Fire & Ice: Zeppelins, Aerophilately and the Titanic #643

Iceland, 1931 (30 Jun-1 Jul), Iceland Flight, Reykjavik Drop, in Combination with Ship-to-Shore and Catapult. U.S. 5¢ airmail entire up-rated with a 25¢ definitive and pre-franked with a German 2m South America Zeppelin. Carried from Honolulu by the ship City of Los Angeles eastbound. On 12 Jun it was picked-up at sea by the Goodyear airship Volunteer for the "First Pacific Coast Ship-to-Shore Air Mail Transfer" (printed cachet) and flown to the roof of the San Pedro, Calif. Post Office, where both the U.S. and German stamps were canceled.

It was then forwarded by airmail to New York, where it was put onto the North German Lloyd Europa, departing from New York on 20 June. On 24 June, while at sea, it flew by Catapult Flight from the Europa to Southampton, England and thence by air via London and Cologne to Stuttgart, 25 June and Friedrichshafen.

Finally, the cover was postmarked Friedrichshafen 30 June and flown Graf Zeppelin Iceland Flight and dropped at Reykjavik on 1 July 1, 1931. It was returned by surface to the addressee in Friedrichshafen.
The cover bears all appropriate cachets and postmarks, Very Fine.
Michel 193 Ia var. Sieger 114.
Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.