Just got back from a European trip, and from an outsiders perspective things seemed to be getting back to normal. While there were still the extra checks to come back to the USA, the big lines of document verification have disappeared in the Frankfurt airport (at least for now).

Believe it or not, I have to go back again soon, so here I am with an offering of some outstanding material to help pay for the next trip!

WWII and Propaganda, including some nice accumulations, occupations, colorful patriotica, Feldpost, camp/labor mail, French Legion proofs(!), etc.

Zeppelins with a focus on pre-1930 including many low-volume flights plus some rare pioneers which might ring your bell.

And what else? Collections of German, Austrian, and USA postal history; USA fractional currency, Bavarian proofs, etc.

Have a look!

Lots of new material from our usual, specialized areas:

Rare German Colonies covers, as well as plenty of new stamps, pretty much all used with clear cancels.

WWII and Propaganda, including some nice accumulations.

19th century US Covers (especially private Express and Civil War) as well as CU Fractional Currency.

And what else? Zeppelins + Flight, WWI, etc. Mid-century Germany hunting permits (unusual, no?). Inflation. Collections! -- I've so many projects now, I can't list it everything one at a time, so there will be more and more collections.

Have a look!

We're back! More collections from the last trip have arrived and I'm finally starting to get the sort of material I was used to (pre-pandemic) out of Europe. It's possible to find good German stamp collections here if you search through a lot of auctions, but it is sooo hard to get groups of better covers.

I have put up the first part of the best Colonies cover collection I've purchased in a long time, with several kinds items I've never offered before. Those are in addition to another installment of the massive Offices and Colonies lot purchased late last year.

Zeppelins are well-represented with a number of better flights, especially Treaties and 1929 drops, which I'm particularly fond of.

Lots of propaganda and related WWII with other Feldpost, POW, Camp mail, and stamps.

And what else? Revolution postcards, (mostly used) se-tenants, a few disinfected, and an assortment of covers from the rest of German history.

Have a look!

Happy Autumn! Been back a couple of weeks now but already bought another set of tickets, and plan on getting another as well while they are cheap; now that Europeans can travel to the US again, they won't be for long. Make hay while the sun shines, as they say here out West.

But the auctions were brutal. I bought nothing at one, and with 40 bids at the bigger auction I got a total of three lots(!) Not a single propaganda lot -- there were some big groups of such from a single large collection, but in 2nd quality that went for pristine+++ money. Barely less than I would have priced them as individual lots, and in a condition where most of you wouldn't have bought them anyway. Luckily, I did buy some singles from a contact I have, and even better: bought some impressive Colonies (a few truly rare covers) which should be here by November (fingers crossed).

This week we have:

A lot of new airmail, especially Austria pioneer flights, and many better Zeppelins of various countries along with German airmail of various stripes.

WWII material with propaganda and Feldpost, as well as various pieces of camp / Lager mail.

Another large selection of German Offices and colonies -- numerous covers and used stamps with clear cancels.

German 2nd Empire, WWI, RPPCs, and Weimar-Infla period.

Back from my 1st trip abroad in nearly two years. Bought a lot at the Gmunden stamp show, especially considering how small it was -- but since it most of the dealers hadn't been to a show in a year or more, new material could be had. You had to be vaccinated to get in, and the hotels checked on arrival, and I had to fill out forms everyplace I ate. But, overall, not as different as I'd imagined.

The bridge was out between Mainz and Wiesbaden due to the horrendous floods Germany endured a month or so ago, so I had to take a taxi to the airport.

The train engineers were striking. Again. Apparently it's a sort of hobby for them. I mostly managed to avoid the stoppages (got me once when they started 12 hours early). However, I had a trip with five connections, and all the trains were on time. First time that's happened in years.

Germany and Austria seemed reasonably normal, considering, other than the ubiquitous masks and registration forms. Auction viewing went on as usual, and since everyone had been vaccinated the stamp show didn't even require masks once we were inside. Gmunden was beautiful, on a lake in the Austria mountains, and I'm considering going back there just to eat at the restaurant in my hotel again -- the Spinatknoedel / spinach dumplings were awesome, despite their name.

