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Sale 754

Aerophilately, Rocket Mail and Astrophilately,
Featuring the Johann Strauss & Leo Malz Collections


Gemini Flights (1965-1966)




Lot Photo Description
Lot 6459
United States, 1965 (Jun 3), Gemini 4 crew signed envelope. Crew: James McDivitt, Ed White. Commander James A McDivitt and pilot Edward H White II autographed this envelope documenting America's first spacewalk; a poor (but legible) Cape Canaveral launch date machine cancel and a Gordon add-on cachet along with rubber stamped documentation adorn the cover; crew signed envelopes are uncommon since less than two years following the flight White lost his life in the Apollo 1 fire.
Estimate $600 - 800.
Current Bid $300
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Lot 6460
United States, 1966 (Mar 16), launch of Gemini VIII; Cape Canaveral hand cancel autographed by mission commander, Neil Armstrong. Engraved Orbit Covers art on first day of flight that accomplished the first docking of two vehicles in orbit; beautiful example of Armstrong's signature; many of these envelopes were backdated (plugged 9) but this is not; postmark inking is uneven but legible.
Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Current Bid $500
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Lot 6461
United States, 1966 (Mar 16), Gemini 8 Vintage Armstrong. Crew: Neil Armstrong, David R. Scott. Group 2 (New Nine) pilot Neil Armstrong autograph, fresh off his outstanding test piloting of the X-15, commands his first spaceflight during GT-8; Cape Canaveral machine cancel on launch date; Beck rubber stamp data in quarter-sized circle; generic SpaceCraft cachet (including an X-15); addressed to early astrophilatelist.
Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Current Bid $500
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Lot 6462
United States, 1966 (Mar 16), Gemini 8 Armstrong's favorite aircraft. Crew: Neil Armstrong, David R. Scott. Neil Armstrong has boldly signed this Sokolsky X-15 cacheted cover postmarked at Cape Canaveral (machine cancel) on launch day of GT-8; while Armstrong would be proud of his work on GT-8 (and later on AP-11), he would never tire about discussing his favorite plane, the rocket powered X-15; addressed to an early collector and displaying a quarter sized circle with flight facts produced by Morris Beck.
Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Current Bid $500
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Lot 6463
United States, 1966 (Jun 3), Gemini 9A autographed by See and Bassett. Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, Eugene Cernan. In late February See and Bassett were flying a T-38 into Lambert Field in St Louis; weather was poor and the Prime crew crashed into the McDonald Douglas plant where their spacecraft was being produced; the envelope is autographed by Elliot See and Charles A. Bassett II; a Cape Canaveral machine cancel postmarked on the day the Backup crew (Stafford and Cernan) flew to orbit; obviously extremely rare; waterspot has obliterated the "II" on Bassett's name; franking is poorly tied to the envelope.
Estimate $1,000 - 1,500.
Current Bid $500
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Lot 6464
 United States, (1966), Nov 11 Kaywoodie pipe carried on Gemini XII. On the last Gemini mission before the onset of Project Apollo, Edwin Aldrin carried a smoking pipe as part of his Personal Preference Kit (PPK); a typed letter signed attesting to that fact, on business letterhead, is included and signed by Buzz Aldrin; his second and final flight into space would be with Neil Armstrong as they became the first crew to walk on the Moon; the artifact was sold in the Jan 1993 Superior Galleries Space Auction.
Estimate $400 - 600.
Current Bid $200
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Lot 6465
United States, 1966 (Nov 15), Gemini 12 Captain's cover. Crew: James Lovell, Buzz Aldrin. The finest philatelic memento of a space mission is a Captain's cover; the only thing better than one of these scarce items is one from the commanding officer himself to the astronaut he recovered; in this case Capt Etheridge (see address on reverse flap) has personally sent greetings to LtC Aldrin via NASA in Texas; bold hand cancel on this ship produced Prime Recovery Ship classic; some glue toning noted.
Estimate $200 - 300.
Current Bid $100
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Lot 6466
United States, Project Gemini crew signed covers. Launch covers with autographs from the crews; James A McDivitt and Edward H White II (GT-IV), Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra (GT-VIA), Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford (GT-IX), and Dick Gordon and Charles Conrad (GT-XI); an STS-1 thrown in for good measure, Bob Crippen is good but the John Young looks suspicious and is not counted; do you feel lucky? At least 9 good autographs.
Estimate $750 - 1,000.
Current Bid $375
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Lot 6467
United States, Gemini Captain's covers. 3 USS Wasp Prime Recovery Ship envelopes; GT-4 has machine cancel and autopens of the crew; GT-6A is an unaddressed 3 3/4 x 7 1/2" cover with a few spots (coffee?) but otherwise attractive with bold hand cancel and unstuck flap; the GT-7 is a massive envelope 4 1/2 x 10 1/4" unaddressed with stray staining on the left margin and lovely hand strike on recovery day.
Estimate $200 - 300.
Current Bid $100
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