bank. But the modern day conman can work around this, identify thief is rampant. Open accounts in one country set up PayPal accounts create eBay accounts and grab a few images of high value stamps and let the bidding begin. Transfer all your PayPal money into a different account. How? easy just open another EBay account and sell yourself some Buy It Now items. Take them a while to catch up on the conman. These guys are scum, but smart. Working from a computer Ripping off innocent people and never getting caught. Maybe its not wise to post this sort of thing on the internet. But the conman already knows all about it.
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 4,864
What I collect: Cinderellas and some Ephemera from Great Britain, France and Israel plus a few beautiful bits from elsewhere !! Topical interests include Flags & Judaica, the latter with an emphasis on the Jewish National Fund.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Nov 26, 2014 10:35:38 GMT
They cannot do that. For example, my UK bank will not deal directly with anyone regarding my account except me. An added bonus for me is that my bank will not make any payments to my Paypal or Skrill accounts even if I ask. I thought everyone would make these arrangements before they sign up to any site.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Oct 17, 2015 20:46:16 GMT
When I acquired the used copy of Sieger #I shown above several years ago, I was told by the German auctionhouse that there were three known used copies, and given the cancellation details for all three. These were as follows: - One copy with K1 “STU (TTGART) A1 … Feb 14” cancel (my copy shown above)
- One copy with cancel “KLOSTER ZINNA 18 FEB 1914”
- One on cover with additional 1 M. and 5 Pfg. Germania franking, canceled “STUTTGART 10.1.14"
I saw the copy on cover at auction once, but the cover also contains the only known used copy of Sieger #II, so it went for a price far higher than I was prepared to pay. Flash forward to a couple months ago -- I was browsing German auctions, and lo and behold, a fourth used copy of Sieger #I! It wasn't easy to get, but it now joins its sister in my collection.
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cjd
Member
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Post by cjd on Oct 18, 2015 14:08:07 GMT
So now you have the earliest known use?
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 29, 2016 22:04:19 GMT
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,877
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Feb 29, 2016 22:26:06 GMT
I finally got around to mounting these in my album, so here they are. Exceptional stuff, as we are to expect from the Postmaster. Opinion: The only criticism, pages lack the "whizz-bang" of those scans that would have been a few dpi larger. I found myself squinting to look and read about these rare stamps.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 29, 2016 23:03:32 GMT
rod222, Noted. The pages now link to higher-res versions.
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bobby1948
Departed
Rest in Peace
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Sir Edmund Burke
Posts: 690
What I collect: WW to 1945; US mnh 1922-1990; US used and unused to 1922
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Post by bobby1948 on Feb 29, 2016 23:10:33 GMT
I finally got around to mounting these in my album, so here they are. Just a single word comment: WOW!!!
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rod222
Member
Posts: 9,877
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Feb 29, 2016 23:11:20 GMT
PostmasterGSThanks. Are you able / willing, to offer any tips, on how you source the scarcer material? Use ebay with a watch list? Use high end dealers ? (no need to name them) Use specialist Auction houses?
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 29, 2016 23:29:30 GMT
German auction houses, mostly. The Philasearch website has consolidated listings of most of them. There are a few I have to remember to check because they aren't aggregated there, but 90% of my buying is from auction houses listed there. My website also has links to my most common sources. Probably 75% of my material comes from these four: Christoph Gärtner (Germany) Reinhard Fischer (Germany) Württembergisches (Germany) Cherrystone (U.S.) These a little less frequently: VeuskensSchlegelKöhlerSchwankeIIRC, all of the stamps and the order card shown above came from one of the first four auction houses. The Keimel cards shown above aren't rare and I think I got a couple of them from Delcampe. It's my best source for postal stationery.
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AirmailEd
Member
Posts: 174
What I collect: Worldwide airmail stamps through 1940, unused
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Post by AirmailEd on Mar 1, 2016 16:58:35 GMT
I finally got around to mounting these in my album, so here they are. Postmaster, I am eaten up with jealousy. One thing: On your first page, you used the word "Exhibition" (German-English Zeppelin Exhibition to New Guinea). I assume you meant "Expedition."
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 1, 2016 18:26:05 GMT
A set of album pages wouldn't be complete without at least one typo.
Off to reprint...
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Post by PostmasterGS on Nov 3, 2016 23:20:43 GMT
A new addition to this area of my collection today! As I mentioned in the initial post, proofs of 20 M and 1,000 M values were also produced. I had never actually seen one of these poofs before last month, when I acquired this proof of the 1,000 M value at auction. It arrived in the mail today! (click to enlarge) This brown proof was last offered at auction in 2005. At the same auction where I won this lot, they also offered a previously undocumented red proof of the 1,000 M stamp, but I was unsuccessful in bidding on it. Maybe next time.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 21, 2021 1:06:37 GMT
I recently picked-up another used copy of Sieger I from auction. At the time I bought the first of my used copies, I was told there were only three known used copies. I have since bought two that were previously unknown, raising the number of known copies (at least to me, and to two of the auctionhouses I've bought from) to five, of which I now own three. Here's the newest one, used at Stuttgart No. 1 post office, 23 March 1914. And the new version of the album page:
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REL1948
Member
Posts: 583
What I collect: 1840-Pre-Decimal, GB and Colonies, 1840 1 penny reds, Postal Histories
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Post by REL1948 on Dec 21, 2021 1:50:35 GMT
Thank you PostmasterGS for sharing this remarkable group of stamps. I was personally unaware of both the stamps and the expedition but fascinated to hear about this possible joint venture. You've whet my appetite to read more about this. It makes sense that very few were on cover, they definitely qualify as rare philatelica.
Your album page is outstanding, as are the captions; they make me want to read every word. A Blue Ribbon exhibit for sure.
Rob
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Post by daniel on Apr 3, 2024 1:40:27 GMT
Here is the other design that wasn't actually issued, the 20M as a pair. It is clearly a modern reproduction and differs from the original by having a white circle behind each of the 20M value tablet.
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