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Space Collection

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:50,000.00 - 60,000.00 USD
Space Collection

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Auction Date:2014 Feb 12 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
An amazing collection of 73 signed individual and crew portraits, spanning from Project Mercury to the Shuttle era, almost all inscribed to longtime NASA employee Joyce Abrams, who was a senior member of the ground support team. Virtually all the photos are official NASA lithos and photos, all signed just before or after each of the astronauts’ respective missions. Photos have been beautifully matted and framed with authentic mission patches of the type worn on their flight suits, as well as commemorative mission medallions issued at the time of their flights, with some also including First Day and commemorative covers, with the overall sizes of each piece measuring approximately 24 x 18. The collection represents a who’s who of American space exploration including Armstrong, Grissom, White, a dozen Gemini and Apollo crew portraits, including Apollo 1 and 11, and all twelve moonwalkers.

The gem of the collection, without a doubt, is an extremely rare color semi-glossy official ‘red-numbered’ NASA photo, trimmed to a size of 9.75 x 7.5, inscribed in black felt tip in an unknown hand, “To Joyce—Thanks for all your help at KSC—with best wishes,” and signed in black felt tip, “Gus Grissom,” “Edward H. White II,” and “Roger B. Chaffee.” The photo is nicely presented with an Apollo 1 commemorative patch, and leather NASA identification tags of White and Grissom, both of which are moderately to heavily worn. Only a very limited number of these ‘red-numbered’ photos are known to exist, and are rarely available for sale.

Other highlights of the collection include:

- A very early color official NASA 8 x 10 litho of Neil Armstrong in a dark jacket and tie, signed and inscribed in black felt tip, “To Joyce, All the best from a junior member of the crew, Neil Armstrong.”

- A fantastic and scarce color semi-glossy 8 x 10 NASA photo of Edward White in the middle of his historic space walk, signed and inscribed in the in lower border blue felt tip, “To Joyce—Thank you for all your help before Gemini IV, Edward H. White II, 3 June ’65.”

- A color official litho of Gus Grissom standing with a model rocket, trimmed to a size of 7.25 x 9.25, signed and inscribed in black felt tip, “Thanks Joyce for all the help in launching the ‘Molly Brown,’ Gus Grissom.” Grissom playfully nicknamed his capsule the ‘Molly Brown’ after the musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown, following the sinking of his Liberty Bell 7 capsule after splashdown in 1961. Although NASA was less than thrilled with the name, they allowed it; from then on, Gemini astronauts were no longer permitted to name their capsules. This photo represents the first instance of Grissom referring to the ‘Molly Brown’ by name that we have offered.

- A supremely rare color official NASA 8 x 10 litho of Clifton Williams posing with a model rocket, signed and inscribed in blue felt tip, “To Joyce, with best wishes and many thanks, C. Williams.” Williams, a member of Group 3, was to be the back-up pilot for Gemini 10, but died in NASA T-38 jet trainer crash near Tallahassee, Florida, in 1968, before ever travelling into space.

- An always desirable color official NASA litho of the prime crew of Apollo 11 posing in their white space suits, trimmed to a size of 9.5 x 7, signed and inscribed in black felt tip, “To Joyce—With thanks for helping us get ready to go—Neil Armstrong,” “Michael Collins,” and “Buzz Aldrin.”

- A scarce color semi-glossy official NASA photo of the original Apollo 13 crew, trimmed to a size of 9.75 x 7.5, signed and inscribed in black felt tip, “To Joyce, thanks and best wishes—Fred W. Haise,” “Ken Mattingly,” and “James Lovell.”

Others include: Mercury astronauts John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, and Wally Schirra; Gemini 8, 9, and 12 crews; Apollo 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14; and others. The Apollo 1, the portraits of White, Grissom, and Armstrong, and the Apollo 12 crew portraits are accompanied by full letters of authenticity from Steve Zarelli. The entire collection rates in overall fine condition, with expected minor flaws and some trimmed edges, all of which are noted in the individual descriptions available online. Due to the size of the collection, extra shipping charges will apply. Encompassing over 70 portraits from astronauts of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and shuttle programs, and with its direct connection to a NASA employee, this collection is believed to be one of the largest of its kind to be offered to the public in decades.

A complete detailed description and all of the images are available by clicking here.