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SkyMan talks about space flown coins, currency and collectibles.
SkyMan
Posts: 9,592 ✭✭✭✭✭
I've been collecting space flown memorabilia for a little over 5 years now. As far as numismatics and space flown memorabilia go, there are 4 main areas; coins, currency, medalliions and "flown metal" medallions. Flown metal medallions are an area that I will not cover. Basically they were created by having an ingot carried along on a flight. When the flight returned to earth the ingot was melted along with a MUCH larger portion of comparable metal, and then medallions were printed out of this mixture. A somewhat more valuable variant of these medallions used a part of the spacecraft instead of a flown ingot of medal. I'm not a big fan of these flown metal medallions, as they really don't have any significant amounts of flown metal within them, and there is essentially no record keeping as to how many exist.
As far as actual flown medallions go there are two main types; Flitelines and Robbins. Both of them are about the size of quarters, with the Robbins medallions being a little larger than the Flitelines. The medallions designs are a medallic representation of the mission patch.
Fliteline medallions got their name via the boxes they came in. The boxes had the name Fliteline printed on them, hence the name given to the medallions. Fliteline medallions were created during 1965 - 1967 for the Gemini missions and for Apollo 1. They were not numbered, so it is not known how many were created. The best guess is that ~ 100 were created for each mission. They were made of of sterling silver, brass, or base metal. A portion of all of them were gold plated. For the most part, these medallions will run you somewhere in the $750 - $1,500 range. (ALL prices in this thread INCLUDE commission) Given their relative rarity compared to Robbins medallions this is a testament to how the Gemini program has been overlooked compared to the more "sexy" Apollo program. Here is a Gemini 10 Fliteline (ex: John Young) of mine:
Robbins medallions were first created for Apollo 7. Since then every NASA mission has included flown Robbins medallions. They got their name via the name of the company that produced them, e.g. the Robbins Company. They are made out of sterling silver. During the early Apollo missions all of the minted medallions were flown, during the latter Apollo missions somewhere between 1/4 - 1/3 of the minted Robbins medallions would be flown. Generally 300 - 350 medallions were minted per mission. Apollo 11 had the most medallions minted during the Apollo era, 450. On each of the Moon landing missions generally 3 gold plated medallions would be carried to the Moon's surface (1 each for each crewman). All the rest of the medallions stayed in orbit in the Command Module.
During the 5+ years that I've been collecting space memorabilia the price of Robbins medallions has definitely increased, in some cases substantially. In the last year NGC has started to slab and grade them. Nowadays the least expensive Robbins medallions, Apollo's 7 and 9, will run you somewhere in the $3,000 - $3,500 range, basically double what they were 5 years ago. The most expensive medallions are Apollo's 11, 16 and 17. Apollo 11, for obvious reasons, is a popular one for collectors to get. When I first started collecting in 2007 they would tend to run about $25,000. Nowadays they tend to run about $35,000. Apollo's 16 and 17 are expensive because they have the least number of flown medallions, 98 and 80 respectively. They are now tending to go in the $30,000 range, an increase of $5,000 - $10,000 since I first started collecting.
Here is my Apollo 7 Robbins:
As far as flown coins go, BY FAR, the most common flown coins to see are the Roosevelt dimes flown on Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 (LB-7) flight in 1951. There were 100 of them flown, and all the ones that I've seen images of are either 1961 or 1961-D. The prices on these have gone up, but generally not by huge amounts. There were two big space auctions in the last 50 days, one by Heritage, one by RR. Both had a Grissom dime and they went for $2,629 and $3,586 respectively. From what I've seen this about encompasses the price range on LB-7 dimes. Here's a picture of mine:
All the other coins that I've seen that have been flown are one of a kind for the given mission, and their prices have ranged widely from ~ $3,000 for a Liberty Nickel from Apollo 14 to ~ $31,000 for a Peace dollar from Apollo 11. It is hard to make any judgment as to how their prices have changed over time as they trade so infrequently, but flown coinage in general appears to be on a slow, steady, upward climb.
