Happy Thanksgiving! Just got the final results from my last trip, so it looks like I'll be going again next month. It'll be nice to see the Christmas markets on the evenings / weekends, and I have a new, full slate of auctions and shops to attend. Always looking!

This might be our last sale of 2023, not sure yet. December is shaping up to be crazy busy, not even including some especially involved family stuff.

I do have new material from my penultimate trip:

WWII -- history and cards with several more rare pieces as well as some not-so-expensive but unusual items. Plus, more of the WWII Feldpost I'd sold years ago and bought back again.

German colonies stamps and covers, especially nice DOA along with other areas.

And what else? WWI-era items, and a quite a bit o' etc.

Back from Germany. Auctions were very slim pickin's, again. Mediocre material at decidedly non-mediocre prices. I actually bought covers a lot cheaper at my friend's and some dealers than I saw them go for at auction.

Ulm was lovely, and I had great weather elsewhere before the rain set in. Found a couple nice new hotels, so it was all good.

But I have to go back next month since I didn't get enough.

Luckily, I still did manage to pick up some really exceptional items:

WWII -- history and cards with more rare pieces. Plus, I ended up buying back a bunch of WWII Feldpost I'd sold years ago. Go figure!

German colonies stamps and covers, especially nice DOA covers and some good DSWA as well, along with China.

And what else? WWI-era items, a few Wurstel/Sausage cancels along with various 2nd Empire and Infla covers, a little postwar, some nice Freikorps. etc.

Just went to the first day of the show in Ulm; it was nice. I realize shows aren't much for me anymore because I can't buy as much as a day at an auction (usually) but they're great for supplies and getting the new catalogs.

And I must say Ulm beats Sindelfingen (where the show had been for decades, pre-Covid) to hang out in, and the venue (except for standing in the rain to get tickets) is much better than Sindelfingen, which had crap parking and public transport access. Also, as a medieval town with an honest-to-God Gothic cathedral, the city itself is a lot prettier, IMO.

Anyway this week:

WWII -- history and cards with some rare pieces.

German colonies stamps and covers.

A single lot containing the non-Zeppelin-flown postcards and letters from the Beuerle estate -- rare photos and postcards from the Zeppelin engineer on his flights -- a picture of him and his wife, shots of him and the crew in the gondola or working on pioneer airships, and postcards (mostly with written contents) from his layovers on the various Zeppelin flights from his WWI service (several different airfields) throughout Germany, and then up to the Graf flight to the USA. An impossible to duplicate grouping.

And what else? WWI, postwar locals covers, the key 1934 Liechtenstein Souvenir Sheet MNH with cert, etc.

In fear of the shutdown, I did move my trip. Missed a good auction. Oh well; I'll visit another one so hopefully it'll all work out. Last trip was a real bummer -- my worst auction showing in 30 years. But hope springs eternal, and I really have no choice. No trips == no new material, so off I go.

This week:

WWII -- history and cards with some rare pieces.

German colonies stamps and covers, with fresh Africa (esp. CEF - wartime Kamerun from an exposition collection), etc.

And what else? WWI, Freikorps, a couple of Austrian Zeppelins.

Preparing for the next trip to Europe, but with the morons in Washington shutting down the government I will likely have to cancel -- since TSA and FAA workers won't be getting paid they have little motivation to show up for work, and if they do, they have little incentive to actually do their job. Can't say as I blame them. The airports will be a mess -- I've seen it before. Not the place you want to be even with a 3 hr layover -- and I usually have two or three connections to get anywhere but Frankfurt.

This week:

WWII -- history and cards running from pre-1933 to 1945.

German colonies stamps and covers, with fresh Africa, etc.

And what else? WWI, Freikorps, a little Austria and some Zeppelins -- sadly, I've run out of covers from the Beuerle Estate (except duplicates) but there are still treaties and early Graf material to be had.

