The last Boeing 747 rolls off the assembly line, marking the end of an era in airline travel - a first flight silver medal commemorative.

[robinjojo]

I know that this old news.  The final Boeing 747 was delivered to a shipping company, as I recall.  Also, it is still in service with some airlines, including Lufthansa. 

However, fuel consumption and climate concerns have spelled the end of this storied airliner.  With a production running from 1969 to 2022 it is certainly one of the longest running models, along with Boeing's 737. 

The main reason for this thread is that I came across a silver medal commemorating the maiden flight of the 747.  I'm really not sure how I acquired it.  When silver was running high my local shop had lots of silver coins and other objects being sold at near melt.  I might have picked up this medal at that time. 

The medal with produced by a private firm, the Letcher Mint.  Apparently 7,500 of these medals were made, as part of their "Famous Flights" series.  I have a very skeptical view of these issues, very similar to the Franklin Mint medals.  I remember back in the 1970s and 1980s there was a lot of hype about the low mintages and limited editions, but such marketing was successful it appears.

Boeing 747 first flight silver medal, circa 1969-1970, Letcher Mint.

38mm; 24.53 grams

There is a certain nostalgia that I have for the 747.  Back in the mid 1980s I traveled to Europe by Pan Am for the first time by myself, true adventures.  Back then the seats were much wider and the service much better in coach.  On one flight to London, from San Francisco, the flight was seriously under booked and I virtually had much of the cabin to myself.  This was the time when Pan Am and other legacy airlines, including TWA, Northwest and Eastern were loosing passages to the growing budget carriers, actually for years prior, such as Laker Airlines (remember Freddie Laker?).

Also, last night I came across an interesting article about the 747 from the Guardian:

‘Queen of the skies’: How the Boeing 747 shaped an era of air travel

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/11/boeing-747-queen-of-the-skies

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by robinjojo

[Roman Collector]

That's a cool medal, @robinjojo!

[Broucheion]

Hi All,

A bit more on the first flight of the 747 and its pilot

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/jack-eugene-wadell/

- Broucheion 

[robinjojo]

3 hours ago, Broucheion said:

Hi All,

A bit more on the first flight of the 747 and its pilot

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/jack-eugene-wadell/

- Broucheion 

Thanks for the link!