In the 5 years that I've been collecting space memorabilia, probably the largest percentage increases in price for numismatic items have been for flown (and signed) currency, specifically US currency. At the most recent Heritage auction there was a $1 bill flown on Freedom 7 (Alan Shepard), the first US manned spaceflight. The bill was one of only four flown. It was expected to go for $12,000 - $18,000. I was VERY interested in the bill and kept bidding up through $26,000. Unfortunately other people with larger wallets were even more interested, and the final price was ~ $33,500. The very next lot was a $1 bill flown on Friendship 7 (John Glenn), the first US orbital flight. There were 52 of these bills flown, and the estimate was $5,500 - $6,500. It ended up going for ~ $20,300. Various other more commonly found bills also went on the block at this auction, and the prices increased substantially from previous reference points.
Here is the Freedom 7 $1 bill (I do NOT own this):
That is the end of the numismatics part of this post. For those of you interested in other space memorabilia keep on reading.
It's been an interesting year collecting in the space memorabilia field. During the latter half of 2011 and accelerating through 2012 the US Govt. attempted to claw back many items that the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (MGA) astronauts had been given at the end of their missions. It had been the tradition back then that the Smithsonian got first dibs on everything on a given mission. Anything that the Smithsonian did not want was fair game for the astronauts to keep. Many of the items they kept they then gave at the end of the mission as gifts to people who were working on the US space program and the given mission in particular.
Beginning roughly in the mid 1990's, many of the items that the astronauts kept they then started to sell, After the US Govt. seriously pursued clawing back these articles in 2011-12 there was enough of a public outcry, not to mention some very politically savvy astronauts, to have various Congressional Representatives and Senators introduce a bill to legally verify the astronaut's titles to these items. The bill passed unanimously and was signed into law in late September 2012. Since the bill became law there has been a noticeable increase in the price of these sort of items as they've come up for auction.
As in many collectible fields, there are the generic items and the one of a kind items. Generic items in the space memorabilia field would include small pieces of kapton foil and small pieces of a heat shield. These items are increasing in cost, but modestly. The more one of a kind items are going up substantially in price. Recently an Apollo 15 cufflist (basically a spring-loaded checklist that is attached outside of a space suit, essentially where a watch would go) used on a Moon walk went for ~ $330,000. The last Apollo cufflist to hit the market 5 + years ago, went for ~ $120,000, so prices are increasing quite a bit. Other comparably rare items have also been increasing in price.
As far as my collecting goals go, I've been trying to get at least 1 flown item from each of the MGA flights. There are 27 flights in total, respectively 6, 10 and 11. At the start of the year I still needed to get items from two Mercury (Freedom 7 and Aurora 7) and two Gemini flights (Gemini 6 and Gemini 8). I was able to get a flown patch from Gemini 6 early in 2012, and a nice unflown add-on in late November.
The add-on is Wally Schirra's PPK list for Gemini 6. PPK stands for Personal Preference Kit, and it is a small group of personal items an astronaut is allowed to bring on his flight. The items are kept in a small bag on the space craft. Before the flight an astronaut would give his boss (in Wally's case his boss was Deke Slayton) a list of what he wanted to bring in his PPK, and the items would be OK'ed (or not as they case may be). Intact PPK lists from this era are very rare, so I was lucky to get this one. You can see listed in slot # 11 the number of patches Schirra brought on the flight (also, most likely slots 8 and 9 deal with Fliteline medals). Personally, one thing I would love to be able to find and get is the 1950 D coin listed in slot 3. I have NO idea what sort of coin it is, but it would be a lot of fun to find it and match it up with the PPK list, (needless to say, it would be important to know the provenance trail).
