SINCONA Auction 25
Numismatic Rarities
Bid
| Starting price | 2,500 CHF |
| Result |
This lot is not available for purchase anymore.
Description
5 Pounds of 10.November 1924. With personal note and signature of Roald Amundsen on reverse: Norge - The North Pole - May 12th 1926 - Roald Amundsen. Pick 312a (Grossbritannien). Of greatest rarity (unique). III+ The bank note is folded twice and with paper loss on the upper r. corner.
Details
An important contemporary document for aviation and polar exploration. Roald Amundsen (* 16. July 1872, 18. June 1928) was Norway's most famous Polar explorer, having already in 1905 been the first to travel the Northwest Passage from Greenland over Canada to Alaska in a ship. Almost twenty years later, aviation having made important progress, he decided to reach the North Pole with an airplane. Regretfully, three attempts failed, so that Amundsen decided to try the expedition anew with a dirigible.
With the purchase of a zeppelin, which had been built by the Italian Umberto Nobile in 1923, a new attempt could be started with the destination North Pole. After renovation of the cloth hull and having renamed the air ship Norge, the dirigible was brought to Spitzbergen. The adventure started on 11. May 1926 and upon the following day Roald Amundsen crossed the North Pole as the first man with 15 participants, including the Italian Umberto Nobile.
As proof for their success a Norwegian, Italian and American flag were set down. Contrary to the manner of documenting important zeppelin flights with special objects, the Norge carried few souvenir pieces or cards. This note was probably one of the few possibilities for the discoverers to document this important event at its locality.