Description
Airship Graf Zeppelin porcelain coffee cup – rare original gold-trimmed formal “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 coffee cup that was used on board of the legendary German rigid airship Graf Zeppelin in the 1920th (this is #1 of two practically identical LZ coffee cups I offer for sale). 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 delicate porcelain coffee cup is a shining example of such long-gone extravagant airship travel experience. The cup is decorated with several 24K gold bands, one gold-trimmed cobalt-blue band in the middle with the classic oval LZ logo on the front. The fine porcelain tableware for the LZ airship line was made by Heinrich & Co. in Bavaria, Germany. The bottom is marked with the H&Co. SELB Bavaria Germany / HEINRICH & CO / SENTA logo in green letters in the center; GRAF ZEPPELIN in bold red letters below the logo. The cup is in excellent overall condition with no damage; this delicate cup looks practically unused with no scratches on the glaze or loss to the gold plating. It is about 2-1/4″ / 5.5 cm high; the top is about 2-3/8″ / 6 cm in diameter; the base is about 1-3/8″ / 3.4 cm in diameter.
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. made Airship Graf Zeppelin porcelain coffee cup is guaranteed to be 100% genuine or your money back. This Zeppelin cup was part of a life-long airship-related collection; the cup is in 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 $55 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