Here's the GT-6 patch:
Here's Wally's PPK list:
I also have been increasing my collection of Apollo 12 items. Apollo 12 prices, while still expensive, are substantially less expensive than Apollo 11 pieces. Apollo 12 was only the second Moon landing in history, so it is still quite significant historically. Over the last several years I also have had the chance to get to know Richard Gordon, and to a lesser extent Alan Bean, so it's been fun to find pieces associated with either of them.
Probably the most dangerous event in the Apollo program, behind the Apollo 13 explosion, occurred during the launch of Apollo 12. In essence the exhaust trail of the rocket caused the rocket to become a giant "structure" (or "tree" if you prefer). The rocket was struck twice by lightning and the electrical systems of the Command and Service Module (CSM) shorted out. Luckily the Saturn V had it's own electrical system which was not affected by the lightning strikes, and the rocket continued to boost the spacecraft to orbit. While this was occurring Mission Control Center in Houston was able to figure out how to, in essence, reboot the CSM. The order was given, "SCE to Aux". To put it mildly this was a very obscure procedure, and Bean was able to flip the appropriate switch.
In the recent RR auction I was lucky enough to win the two 2-sided CSM flown checklist pages associated with the launch of Apollo 12. Most flown checklist pages do not have writing on them (particularly for a fast moving event like a launch), they are used for reminding the astronauts the specific order items are to occur for a given event. The writing on the pages occurred when Gordon eventually sold them. The checklist pages give you an idea of how complicated launches are, and cover the period from 9 seconds before lift-off to orbital insertion at 11:39 minutes.
Here's a picture of the launch of Apollo 12:
At the same auction I was also able to win a hardware item used on the Apollo 12 LM "Intrepid" on the Moon's surface. It is tough enough to get checklist pages that were used on an Apollo LM. It is MUCH more difficult/expensive to get hardware that was used on an LM. This item is a tie down strap that was used to stow items in the right hand side stowage compartment (e.g. Alan Bean's side of the LM). The strap is about 10" in length.
Here are some pictures that I was able to get Bean and Gordon to sign when I saw them this summer:
Bean deploying the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package).
The deployed ALSEP with the LM in the background.
Picture of the Apollo 12 landing site taken in the last couple of years by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Note that you can see the astronaut's Moon walk(s) tracks as lines on the picture.
It's been a fun 5+ years collecting these sort of items. The good Lord willing, I hope to be able to continue to collect MGA material for years to come.
As far as actual flown medallions go there are two main types; Flitelines and Robbins. Both of them are about the size of quarters, with the Robbins medallions being a little larger than the Flitelines. The medallions designs are a medallic representation of the mission patch.
Fliteline medallions got their name via the boxes they came in. The boxes had the name Fliteline printed on them, hence the name given to the medallions. Fliteline medallions were created during 1965 - 1967 for the Gemini missions and for Apollo 1. They were not numbered, so it is not known how many were created. The best guess is that ~ 100 were created for each mission. They were made of of sterling silver, brass, or base metal. A portion of all of them were gold plated. For the most part, these medallions will run you somewhere in the $750 - $1,500 range. (ALL prices in this thread INCLUDE commission) Given their relative rarity compared to Robbins medallions this is a testament to how the Gemini program has been overlooked compared to the more "sexy" Apollo program. Here is a Gemini 10 Fliteline (ex: John Young) of mine:
Robbins medallions were first created for Apollo 7. Since then every NASA mission has included flown Robbins medallions. They got their name via the name of the company that produced them, e.g. the Robbins Company. They are made out of sterling silver. During the early Apollo missions all of the minted medallions were flown, during the latter Apollo missions somewhere between 1/4 - 1/3 of the minted Robbins medallions would be flown. Generally 300 - 350 medallions were minted per mission. Apollo 11 had the most medallions minted during the Apollo era, 450. On each of the Moon landing missions generally 3 gold plated medallions would be carried to the Moon's surface (1 each for each crewman). All the rest of the medallions stayed in orbit in the Command Module.
