Recent Zeppelin Mail Forgeries

Information about new zeppelin mail forgeries was presented at the American Philatelic Society Stamp Show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 8, 2009.

In a presentation to a joint meeting of the Zeppelin Study Group and the Zeppelin Collectors Club, zeppelin mail expert Dieter Leder presented examples of zeppelin covers recently sold on eBay and elsewhere which he identified as forgeries.

zep-mail-34244ebay

(click to enlarge)

The covers were primarily from 1932-1934 South American flights of the LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, but forged covers from other years and flights, and from the LZ-129 and LZ-130, were also presented.  Most of the covers were franked with stamps from European countries including Italy, The Vatican, and San Marino, and African countries and colonies including Ethiopia, Niger, Cyrenaica, French Morocco, and elsewhere.

The forgeries were produced using original stamps and stationery, to which forged postmarks and cachets were applied.  Because original materials were used, and because the forged cancellations and cachets were generally quite realistic, the overall quality of these forgeries is very high.

Leder described certain features which can be used to help identify the forgeries, including mistakes in the size and typography of cancellations. For example, in the forged postmark below, the lettering is noticeably uneven when compared to a genuine version of the same postmark, and the “C” in “LUFTSCHIFF” is a different shape when examined closely:

Forged postmark (left) compared to genuine postmark (right)

Forged postmark on left, compared to genuine postmark on right. (click to enlarge)

Leder also presented examples of other errors which can be used to help identify the forgeries, such as mistakes in official markings, private markings, the color of cachets, and names and addresses on the covers. For example, a green private marking “VIA Fredrichshafen / Allemagne,” which was used only by zeppelin mail dealer Felix Buchal, appears on forged covers addressed to zeppelin dealer Hermann Stoltz, who would not have had access to Buchal’s routing stamp:

zep-mail-34244a

A green routing stamp used only by zeppelin dealer Felix Buchal, on a forged cover addressed to zeppelin dealer Hermann Stoltz.  (click to enlarge)

Leder told the group that he is keeping certain additional information about the forged covers confidential at this time, to avoid assisting the forgers in correcting their mistakes, and to help Leder and other expertizers identify covers produced by the same forgers in the future.

Addtional details about these forgeries are available in a special Forgeries issue of the Zeppelin Post Journal which was distributed at the APS meeting, and which is available to members of the Zeppelin Study Group.  Further infomation can also be found on the message board located at eZeptalk.de, and Mr Leder and other expertizers are available to analyze particular zeppelin covers about which collectors may be concerned.

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Concerned Long-term Philatelisthecht801martin stoffeldrywall Recent comment authors
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Concerned Long-term Philatelist
Concerned Long-term Philatelist

I do not understand why Amazon, eBay, and other online sellers continue to openly allow the stealth selling of forged replicas of stamps and coins. Allowing for the sale of these dubious products brings into the global economic opportunities for criminals to hide and comingle non-authentic stamps and coins along… Read more »

hecht801
hecht801

You saved me. Found a fake on eBay, same flight.

martin stoffel
martin stoffel

Had the good fortune to subscribe to the Zeppelin Study Group and was looking over a collection at a large auction and noticed a forgery I had just been comparing with items in my own collection. When I brought it to the attention of the auction manager he treated me… Read more »

drywall

It just looks the same. Wow, that’s amazing that it can be identified whether it’s authentic or not.