Vultee V-1A NC13768 Original Vintage Photo, American Airlines US Mail Airliner For Sale

Vultee V-1A NC13768 Original Vintage Photo
American Airlines US Mail Airliner
This Airframe Later Flew in the Spanish Civil WarDESCRIPTIONHere is an original vintage photograph of a Vultee V-1A, registration NC13768, in American Airlines livery on a grass airfield.The fuselage carries the American Airlines lightning-bolt logo along with "U.S. Mail" and "Vultee No. A-185" lettering, and the tail and wing carry the registration.The V-1A was designed by Gerard Vultee and Vance Breese at the Airplane Development Corporation in Glendale, California, and was built to American Airlines' specifications as a fast, all-metal, retractable-gear monoplane airliner powered by a Wright Cyclone radial engine.When it entered service in 1934 it was the fastest commercial airliner in the country. NC13768 was among the earliest production examples delivered to American Airlines that same year.New federal rules soon limited single-engine aircraft in commercial passenger service, and American Airlines sold off its V-1A fleet within a couple of years.NC13768 went on to a documented second life: it was one of at least seven former American Airlines V-1As that were fitted with machine guns and under-fuselage bomb racks and flown by Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War, carrying the French registration F-AQAM.Only a single Vultee V-1 series aircraft survives today, a V-1AD Special on display at the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which underlines how few original photographs of this type exist outside institutional archives.The reverse carries a period ink identification, "Vultee," along with an archive catalog number, "A.14101," and the type designation "V-1A," plus the faint reversed watermark of the Kodak photographic paper stock it was printed on.Every effort is made for fact checking and provenance including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right.Orders placed before Noon CDT will ship same day Ground Advantage with tracking so you know exactly when it will arrive. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. Rigid, professional packaging on all shipments sealed and protected in acid free protectors. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONThis is an original period photographic print, not a modern reproduction, measuring approximately 5.5 x 2.75 inches including its white border. The image is sharp and well exposed, with good tonal range across the polished metal fuselage and the grass field. There is light wear consistent with age and handling, including a small spot of surface toning in the sky area and gentle corner softening. The reverse shows the Kodak photographic paper watermark along with a period ink identification and archive catalog number. No tears, heavy creasing, or emulsion loss are visible in the photographed areas.