During the 5+ years that I've been collecting space memorabilia the price of Robbins medallions has definitely increased, in some cases substantially. In the last year NGC has started to slab and grade them. Nowadays the least expensive Robbins medallions, Apollo's 7 and 9, will run you somewhere in the $3,000 - $3,500 range, basically double what they were 5 years ago. The most expensive medallions are Apollo's 11, 16 and 17. Apollo 11, for obvious reasons, is a popular one for collectors to get. When I first started collecting in 2007 they would tend to run about $25,000. Nowadays they tend to run about $35,000. Apollo's 16 and 17 are expensive because they have the least number of flown medallions, 98 and 80 respectively. They are now tending to go in the $30,000 range, an increase of $5,000 - $10,000 since I first started collecting.
Here is my Apollo 7 Robbins:
As far as flown coins go, BY FAR, the most common flown coins to see are the Roosevelt dimes flown on Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 (LB-7) flight in 1951. There were 100 of them flown, and all the ones that I've seen images of are either 1961 or 1961-D. The prices on these have gone up, but generally not by huge amounts. There were two big space auctions in the last 50 days, one by Heritage, one by RR. Both had a Grissom dime and they went for $2,629 and $3,586 respectively. From what I've seen this about encompasses the price range on LB-7 dimes. Here's a picture of mine:
All the other coins that I've seen that have been flown are one of a kind for the given mission, and their prices have ranged widely from ~ $3,000 for a Liberty Nickel from Apollo 14 to ~ $31,000 for a Peace dollar from Apollo 11. It is hard to make any judgment as to how their prices have changed over time as they trade so infrequently, but flown coinage in general appears to be on a slow, steady, upward climb.
In the 5 years that I've been collecting space memorabilia, probably the largest percentage increases in price for numismatic items have been for flown (and signed) currency, specifically US currency. At the most recent Heritage auction there was a $1 bill flown on Freedom 7 (Alan Shepard), the first US manned spaceflight. The bill was one of only four flown. It was expected to go for $12,000 - $18,000. I was VERY interested in the bill and kept bidding up through $26,000. Unfortunately other people with larger wallets were even more interested, and the final price was ~ $33,500. The very next lot was a $1 bill flown on Friendship 7 (John Glenn), the first US orbital flight. There were 52 of these bills flown, and the estimate was $5,500 - $6,500. It ended up going for ~ $20,300. Various other more commonly found bills also went on the block at this auction, and the prices increased substantially from previous reference points.
Here is the Freedom 7 $1 bill (I do NOT own this):
That is the end of the numismatics part of this post. For those of you interested in other space memorabilia keep on reading.
It's been an interesting year collecting in the space memorabilia field. During the latter half of 2011 and accelerating through 2012 the US Govt. attempted to claw back many items that the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (MGA) astronauts had been given at the end of their missions. It had been the tradition back then that the Smithsonian got first dibs on everything on a given mission. Anything that the Smithsonian did not want was fair game for the astronauts to keep. Many of the items they kept they then gave at the end of the mission as gifts to people who were working on the US space program and the given mission in particular.
Beginning roughly in the mid 1990's, many of the items that the astronauts kept they then started to sell, After the US Govt. seriously pursued clawing back these articles in 2011-12 there was enough of a public outcry, not to mention some very politically savvy astronauts, to have various Congressional Representatives and Senators introduce a bill to legally verify the astronaut's titles to these items. The bill passed unanimously and was signed into law in late September 2012. Since the bill became law there has been a noticeable increase in the price of these sort of items as they've come up for auction.
As in many collectible fields, there are the generic items and the one of a kind items. Generic items in the space memorabilia field would include small pieces of kapton foil and small pieces of a heat shield. These items are increasing in cost, but modestly. The more one of a kind items are going up substantially in price. Recently an Apollo 15 cufflist (basically a spring-loaded checklist that is attached outside of a space suit, essentially where a watch would go) used on a Moon walk went for ~ $330,000. The last Apollo cufflist to hit the market 5 + years ago, went for ~ $120,000, so prices are increasing quite a bit. Other comparably rare items have also been increasing in price.
