Description
Airship Graf Zeppelin porcelain 8-inch plate marked EIGENTUM DER DEUTCHEN ZEPPELIN REEDEREI (GERMAN PROPERTY / ZEPPELIN SHIPPING COMPANY). Rare gold-trimmed in-flight service dinnerware made in the 1920th by Heinrich & Co. in Bavaria, Germany. Exceedingly hard-to-find type in excellent overall condition, considering the age. FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM.
Extremely rare “in flight service” formal dinnerware porcelain plate that was used on board of the legendary German rigid airship Graf Zeppelin in the 1920th. German designation for the famous airship was number LZ127; she became the most recognized blimp of the time after she completed the first intercontinental flight in 1928 and first around-the-world flight in 1929. Graf Zeppelin and its sister ship LZ129 Hindenburg had an innovative design and were designated for carrying many passengers and cargo over long distances. The passengers aboard Graf Zeppelin traveled in unparalleled luxury and comfort, enjoying their meals in the full-size dining room with dishes served on fine “ivory” china trimmed with 24K gold – see the actual photo of the ship’s interior dining area attached, courtesy of Wikipedia.
One of the largest airships of the time, Graf Zeppelin had a crew of 36 (!!) men. Here are a few basic facts about LZ127: ship’s length – 776 feet/236.53 meters; ship’s diameter: 100 feet/30.48 meters; gas volume (Hydrogen): 3,700,000 cu. feet/111,000 cu. meters; propulsion: five 550-horse power Maybach engines; maximum speed: 80 mph / 128 km/hr. The most successful commercial airship ever built, Graf Zeppelin flew more than a 1,000,000 miles on 590 flights, carrying well over 34,000 passengers without a single injury. Sadly, in 1940 the Nazis cut up all of their rigid airships – quality aluminum was needed for Luftwaffe’s war planes.
This porcelain dinner plate is a shining example of such long-gone extravagant airship travel experience. The plate is decorated with several 24K gold bands, one cobalt-blue band around the rim and the classic DEUTSCHE ZEPPELIN REEDEREI (GERMAN ZEPPELIN SHIPPING COMPANY )“dirigible over the planet” logo on the front. The fine porcelain tableware for the LZ airship line was made by Heinrich & Co. in Bavaria, Germany. The back is marked with the H&Co. SELB Bavaria Germany logo in green letters in the center. Below the logo it is marked HEINRICH-ELFENBEIN-PORZELLAN in red letters. Transition from German: Heinrich Ivory Porcelain. An old auction house sticker is still attached to the back side (could be easily removed if you decide to do so after purchase). The plate is in excellent overall condition with no damage; it is about 8″ / 20.3 cm in diameter. The plate looks practically unused with no scratches or loss to the 24K gold plating – these larger “zeppelin plates” are VERY hard to find this nice.
I was able to purchase a few remaining German zeppelin “in-flight service” porcelain pieces from a life-long collector. I’ll be posting other “Zeppelin porcelain” items in the coming weeks – don’t forget to check out Vintage Collectables section for similar listings. This Heinrich & Co Airship Graf Zeppelin porcelain 8-inch plate is guaranteed to be 100% genuine or your money back. The plate was part of a life-long airship-related collection; it is in the original “as is” condition – not cleaned, repaired, or tempered with; these are the actual photos.
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FREE USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM!
International shipping via USPS International Priority Mail for this item will be $75 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