And Lord, I'd missed the German Hefeweizen. I know it sounds trite, but our beer just isn't as good. Just. Isn't. Costs more, and despite a pinch of corriander or double hops or a hint of watermelon or whatever pretentious crap our micro-breweries pump into the vat, plain German beer vom Fass (from the tap) is simply better. As is the Czech beer. (IMO)

Anyway, lots of new stuff:

German colonies stamps and covers

WWII with propaganda, occupations, Feldpost, camps, and other uses

German 2nd Empire to Weimar, with transatlantic ship mail and Inflation-era international flights.

On my first European buying trip in nearly two years, and it's already been a success, though wearing a mask for 22 hours straight while in transit was a little harsh. My CDC vaccination card was checked, re-checked, and checked again. Germany sent me an SMS with regulations while I was taxiing on the tarmac, and forwarded my info to the local authorities to the German town where I'm first staying. The director of Busgeld (Compliance and Fines!) there emailed me to let me know they'd checked my documents. I appreciated that, and was also a bit scared. No joke here, that's for sure. None of that "it's all a hoax" BS. I was surrounded by an astonishing number of Americans on the plane and in the airport, and I do wonder how well they all understood the rules, since the compliance letter was all in German and the English translation in the airport of the ordinances was a bit opaque, to say the least.

Anyway, this week sees a lot of Colonies (Africa), WWII with Propaganda and occupations, plus a bunch of Austria, since I'm ramping up that area again after a long hiatus.

Plan to be in Gmunden tomorrow for the show there. I'll report in after.

Bought my a ticket for my first stamp show abroad (or anywhere, for that matter) in two years. Waiting for the online Covid test oto take with me and watching the various country websites to make sure I don't get stuck somewhere. Crossing my fingers the rules don't change mid-trip. Always wanted to move to the Berchtesgaden-Salzburg area but I'd really rather have my family with me...

This week contains:

Lots of WWII with Occupations stamps, almost all expertized, and a lot of propaganda.

German Colonies, mostly Africa (DSWA, Kamerun, and Togo) but also other areas as well -- virtually all used with clear city cancels.

Zeppelin flown covers with a number of better.

And what else? WWI and a bit of Inflation.

Still boiling hot in the summer that will never end, but we're better off (so far) than in Germany. I've been watching the news on Tageschau DE and the pictures of the floods are surreal (as Merkel said herself). I'm sorry for all of you over there, and I hope the rain stops. It's dry enough here, though we're hoping for the seasonal monsoons to start soon.

I've entered a lot of items for this sale since my office is on the bottom floor and it's 10 degrees cooler than upstairs. Better that than all of the repair work that needs to be done outside -- we bought a large fixer upper, which is much more fixer than upper. While the houses out here aren't old at all by European standards, most still predate concerns of global warming so most of us don't have air conditioning. My garage loft got to over 120F. Used to have some spare candles out there. Now they're puddles with string.

Anyway -- enough about the weather. I've no interesting stamp news since I haven't been to a show this year (though still might hit Sberatel/Prague), and have't been to a foreign auction since Feb 2020. Hopefully I can go end of next month, let the non-Europeans at least know what the market is doing in Germany. This week contains:

Immediate postwar Germany with some interesting covers from a variety of emergency usages, as well as Berlin, DDR, and SBZ areas.

German Colonies, mostly Africa (DSWA and Kamerun) but also a little Turkey and China.

A Panzerkampfwagen full of WWII-era Germany with propaganda cards as well as better Occupation issues, singly and on cover.

And what else? Zeppelins, German Empire and Inflation, WWI.

It's still hot, but at least we got a few days of rain, for which I am profoundly grateful.

Pretty much all of the boxes have arrived and I'm still sorting through, picking out the best stuff and recycling the rest.

Short and sweet this week because I've been traveling a whole lot, with far too many trips on the horizon, none of which involve philately until (probably) September.

Lots, lots, lots more propaganda with 100+ new cards from the inexpensive to the definitely not.

German Empire and Inflation, with lots of specialized expertized material.

More German Colonies with a focus on DSWA, but other areas as well.

And what else? Zeppelins, USA, WWI postcards, Aviation postcards.