As far as my collecting goals go, I've been trying to get at least 1 flown item from each of the MGA flights. There are 27 flights in total, respectively 6, 10 and 11. At the start of the year I still needed to get items from two Mercury (Freedom 7 and Aurora 7) and two Gemini flights (Gemini 6 and Gemini 8). I was able to get a flown patch from Gemini 6 early in 2012, and a nice unflown add-on in late November.
The add-on is Wally Schirra's PPK list for Gemini 6. PPK stands for Personal Preference Kit, and it is a small group of personal items an astronaut is allowed to bring on his flight. The items are kept in a small bag on the space craft. Before the flight an astronaut would give his boss (in Wally's case his boss was Deke Slayton) a list of what he wanted to bring in his PPK, and the items would be OK'ed (or not as they case may be). Intact PPK lists from this era are very rare, so I was lucky to get this one. You can see listed in slot # 11 the number of patches Schirra brought on the flight (also, most likely slots 8 and 9 deal with Fliteline medals). Personally, one thing I would love to be able to find and get is the 1950 D coin listed in slot 3. I have NO idea what sort of coin it is, but it would be a lot of fun to find it and match it up with the PPK list, (needless to say, it would be important to know the provenance trail).
Here's the GT-6 patch:
Here's Wally's PPK list:
I also have been increasing my collection of Apollo 12 items. Apollo 12 prices, while still expensive, are substantially less expensive than Apollo 11 pieces. Apollo 12 was only the second Moon landing in history, so it is still quite significant historically. Over the last several years I also have had the chance to get to know Richard Gordon, and to a lesser extent Alan Bean, so it's been fun to find pieces associated with either of them.
Probably the most dangerous event in the Apollo program, behind the Apollo 13 explosion, occurred during the launch of Apollo 12. In essence the exhaust trail of the rocket caused the rocket to become a giant "structure" (or "tree" if you prefer). The rocket was struck twice by lightning and the electrical systems of the Command and Service Module (CSM) shorted out. Luckily the Saturn V had it's own electrical system which was not affected by the lightning strikes, and the rocket continued to boost the spacecraft to orbit. While this was occurring Mission Control Center in Houston was able to figure out how to, in essence, reboot the CSM. The order was given, "SCE to Aux". To put it mildly this was a very obscure procedure, and Bean was able to flip the appropriate switch.
In the recent RR auction I was lucky enough to win the two 2-sided CSM flown checklist pages associated with the launch of Apollo 12. Most flown checklist pages do not have writing on them (particularly for a fast moving event like a launch), they are used for reminding the astronauts the specific order items are to occur for a given event. The writing on the pages occurred when Gordon eventually sold them. The checklist pages give you an idea of how complicated launches are, and cover the period from 9 seconds before lift-off to orbital insertion at 11:39 minutes.
Here's a picture of the launch of Apollo 12:
At the same auction I was also able to win a hardware item used on the Apollo 12 LM "Intrepid" on the Moon's surface. It is tough enough to get checklist pages that were used on an Apollo LM. It is MUCH more difficult/expensive to get hardware that was used on an LM. This item is a tie down strap that was used to stow items in the right hand side stowage compartment (e.g. Alan Bean's side of the LM). The strap is about 10" in length.
Here are some pictures that I was able to get Bean and Gordon to sign when I saw them this summer:
Bean deploying the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package).
The deployed ALSEP with the LM in the background.
Picture of the Apollo 12 landing site taken in the last couple of years by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Note that you can see the astronaut's Moon walk(s) tracks as lines on the picture.
It's been a fun 5+ years collecting these sort of items. The good Lord willing, I hope to be able to continue to collect MGA material for years to come.
0
Comments
Did your family have a connection to the space program?
