The message on my answer phone started out simple enough: "I have some Zeppelin material for sale. Please call me." A couple of days later I reached 'John,' and here is how it went...
"My great uncle was the postmaster at Lakehurst, New Jersey at the time of the Zeppelins. He was there when the Hindenburg crashed, but he didn't get hurt. He told the family that the Navy put a security line around the airship remains, but since he was with the Post Office, he had to collect any remains of the mail on board.
"My great uncle was a stamp collector too, because part of what I have for sale includes a set of sheets of #C13-15, the Zeppelin stamps. From the Hindenburg crash site he had to return all of the envelopes that he could recover, but part of my collection does include six covers that he didn't return. In addition to the stamps I also have for sale some fabric skin from the Hindenburg that is burned around the edges. My uncle left a letter telling how he found this on the field after the crash near some bodies. The last thing I have is the steering wheel from the Hindenburg. My uncle said it didn't burn up, although it is a little burnt too, because of its composition. Are you interested in the collection?"
My heart was racing along as I put values on everything John had described. Of course I was interested, but caution made me ask a few questions first. One, had the collection been looked at before?
John said, "Yes, it was evaluated by Sotheby's, the auction house in New York, in the early 1980's, and at that time they had felt that the collection would bring approximately $450,000 at auction." I couldn't dispute that. Fifty sets of Zeppelin stamps alone, before you factor in the plate block value and the sheet rarity factor, could have in theory been worth that sum at that time.
I figured the current value as follows:
- the sheets for $75,000 to $90,000;
- the covers, six of them, at $3,000 to $5,000 each, equals $18,000 - $30,000;
- the Zeppelin skin, a large piece and with 'papers,' I figured for $5,000 to $10,000.
The Hindenburg steering wheel could be the prize. I figured that the wheel was going to be worth a lot, or no one would care, and it would bring a a ho-hum price. I guessed it to be valuable, but wanted to hedge my offer somewhat. Before I figured in the wheel (by the way, I am not an expert on steering wheels!), I was in the $98,000 to $130,000 range.
This was good merchandise, and I didn't want to lose it, so I pushed on the wheel's value to make a quick cash deal. I knew if an auction firm got into the deal, John might be told how 'really valuable' these things were - regardless of the hard reality of the final outcome at auction. John had told me that he knew that they would be worth less today, but he wanted today's money because he was doing some real estate developing.
So I said, "John, I need to see everything, but I feel at this point the things you have for sale are worth in the range of $125,000 to $150,000 on today's market. If this range sounds fair to you, and we can agree on the final price, then I could pay you on the day I pick everything up." We then agreed to get together at John's house in Omaha that following Sunday.
I made arrangements for Omaha. Luckily it wasn't winter. I would need two days for everything, so that meant an airplane, hotel, car, food, phone calls, etc. It is critical that you keep your expenses in hand on these buying trips. Depending on where I go, I figure from $125 to $175 a day above air fare while away from the office. It costs more to visit larger cities, of course.
John and I were going to meet Sunday morning, so I arrived Saturday night. I called John as planned at 10AM Sunday, but there wasn't any answer. I called every half hour after that until 5PM. Our appointment had been for noon. Well, as luck would have it, life interfered. When John called, he apologized profusely and explained that he had to rush his mother to the hospital. I asked if everything was OK, and he said he thought so, but could he call me back in a couple of hours? I waited, and waited. Starting at 9PM, I called John but there wasn't any answer.
Now I'm in Omaha wanting to do some business, and I didn't want to be insensitive, but I couldn't stay there forever. Under the circumstances I had no choice but to stay another night to see what might develop.
The collection was pretty neat, and the deal was fair, and it was a long distance from home, so I tried to be patient. But, John didn't call.
Still nothing Monday morning, so I used the phone book to call similar last names. I found John's father right away. Ben told me that he was a State Farm agent when he answered the phone.
I told Ben that I was very sorry to hear about his wife and that I hoped she was OK. He said what are you talking about, she is sitting right here. "Who are you, anyway?" I told Ben that his son had invited me to Omaha from Los Angeles to look at the family stamp collection.
Ben said, "We don't have any stamps."
Was Ben's uncle a postmaster at Lakehurst? "No."
Did Ben's son John have a stamp collection? "No."What Ben did say was that his son was in his mid-30's, a short order cook, and once in a while had gotten into a little 'trouble.' Ben said that he had helped John out from time to time. Ben also said that he was mortified that I had come all the way from Los Angeles.
So was I. I caught the next plane out.
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