The monsoon rains have started, which is great, since we hadn't had real rain here for over two months.

I got some good news out of Germany -- the Sindelfingen show, which had been permanently canceled, got resurrected a couple hundred miles away, in Ulm, on the same dates (last week of October). So I'm looking forward to going to my first German stamp show in 3 years. And hopefully Prague the month before, as well.

Anyway, this week sees:

WWII postal history and patriotica.

German Empire and Colonies

A few Zeppelins (more still on the way...if they get here). Propaganda forgeries. WWI. U200 Tauchboot mail. Occupations, and quite a bit of Austria, especially more Rohrpost from a four volume collection of air/rohr/special delivery mail we recently purchased.

Been home for two weeks now.. wishing I had a frisch vom Fass Hefeweizen, but I doubt be going back to Europe for a couple of months. Summer plane fares are ridiculous...

Anyway, this week sees:

WWII Feldpost and propaganda, with camp mail.

German Empire and Colonies

Zeppelin-related ephemera, cards, and flown covers.

And what else? Quite a bit of Austria, especially Rohrpost. Ephemera lots. WWI planes. I managed to pick up quite a bit on my last trip, and I'm waiting on one of the best Zeppelin collections I've purchased in the last few years...next sale, I hope.

Just got back from the latest European adventure, which involved far more unscheduled waiting in airports than anyone would wish. United Airlines has serious issues getting their planes to run on time. Checking the immediate history of one of the German routes I flew, the last three flights (all that it showed) were 3-5 hours late due to mechanical issues, with one plane being replaced because it couldn't get in service in time. Really builds confidence. Lufthansa and its subsidiaries were great -- except for the nasty lady at the counter in Munich -- an uncharacteristic exchange.

My daughter came to help, and so we visited some interesting sites in the spaces between auctions -- the Sennsheim Technical Museum where she got to drive a real-live Panzer IV (on a test stand, of course), Hofbraeuhaus, Berlin Zoo (awesome), the Dokumentationszentrum in Munich (also much better than expected).

Our Berlin apartment was right across from the field of the erased Fuehrerbunker where the corporal and his newlywed bride suicided (never knew where that was before), which itself is across from the somber Jewish Holocaust Memorial in the heart of the city by the Brandenburger Tor. A beautiful and I'm sure thoroughly intended irony. Strolling through nearby Brandenburg Gate was cool, as always. As a Cold War kid, walking through areas I never thought I would be able to visit is kind of cool. Staying just off Unter den Linden was surprisingly affordable and extraordinarily convenient for good restaurants, Museum Insel, etc. Sadly, the Pergamon Altar at the Pergamon Museum is closed for renovations, so basically all we saw there was the Roman marketplace and the Ishtar Gate, which admittedly are really quite something.

Anyway, enough travelogue. This week sees:

Zeppelin covers, again especially Swiss (and other) treaties.

A lot more German Empire and States, with Eagle mixed-franks, Baden, Bavaria, a skiff full of German Marineschiffspost + Seepost mail as well as Colonies.

WWII Patriotics, ephemera, and Feldpost + a few Danzig revenues..

And what else? The last of the big collection of 1700's-1800's Pestbriefe / Disinfected Plague covers, postwar SBZ, WWI mail and RPPCs including Richthofen, etc. Plus I got to bid on some really cool new collections, so stay tuned...

A short message as I'm traveling again soon, fighting germs and steering well clear of Russian T90's to bring to you new items from across the Germanic collecting spectrum, this week with:

German Marineschiffspost + Seepost mail and Colonies covers, along with stamps.

WWII Patriotics, ephemera, Feldpost and associated mail.

Many Zeppelin covers, especially Swiss (and other) treaties.

And what else? Another group of 1700's-1800's Pestbriefe Disinfected Plague covers, German Revolution/Freikorps, Austria, Empire and Weimar-era stamps, an 1829 8-ft long Map of the Rhine, a 1683 history of Numismatics book, a Verfuegungstruppe dossier, and other weird stuff. Where else would you see such an assembly?

Getting on a plane soon... not sure how smart it is to be flying *towards* the megalomaniac sociopath in Russia, but there it is. We've received almost all of our lots from the February trip (and one from last November) so we are still stocked up, so check out our next sale with:

Germany pre-(and post)-WWI Seepost from lots of countries, especially far eastern (China and Korea) as well as American Station sources, including Vera Cruz.

