Description
Zeppelins have always sparked a special interest in people all over the world. Something about those giants of the air captured people’s imaginations, not only in Germany but everywhere they flew. I cannot begin to tell you the various forms of “zeppelin-mania” that erupted not just in Germany, but even here in the USA. The U.S. was an important market to the Zeppelin company. The Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg were seen across the country from Los Angeles to Lakehurst, New Jersey. [Just to give you an idea of the breadth of this mania, I have in my collection a “repro” zeppelin cocktail shaker]! The item we are offering today is a glass automobile or small bus of a zeppelin! This is really wild-looking. The vehicle is clearly shaped like a zeppelin, including ridges at the top to further the resemblance. As if that were not enough, it has a rudder to further confirm that it is supposed to be a zeppelin on wheels! This small toy measures 5″ in length and 1 5/8″ in width. If you look underneath to where the chassis should be, it is stamped “Chicago, Illinois.” While this was American-made (either in the 1920’s or 1930’s, most likely in the 1930’s) I purchased it in Germany! At some point it made its way across the Atlantic. Perhaps it even made a flight on a zeppelin as a gift for some wide-eyed German youngster. Who knows? You can see this piece’s age particularly in its wheels, and in the texture and finish of the glass. This is quite an interesting item. While I had heard of these before, this is the first one that I have encountered.
