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[Yvonne]

The world's biggest collection of airship memorabilia goes on sale

The world's biggest collection of airship memorabilia is being tipped to sell for more than a million pounds. The items were amassed by a British businessman over 40 years. David Kirch's hoard - including hundreds of photos of huge German Zeppelins - is so vast he planned to open a museum in an old aircraft hangar he bought especially for the purpose.


[i]One picture shows a Zeppelin lit up by dozens of searchlights as it flew over London during the First World War. Mr Kirch even has disarmed bombs dropped by the German airships on London.
A Zeppelin is caught in searchlights over London during the First World War
Picture: BNPS.co.u

Picture: BNPS.co.uk[/i]
Schitterende foto's:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/9153063/The-worlds-biggest-collection-of-airship-memorabilia-goes-on-sale.html?frame=2171577
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[shabu]

British fan of German Zeppelins set to sell his 15 TON collection of airship memorabilia worth £1m... after plan to display it in 'hangar' museum never really took off
David Kirch, 75, has 'thousands and thousands' of items for sale such as flags, photos, toys and crockery

... but he has never been in an airship as he has a fear of heights
He had planned to offer the public rides on airships but never finished his museum project

There are quirkier items for sale including special darts invented by the British which were thrown by pilots onto onto Zeppelins in a desperate bid to puncture them in World War I.
And Mr Kirch even has disarmed bombs dropped by the German airships on London.
The collection is so big it is having to be sold over four sales at Wallis and Wallis auction rooms in Lewes, East Sussex.
Experts expect the total sum for all the lots will be more than £1million.
Mr Kirch, a wealthy property dealer who lives on Jersey, intends to give the proceeds to charity.
The businessman, who has never travelled in an airship due to a fear of heights, said: 'A friend of mine had a collection of envelopes that had been flown on an airship. He was short of money so I bought them and that's how it all started - back in 1968.
'After that, I became fascinated with airships and I bought anything to do with any airship.
'I bought a lot of papers belonging to a chief steward for Zeppelin and he was their longest serving employee.
'There are also bombs from World War One that were dropped by Zeppelins and also photos and scrap books.
'I love collecting and I used to go around car boot sales and antique shops and attend sales. This is the largest collection of its type.
'I had intended to open a museum to show my collection off and I bought a huge hangar at Cardington in Bedfordshire which was the former base of the UK airship industry to put it all in.
'It was one of those things you dream up, but I never got around to it because I was working on my business.
'There is a Zeppelin museum in Germany, but that has much bigger things, such as engines.
'Because I wanted to make a museum, it had to appeal to everybody so there are children's things and jokey things.
'But now I'm too old so I'm selling it. All the money will go to charity - to the elderly on Jersey.'
Mr Kirch has kept his collection in his home in Jersey and the aircraft hangar he bought.
Some of the photos in his collection show commercial and military types of airship and highlight the size of the industry that came to an end before World War Two

'The collector has found everything connected with airships and there is a huge cross-over of interest.
'There are thousands and thousands of items that weigh 15 tons in total and arrived here in a 40ton container.
'We have had to rent extra storage areas because it is so vast. As soon as we emptied it for the first auction, we filled it straight up again.
'The sales will attract a variety of collectors because there are so many different things; from photographs to medals and uniforms to posters.'
The first sale takes place on Wednesday with two more planned for July and November


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117162/British-fan-German-Zeppelins-set-sell-15-TON-collection-airship-memorabilia-worth-1million--plan-display-hangar-museum-really-took-off.html#ixzz1q4iKoLVR
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