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
ttt
I have an interest due to my time in the AF and then recovery/rescue work for downed aircraft here in UT. Also . . was fortunate enough to locate the wreckage of the first YF-12 / SR-71 that hit outside of Wendover UT/NV. Few have seen the area. I think I owe SkyMan some pieces -- although they are nothing like what he has shown us for significance.
Oh . .and Pipestone -- just finished up showing my classes your cards/memorabilia from Harper Lee. Every year they are a hit!
Drunner
BTW, you glossed over the SCE to AUX story. That is amazing that you have the checklist pages. For those not familiar it's a very cool story of how one man's knowledge can save the day. Here's the story on youtube:
SCE to AUX
from a 1977 Kagin's catalog:
www.brunkauctions.com
AB
MJ
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
SkyMan is one of our leaders . . many others here also have stunning collecting insights and directions.
Drunner
<< <i>Thanks for posting that SkyMan! I feel lucky to have been a young kid during those exciting launches in the 1960's.
BTW, you glossed over the SCE to AUX story. That is amazing that you have the checklist pages. For those not familiar it's a very cool story of how one man's knowledge can save the day. Here's the story on youtube:
SCE to AUX >>
That was a really cool story
Love those Liberty 7 Mercury Dimes... I remember seeing those in the movie The Right Stuff... "the hatch just blew!"
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 700
As an engineer and as a physician (yes, both), the entire space program of the 60's and 70's is really fascinating to me. There is something in their approach to the problem that is very refreshing. "We wanted to do it, so we figured out a way and we did it." Today we have the benefit of much better computing power (by many, many orders of magnitue) and better materials, yet the dream and the vision is mostly gone. The guys that put men on the moon did incredible work with the resources available to them.
Drunner,
The SR-71 crash site.... was that the one piloted by Col. Jack Layton? He was a test pilot in the early program and years ago and retired to home town in Idaho. He gave a nice presentation to our scout group once. He brought part of the canopy that was recovered. I'm thinking the one he bailed out of went down in California, but I'm not sure. They were at full altitude when they had an engine fire. He actually showed us some some range tracking video which shows them bailing out and the crash.
Thanks for sharing this material!
Eric
<< <i>Fantastic post!
As an engineer and as a physician (yes, both), the entire space program of the 60's and 70's is really fascinating to me. There is something in their approach to the problem that is very refreshing. "We wanted to do it, so we figured out a way and we did it." Today we have the benefit of much better computing power (by many, many orders of magnitue) and better materials, yet the dream and the vision is mostly gone. The guys that put men on the moon did incredible work with the resources available to them. >>
I'm constantly amazed that with the technology of 1969 we made it to the moon and back! What an achievement!
VERY cool Gemini 4 flags, PP!!! Congratulations!!! There's no doubt about it that Gemini 4 produced some of the greatest images of the whole US space exploration program with Ed White's spacewalk. I'm guessing that you got those via Novaspace? For those of you that are interested in these sort of things there's a neat space memorabilia store called Novaspace (or a subsection of it called Astronaut Central). Here's the link:
Novaspace link
So are you the Marty for the '50-D in Wally's PPK?
<< <i>How did you first become interested in space memorabilia?
Did your family have a connection to the space program? >>
With regards to the questions about my collecting space memorabilia (SM), I was born in 1958, so I grew up with the whole Space Race thing going on. I have always been fascinated by space, and got a Ph.D. specializing in interpreting satellite imagery. In 2007 my niece got married in La Jolla, CA. (near San Diego). During the same weekend Goldbergs had an auction for space memorabilia in Los Angeles. I had been on their mailing list for coin catalogues for some time, and for some reason they sent me the space memorabilia catalogue some weeks before the auction. I decided to check out the lots before the auction and was immediately hooked. Before that I didn't know that flown space memorabilia was available for purchase (predominantly via auctions). I won some lots from the auction and since then the vast majority of my collectibles spending in any given year has been space related. I'd say my current percentage split as far as dollars spent on SM vs. coinage is roughly 85% SM and 15% coinage. There is obviously some numismatic crossover in the SM stuff as I own space flown coins, bills and medallions.
