Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Zeppelin Revisited

Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Clouds with rain
4 C  39.2 F

Zeppelin Revisited

A "Zeppelin" was a type of rigid airship named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin
who pioneered the develop of the rigid airship at the beginning of the 20th century. The idea s were first formulated in 1874, and developed in detail in 1893. They were patented in Germany in 1895 and in the United States in 1899. Zeppelins were first flown commercially in 1910 by Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Ag (DELAG). During WWI, the Zeppelins were used by Germany in WWI to bomb Britain, and sadly killed 500 British  people. These airships were BIG! The Hindenburg measured 245 M or 803 feet, with a diameter of 41.2 M or 135.1 feet. The gas capacity (hydrogen*) was 200,000 cubic meters or 7,062,000 cubic feet.
* Hyrdrogen is a very flammable gas, and a spark probably ignited the tremendous amount of gas of the Hindenburg. 

After WWI, the Treaty of Versaille prohibited  Germany from building large airships, but by 1926
the restrictions were lifted.  This revived the company DELAG's fortunes . and hey built huge airships thgat crossed the Atlantic ocean from Germany to the USA. With the famous Hindenburg disaster in 1937, in New Jersey (SA), and with the world political climate changing, leading up to WWII the Zeppelins  were doomed to extinction.*  It was rumoured that the Hindenburg might have been sabotaged  because of tensions with the Americans and European countries. The captain and the first officer of the Hindenburg were aware of rumours about the potential sabotage of the airship.





Boxed Ubelacker Zeppelin With Pontoons
AN unusual and interesting design with multiple playing options.
Top crank has a rack and pinion that moves the toy along a wire.
Very rare, only one had ever been seen by Bertoia Auctions
Length:  9"  228 mm
Sold for $ 20,000 U.S. (MArch 25, 2017



Carrette Large Scale Zeppelin
Clockwork driven, rear paper propellers,
Very rare.
Length: 25 1/2"   64.8 cm


Marklin Zeppelin # 5401
Clockwork driven
Celluloid propellers, the toy moves along a guide wire
with pulleys. Key wound.
Length:  9 1/2"  242 mm
Sold for $ 5000 US (November 10, 2012)


Early German Tin Zeppelin
Likely Eberyl or Heyde
paper propeller at rear, clockwork driven
Length:  9"  229 mm

Orobor Zeppelin with Box
Lithographed tin, clockwork movement, green celluloid propellers.
Has top hook to connect with a wire.
Length:  6 1/2"  165 mm



Muller & Kadeder toy air ship (Zeppelin)
Paper propellers at rear.
Clockwork Driven
Length:  9 1/2"  242 mm
Sold for $ 1500 US (November 12, 2016)


Marx Mammoth Zeppelin
Lithographed tin,
4 small propellers
Length: 27"  68.6 cm


Steelcraft "Akron" Zeppelin
Pressed steel with metal wheels
Hitch at front for pulling with a string
Length:  24"  61 cm


Buffalo Toys Zeppelin
Tin plate
4 hanging airplanes on sides
Clockwork activated by rear pull lever
Red disc wheels
Length:  24"  61 cm
Sold for $950 US (April 17, 2010)


Lehmann Epli Zeppelin with Box
Germany, lithographed tin, celluloid propellers
Suspended string allow ship to travel its course
Length:  7 1/2"   190 mm
Sold for $ 600 US  (May 21, 2016)

I was surprised just how many Zeppelin toys were auctioned on Liveauctioneers website. 
At the height of the Zeppelins' popularity, many toy companies made these interesting toys.
I only selected 10 examples from 10 different toy manufacturers. However, if you venture over to Liveauctioneers, you will see many more examples from a myriad of manufacturers.

So that's it for this rainy day, and I hoped that you enjoyed this post.

Have a great day or evening.

Stacey Bindman
Toysearcher@gmail.com





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