The monsoons, or at least some rain, has finally arrived. It's cool, often rainy, and our firewood deliveries have commenced in preparation for the snow. Strange -- it was still hitting the 90s a month ago. We had to drive to Denver over the weekend and drove through snow on Monarch pass -- the mountains around Buena Vista and Fremont Pass also had fresh powder!

This week:

WWII -- Propaganda with some truly historic early items (1922 Wachenfeld!) as well as Rally cards, plus plenty of others. Also, an rare 1939 Reichsparteitag program proof for the Rally that wasn't.

German colonies stamps and covers.

And what else? WWII Feldpost including Lager-system. Flown Zeppelin covers including several Russian and Bolivian; Camp mail, some Zusammendruck, etc. We have many unique items in this sale (and others) that you can't now find anywhere else!

Back from my latest European buying trip.

Dear God, was it hot! We're hot too, in Pagosa, being just north of the desert, but the humidity is more like 20% instead of 90%. I'd planned to walk around Schoenbrunn Palace gardens and go to the zoo in Vienna on my weekend off, but I spent two days in the Kunsthistorisches (Old Masters) Museum instead because it was air conditioned and not very crowded. It *is* my favorite museum in the world, so that was no punishment.

I only viewed three big auctions; at the first two I bought... wait for it...

Nothing.

I can't even say the prices were crazy -- I was the underbidder on many lots, it's just that there was nothing really good, so there was no reason to stretch.

Keeping the powder dry for better material, so to speak.

Traveling to auctions is a risky business -- never know what you will find, or if you can buy it. Lucky I like to go to Europe! (Travel to interesting places is actually one of the main reasons I do this -- it's not for the money! Software engineering pays waaaay better.)

Luckily I bought a nice stack of rare propaganda cards from a friend over there, so with the nice break in Wien, not a horrible week.

Still waiting for the results for the third and last auction which had the best covers by far -- some large lots of premium pieces. Just hope I can buy them... Fingers crossed.

But, I still have plenty left from my previous trips. So, this week:

WWII -- Propaganda with some truly extraordinary early items as well as Rally cards, plus less pricey Hoffmann's for those looking to fill some holes.

Zeppelin covers from the Beuerle estate, and others.

German colonies stamps and covers. Emphasis Africa and Turkey. But also others (China,etc.)

And what else? WWI+WWII Feldpost/photos, postwar stamps, a little Oesterreich, and a bunch of etcetera! Enjoy the dog days of summer if you have AC! Else, I'll sweat it out with you while I tune up the snowblower and wait for ski season.

I changed my mind and came to Europe after all, currently on a train to Nuernberg.

But the office is still open, of course, and this week we have:

WWII -- Propaganda with some rare very early items as well as Rally cards.

Zeppelin covers with a few left from the Beuerle estate including a 1929 Zeppelin Round the World flight menu.

German colonies stamps and covers

And what else? WWI, Austria, etc.

Fall is closing in, though the weather doesn't feel like it. The heat has (mostly) broken but we're still waiting on the monsoons to start (fingers crossed).

The current crop of European auctions seem *very* sparse in the areas I deal in (mostly pre-1945 covers, colonies,USA/transoceanic mail) so I might delay this trip to later in September, pending more auction postings. So far, I see nothing exciting. So far, only two(!) colonies cover lots to view plus a couple of Inflation lots - but no Propaganda, Zeppelins(!!), or even any interesting classic Germany cover collections (which I could use). So we'll see...

Anyway, luckily, we still have material from early summer, so this week sees:

WWII -- Propaganda with some rare early RPPCs along with several scarce-rare Rally items. Also Naval Feldpost and ephemera, including scarce commerce raider documents and a collection of mostly different Ship Feldpost from a variety of vessels.

Zeppelin covers from the Beuerle estate (and others) including 1929 Zeppelin Round the World flight menu in pristine condition.

German colonies and overseas with a couple of rare Korea-China items.

And what else? Germany and Austria WWI, KL items, and some Rohrpost.