For the newer board members that enjoy this sort of space related posts, I'd recommend that you do a search (in the US coin forum) with the keyword, "Skyman". All of my space related posts have Skyman in the title (although not all posts that have Skyman in the title are space related).
Fountainhead, with regard to your STS-1 patch, depending on who the certificate bearing the patch was for, I'd guess your patch would be worth somewhere in the $400 - $500 range to maybe $750 if the certificate is for a well known NASA personality. Patches and flags from STS-1 are RELATIVELY common. There are thousands of them (I know that 10,000 flags were flown and I'm guessing about the same number of patches were flown). Still, they are semi-scarce on Q. David Bower's Universal Rarity Scale (rating a 15 on that scale). As you can see by my best guess of $400 - $500, they are eminently collectible. I actually have one of the rarer NASA personalities STS-1 gift certificates, it has both patch and flag. It was given to Deke Slayton (the head of the astronaut office). It cost me ~ $950 in 2008. My best guess is it's now worth somewhere just under $2,000. Here's a picture of it:
U.S. Type Set
Old Lady and I went on on July 4, 1982 to Edwards AFB to see STS4
land (Columbia with Ken Mattingly at the helm)Ronnie and Nancy were
there too! but about a mile across the runway from us and about a
100 thousand other people, it was a good day, but one that makes
me sad as well, Ken brought in Columbia picture perfect and once on
the ground they released Challenger to be delivered atop the 747
transport jet, the pilot of the 747 circled the crowd 2 maybe 3 times
with Challenger piggybacked, like I said it was a good day but I still
cry when I think of the 2 Shuttles I saw that day and there fate.
Now my coin related ?, are all the Grissom dimes tethered with that
medallion?
Steve
<< <i>...Now my coin related ?, are all the Grissom dimes tethered with that
medallion?... >>
To the best of my knowledge, all the LB-7 Grissom dimes do have that bezel/date combo. I have seen one bezel/date that was not made out of silver (it was made out of some gold colored metal), but it had the same basic design.
FWIW, Gus Grissom also flew the first Gemini flight, GT-3. This flight accomplished the first significant "First" for the US in Manned spaceflight. Up until that time ALL the Soviet and US manned flights could only change their pitch, roll and yaw axis, they were unable to change their orbit. GT-3 changed it's orbit... clearly something that is extremely important for any sort of rendezvous. Grissom brought along a variety of coinage on GT-3, only ONE of which is a dime. After the flight he gave the dime to Guenter Wendt, the "padleader", the person who made sure the spacecraft was set up and ready for the crew to fly it. I was lucky enough to win that dime at auction in 2011, so I'm the only person who has a complete set of Grissom flown dimes. That dime does not have a bezel, but has GT-3 scratched into it (with a knife) by Grissom.
U.S. Type Set
U.S. Type Set
BryceM, I have sent a PM. The airframe I located was 60-6926, the first YF-12A / SR-71 to crash, but the second one built. Pilot was CIA officer Kenneth "Dutch" Collins. The story of the crash and the subsequent recovery and coverup of the incident makes for interesting reading . . . . May 24th, 1963.
To my knowledge, very few civilians have ever been to the site. The initial locator searched 20 years for it. The larger portions were of course cleaned up in a 2-day operation that was highly classified, but when you are on the site, it is easy to find smaller pieces all about.
SkyMan . . just a positively superb collection. I discussed it at some length with one of my classes today . .
Drunner
Great information and photographs of one of the most positive and uplifting human endeavors ever.
Sure would be nice if something of a similar in scope would be undertaken today. Perhaps a repeat will take place as the private sector becomes more involved in all things space.
Thanks Skyman for sharing with the forums.
eBay Apollo 7
U.S. Type Set