posted 01-10-2004 05:57 AM               

Flown flags is one of the categories that seems to be missing in "Relics of the Space Race," an otherwise stellar book on the space collecting hobby. I'm hoping to fill in some of the gaps.

posted 02-03-2004 06:32 PM               

In one of the astronaut autobiographies (sorry I've forgotten which one) it mentions that one of the astronaut's wives (I think Dick Gordon's but maybe Al Bean's) was an avid autographed cover collector. It mentions how she would always be sending her kids round to the other astronaut's houses asking them to sign dozens of covers.

posted 02-04-2004 05:18 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Matt T:
(I think Dick Gordon's but maybe Al Bean's) was an avid autographed cover collector.

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Late fellow-collector Barbara Baker had a cover flown onboard Apollo 12. When she took it to a stamp exhibition in the 1970ies, it was stolen and never appeared again. Lucky enough I have a photo showing this very cover.

During 1991 ASE congress held at Berlin, Germany I met Charles Conrad. While viewing a zoo, he told me that he took some covers on Apollo 12 to the moon. He returned them to the Stamp Club and could not remember, how they looked like and how many they were.

Mrs. Radnovsky, who run MSCSC at that time, is not aware of any covers flown onboard Apollo 12.

When I asked Dick Gordon about Apollo 12 flown covers, he answered, that the covers prepared for flying with Apollo 12 were taken to the moon not earlier than onboard Apollo 15.

posted 03-25-2004 05:29 PM               

We know that Barb Gordon had 87 Apollo 12 cachet covers that flew in lunar orbit aboard Apollo 15 that were carried by Irwin, but were never aboard Apollo 12. I have heard of the "Baker/Apollo 12" flown cover, but have never seen it.

In speaking with the Conrads over the years, mostly throughout the 1990s, Conrad, to me, seemed uncertain about any flown covers and Nancy just didn't know. Gordon and Bean have reported, but not in much detail, that no covers were flown aboard Apollo 12 (appears to be, and still is, a somewhat "taboo" issue).

I've always believed that no covers were carried aboard Apollo 10, however, if Young has any, of course, he has never said anything about them... but he took none with him to the moon aboard Apollo 16, as Duke did with his 25.

Yet, as you well know, being an international authority and/or specialist when it comes to flown postal covers and letters, Apollo 8 with Borman is still a mystery, even though Borman indicated that he never recalled such a cover that was signed and notated by him as being in orbit around the moon in Dec. 1968. Other reports, though years ago from close sources, "may" have indicated that such a cover(s) may be authentic. But of course, one simply has to have the proper certificaton and/or documentation to "prove" such a claim.

And if Borman says no, even if he didn't want to comment or make public that such a cover could be genuine, what more can be said on the issue?