WWII Patriotics, Feldpost and associated mail.

Disinfected mail from the 16-1800s, with much Italy as well as some Austria, Turkey and others.

And what else? Colonies, 1936 Olympics, many Zeppelins, stamps from Reich to SBZ, US agent transatlantic covers, some rare Occupation stamps, a few collections, some very rare Johnanisthal German Pioneer flight programs, and quite a bit of other 'etc'. A decent sale, if I do say so myself... especially considering all the supply-chain issues.

Traveled yet again and I'm being continually astonished by the prices at auction. It appears more dollars (and Euros) are chasing fewer and fewer lots. Unique collector-collections are going for huge sums, often for more than I thought the individual items would be worth. Though, of course, this doesn't apply to everything: Postwar Germany BRD and DDR are still soft, and common European collections with mixed condition middle values are always a tough sell no matter the country. UN is still dead, etc.

Zeppelins are uneven, with common material sometimes (but not always) lower, and the more interesting collections often going well over what I would consider prudent. Yet, by hitting several auctions in several countries, I was still able to get a goodly amount of material.

So, this week:

More Zeppelins and assorted airmail with many scarce to downright rare sendings.

More WWII patriotics and propaganda with Feldpost and camp mail.

More offices and colonies, predominately nicely used.

And what else? WWI with Sanke cards, Infla, stamps from across the German and Austrian empires, Western USA, transatlantic and agent covers. And with a little luck, next month will see my USA postal history website launching after only a decade of planning!

Just got back from Europe, bought quite a few new lots and am waiting for many more.

The travel was surprisingly smooth, and except for border checks and masks in public (only some places) it was almost normal. At least more so than I have encountered since before the pandemic. The worst part was fleeing a snowstorm in Colorado only to arrive just before another hit Chicago.

Also, the lingering worry of Russian T-90's meandering into Berlin in a flashback to 1945. The invasion dominates the news there as it does here, with perhaps even more reason. Didn't really ever think I'd see war in Europe outside of the Balkans. We have some friends of Ukrainian background and hope the best for their family members remaining behind. Looks like I'll be scratching St Petersburg off my travel list, perhaps forever.

To our Russian (and the few Ukrainian) customers, we wish you the best and hope this insanity ends, against all odds, in a positive fashion.

As to postal history:

Another large installment of Zeppelins + airmail with lots of interesting items from the monster collection we received a month or so ago, plus others: Junkers semi-official, catapults, etc.

WWII patriotics and propaganda, along with related postal history including Feldpost, camp-related mail, etc. New stuff fresh from the not-currently-so-balmy shores of Germany.

Colonies and Offices of several locations, with the continued focus on nicely used.

And what else? Austria covers, a little USA, Danzig revenues, expertized Empire and Infla stamps, German Revolution material, Inflation covers, etc. Lots of interesting pieces with much more incoming.

Just posted a new sale on our website, and this week sees:

More airmail/Zeppelins with lots of interesting items from the big collection which just arrived.

WWII patriotics and propaganda, along with related postal history.

Colonies and Offices from many locations, with the focus on nicely used.

And what else? Austria stamps and covers, Empire-Weimar-era stamps/covers, some 19th century USA (esp. Virginia), forwarding agents, and other areas of the German-speaking world.

Trying again for another buying trip next month. Hope this one goes better than last -- it seems as if we're on the downward curve. Maybe it will stick this time? At least the tickets to Europe are cheaper.

Note: I made a mistake last time and had a website setting wrong, so several dozen items could be viewed but not ordered. I fixed it, so those items can actually be bought this time. Sorry about that.

So for our second sale of 2022 I have a nice selection of:

Airmail/Zeppelins with some rare items; my big Zepp box finally arrived and I was able to put up a few dozen new covers, especially Paraguay and treaties, along with some Germany proper, including pioneers. More will be forthcoming.

WWII propaganda, id's, Feldpost, POWs, the usual suspects with many interesting items, as usual.

Colonies and Offices with yet more Africa+Turkey, along with China. Hope for more luck on the cover front in the coming months; covers have been the most difficult to buy during the pandemic, especially colonies and propaganda. I had one good collection of each and I'm starting to run out!

And what else? WWI, 2nd Empire stamps and covers (2nd Empire==1872-1933; 1st empire was Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire), post-WWII locals, photo groups/collections, etc.