posted 05-07-2006 04:39 PM
I just received my covers from the Regency-Superior Auction and I am thrilled to have won two covers I have wanted for a long time:1) Gus Grissom signed cover. Although I started collecting covers in 1965 and sent one to Gus 3 different times before his death in January, 1967, all I received were autopen signatures. I have been trying to get a genuine signed cover at a reasonable price for a long time. I won the MA-9 tracking cover from Guaymas with his signature and "MA-9 Cap Com" inscription (lot 210). The winning bid (including the 15% buyers premium) was $241.50. While an MR-4 or GT-3 cover would be nice, it is well-known that he signed these Capcom covers so I feel comfortable that the autograph is genuine.
2) Gemini 5 KSC NASA cachet. While I had started collecting at the time, I missed some of the early KSC cover cachets from 1965 and 1966. I have most of them now, but a GT-5 KSC cachet in excellent condition remained elusive. The Gemini 5 cover I won (lot 700) is addressed to R. Yorio,a pioneer of this type of cachet. The winning bid was $220, including the buyer's premium. The cover is in outstanding condition for this type.
The service and shipping by Regency-Superior was great-- they are a class outfit.
If you have holes in your cover collection, I recommend the Space Unit auction for the more common items and Regency-Superior or Swann for the rarer covers.
David