I went on a field trip today to see the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft ...and they recovered coins with

notlogical

The exhibit was sooo !!! First we saw a movie about the Mercury 7 astronauts and it was mostly about the Liberty Bell 7 and Guss Grissom. Here is a link Strategic Air and Space Museum

Then we saw the spacecraft itself! That was Double !!! And when we were looking around at all of the stuff they found with the spacecraft they showed 5 Mercury dimes that were in the spacecraft when they brought it up from the bottom of the ocean. It said, no one knows who put the Mercury Dimes in there but they think some of the workers did.

The display also said that Gus Grissom took 2 rolls of 1961 dimes with him on his flight and put them in a pocket of the pants of his space suit. It said he took them to give to people after he got back. And they were still in his pocket and came back with him when he was rescued after the spacecraft sunk.

It made me wonder if he was a coin collector?

It was a really fun day! It is so cool to see coins turn up when you don't expect it!

coinguy1

Samuel, I heard a rumor that YOU had caused the crack in the Liberty Bell - any truth to that?

Ok, so what were the dates and condition of the Mercury dimes?

Glad you enjoyed yourself.

Cladiator

I wonder where those Mercs and Rosies are now.

notlogical

<< <i>I wonder where those Mercs and Rosies are now. >>




The Mercury dimes were in the exhibit. I wondered the same thing about who got one of those Roosevelt dimes.




<< <i>Samuel, I heard a rumor that YOU had caused the crack in the Liberty Bell - any truth to that?

Ok, so what were the dates and condition of the Mercury dimes?

Glad you enjoyed yourself. >>




No but people say I crack them up. But I did learn that Gus Grissom painted a crack on the space craft so it would look like the liberty bell.

I tried to look at the dimes to see but it was really dark in the room where the spacecraft was, they said they had to keep it that way to protect it or something like that so I couldn't really see the dates but I could tell they were Mercury dimes.

carl

Is it possible that the lights were kept low so you couldn't see well enough to steal the coins? Is it possible that the Merc dimes were put in there when they were brand new? I'm surprised that you didn't try to borrow the craft for a display at school along with the coins.
You'll just have to go back now and bring a flashlight, small binoculars, glass cutter if they were behind glass, cash to bribe the guards.

CoinHusker

<< <i>Is it possible that the lights were kept low so you couldn't see well enough to steal the coins? Is it possible that the Merc dimes were put in there when they were brand new? I'm surprised that you didn't try to borrow the craft for a display at school along with the coins.
You'll just have to go back now and bring a flashlight, small binoculars, glass cutter if they were behind glass, cash to bribe the guards. >>






"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain..."

relayer

Interesting. I bet the Merc's have Moon toning

carl

So why no photos?

gyocomgd

All I can say is, poor Gus Grissom. RIP.

JDelage

Grissom nearly drowned when he got out of the spacecraft. Those rolls of dimes could have costed him dearly (not that it mattered in the long term, poor unlucky guy... )

CoinHusker

It was a great exhibit. If you are interested in the very beginnings of our space program it will fascinate you. To see the actual capsule, and to think these guys risked their lives (and in Grissums case with the Apollo program, lose it) in these little tin cans is quite inspiring. Not to mention there is a coin connection as well.

MORGANHUNTER2

I wonder if the Mercs are from 1926- the year Gus was born?

Hyperion

you can find a Gus Grissom Mercury Dime MS70 in a Chinese slab on ebay RIGHT NOW

LickThoseStamps

According to Curt Newport, author of "Lost Spacecraft - The Search For Liberty Bell 7", a total of 52 Mercury dimes were found in the spacecraft.

Also, five Silver Certificates, signed by team members, including Grissom, were found wrapped around a wiring harness. There is a photograph of of one of them in the book, and it looks brand new.

I wonder if the Cosmosphere ever considered getting the coins slabbed by PCGS and then selling them to raise funds? They have already sold various parts of the spacecraft encapsulated in plastic.

notlogical

<< <i>According to Curt Newport, author of "Lost Spacecraft - The Search For Liberty Bell 7", a total of 52 Mercury dimes were found in the spacecraft.

Also, five Silver Certificates, signed by team members, including Grissom, were found wrapped around a wiring harness. There is a photograph of of one of them in the book, and it looks brand new.

I wonder if the Cosmosphere ever considered getting the coins slabbed by PCGS and then selling them to raise funds? They have already sold various parts of the spacecraft encapsulated in plastic. >>




Thank you for sharing that. All the display mentioned was the 5 I saw so i just thought there were 5. I did see the the note that grissum signed. It was there too.

cladking

There has been a long history of coins in space. They have also taken medals and
metal which was eventually turned into medals. There are even a couple of relic me-
dals if memory serves. Many of these items are quite scarce and have a very active
collector base.

shirohniichan

I wonder if the Cosmosphere ever considered getting the coins slabbed by PCGS and then selling them to raise funds? They have already sold various parts of the spacecraft encapsulated in plastic.

They're selling parts of the spacecraft?! Quel' horreur!

SkyMan

<< <i>I wonder if the Cosmosphere ever considered getting the coins slabbed by PCGS and then selling them to raise funds? They have already sold various parts of the spacecraft encapsulated in plastic.

They're selling parts of the spacecraft?! Quel' horreur! >>



Actually selling parts off a spacecraft is a pretty common practice. One of the "common" items (kind of comparable to a generic coin if you will, although the pieces are still rare in an absolute sense) that is sold for space memorabilia are pieces of the ablative shield (also commonly called the heat shield) after the capsule has landed.

Here is a picture of a Gus Grissom Roosevelt dime that I own. All of the actual ones that I've seen (3 out of 100) have the bezel deal. This one is ex: a top NASA administrator.

Tootawl

notlogical,
It is official.

YOU SUCK!!!

This is coming from a person who was on the base when the STS-3 launched (about 3 miles from the shuttle!!) and remembers cutting newspaper articles about the Gemini and Apollo missions..

Tootawl

BTW, if you don't post photos, you really do suck!
But for a different reason.

OchoReales

As a side note, the team that originally looked for the space module found the deepest treasure wreck to this date; 15,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface (using a pair of Russian submarines). Dubbed the Coconut wreck ( due to the large amount of coconuts found onboard, the ship was most likely a merchant ship. A chest with approximately 1300 silver and only 13 gold coins was recovered. Dan Sedwick handled the majority of these coins in 2000 and a small group (the best pieces, about 50 according to the catalog) just sold through Dan's Auction #6 last week. I was fortunate enough to pick up a Potosi Bolivia 1793 8 Reales (only two Potosi were available).

yellowkid

I thought those dimes were Grissom's. Isn't there a scene in "The Right Stuff" where they fall out of his spacesuit??????

yellowkid

<< <i>I thought those dimes were Grissom's. Isn't there a scene in "The Right Stuff" where they fall out of his spacesuit?????? >>




PS I realize it was a movie....

SkyMan

<< <i>I thought those dimes were Grissom's. Isn't there a scene in "The Right Stuff" where they fall out of his spacesuit?????? >>



The 100 Roosevelts (see the one I posted to this thread) are all Grissoms. He did give away and sell them. The Mercurys are a different story as no one knows where they came from. Actually one thing that is nice about Grissom's Roosies is that they are actually in good shape. A LOT of the coins that the astronauts brought with them on their assorted flights are heavily circulated.

richbeat

Back in the 1980's when I lived in Florida, I had the pleasure of meeting Gus Grissom's brother at the credit union where I worked. An EXTREMELY nice man!

OchoReales

I guess that the US folks don't care for World Coin topics in their threads. Not a single response!