WHAT DO YOU KNOW


One of the ongoing debates in postcard circles – not only aviation cards – is “what exactly counts as a postcard? During the life of  aviation cards, this is usually answered by the simple test of “ does it have a divided back?” – with address lines and a stamp box being optional extras. The airline-issue field sometimes allows non PC backs to qualify but usually the above definition stands. One type of card however provides more debate. This is the postcard backed real photo. The problem is caused by the fact that, from the 20s/30s onwards, it was possible to have private photographs printed with a postcard back. Sometimes the photo quality makes it clear that these were amateur “snapshots” but others must have been produced by professionals.

If the image is high quality, the fact that such cards were produced in small numbers should add to rarity value – but some do not collect them on the grounds that, although for postal use, they were not commercially produced. The argument has been revived in recent years with such such products as Post-A-Photo, which again provide a postcard back for  private photos.

However these cards only rarely have any text, front or back and so are a common source of mystery views and we have two here. The first is a follow on from the “On The Beach” article and shows, apparently, another beach landing – this time by a Lufthansa Junkers F.13. This is an Agfa back card and is assumed to be either on the Baltic coast or one of the German North Sea Islands. Does anyone know whether Lufthansa operated scheduled beach-landing services and if so where ?

The second is again a German subject, the Do.X 12 engined flying boat. This one looks more like an amateur shot. The Do.X is at anchor in a harbour with a seawall with a background of cliffs, hills and what at first sight looks like part of a suspension bridge is probably a radio mast. Unlike the F.13 this does not look like the Baltic. Phil Munson’s book on transatlantic pioneer flights lists the Do.X crossing via Amsterdam, Southampton, Bordeaux, Lisbon and Canary Isles. The first two do not seem right for the landscape. Can anybody link it with any of the others ?  

Some time back Roger Syratt  enquired about the series of cards produced by Vickers. All have the Vickers logo on the back and on some there is additional pre-printed promotional text. All have italic text on the back saying “One of a series depicting the Vickers Viscount in various airline colours” If the above text is absent and another substituted and there is no Vickers logo, this is probably a variant made by Vickers for the Airline. This is the case on this New Zealand national version.

Also discovered, a few of a series of (just) oversize cards at 11 x 16 cms. These are all paintings of Viscounts and the Capital Airlines version is shown.

These have the same back text and logo. The listing of those currently known is as follows. S = Standard, C+ = oversize as above.

Model

Airline

Description

Size

V700

Aer Lingus

Air R Painting-Silver c/s

C +

V700

Air France

Air R Painting

C +

V700

Air France

Ground @ LHR Central

S

V700

BWIA Trinidad

Air R

S

V700

CAAC-Rhodesia

Air R

S

V700

Capital AL

Air R Painting

C +

V700

Hunting Clan

Air L (Also Airline Version)

S

V700

Iraq AW

Air Drawing

S

V700

Iraq AW

Air

S

V700

Kuwait AW

Ground L

S

V700

LACSA Costa Rica

Ground L

S

V700

LaNica-Nicaragua

Ground L

S

V700

LAV-Venzuela

Air

S

V700

Northeast AL-USA

Air L

S

V700

TACA-El Salvador

Ground L

S

V800

Aer Lingus

Air R EI-AJJ Green tail

S

V800

Aer Lingus

Air R EI-AJK White tail

S

V800

BEA

Air L nose

S

V800

BEA

Air L nose + Financials  text on face

S

V800

BEA

Production Line

S

V800

Continental

Air

S

V800

KLM

Ground @ LHR North

S

V800

NZNAC

Ground L Airline Version

S

V800

Transair-UK

Air R

S


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