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 |