Show your Americana / Non-Sports Memorabilia

[perezfan]

A distant second to vintage Baseball, I was also fascinated with the giant Zeppelins of the 1920s/30s. Just something about an enormous tube-shaped balloon (the length of a football field) floating overhead seems surreal. During their heyday, these were thought to be the future of air travel (as opposed to the airplane). Of course the Hindenburg disaster changed that thinking forever...

Here is some Zeppelin stuff that I have hung on to, as it's just too neat to part with. Of course, a couple of pennants and a figural piece are included

One of the Postcards is actually autographed by Hugo Eckener, who pioneered, designed and even piloted the famous Graf Zeppelin. The one beside it has a photo of the Zeppelin's elegant dining room. The dining room, kitchen, sleeping area, and Pilots' quarters all fit into the seemingly tiny under-carriage below. That gives an indication of just how enormous the entire bodies of these goliath airships were.

A final tidbit I thought was cool... 3 of the first day covers below were transported by Airmail, via Graf Zeppelin. The other was aboard the first-ever flight of the Hindenburg (and no burn marks! )