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Author
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Topic: Gemini recovery cover: Centennial cachet?
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Ross
Member Posts: 512
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 12-18-2021 08:12 AM
   
Can anyone confirm if this is a Centennial cachet? It certainly looks like the known Centennial cachet that follows it below. 
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Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3353
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 12-18-2021 10:59 AM
The bottom cachet is a Centennial Cover that I had been a long-time cover servicer for, of which, Ed Hacker of Huntsville, Alabama, was the owner.The top cover, Ross, is interesting even though it doesn't meet all the standards of a genuine Centennial cachet issue. I wonder if another space cover dealer or collector just "printed up" only the illustration aspects of the design on some of their own covers for Gemini splashdown events. I can't tell too well from the online image, but is the cachet "raised up" or just a flat print job? The red-colored circular rubber stamp impression at the upper left-hand section of the cover is a popular RSC-type produced by veteran space cover dealer Joe Frasketi of Fort Myers, Florida. If the cachet is "raised up," it's more than likely a Centennial, but this issue is not complete since the text lines are missing.
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yeknom-ecaps
Member Posts: 759
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 12-18-2021 12:08 PM
Ross, as Ken said, the most likely scenario is that someone "copied" the artwork — likely without permission — of the Centennial cover for their own cachet.The 1960s and early 70s are full of this. Goldey copied the Carl Swanson artwork from Wallops Island and Cape servicers for his printed covers, copied the "Mayport" USS Noa printed cover artwork for later Mercury and Gemini recovery ship covers. Ray Dubeau and other Cape servicers used parts of Space Craft Cover cachets in their own RSCs. The Sokalsky recovery ship covers you posted look to be rubber stamps?/different printed version? of the Sokalsky printed version of the same cachet (Sokalsky advertisement image indicated only BLUE color). Apollo 7 and 8 rubber stamp versions of the NASA cachet stickers. The list goes on and on. |
Ross
Member Posts: 512
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 12-19-2021 08:36 AM
Thanks to Ken and Tom. Very interesting information. Before I answer a couple of questions, a slight correction to Ken's reply. The red-colored circular rubber stamp impression is a Morris Beck cachet that he added to anyone's covers who sent them to him after the mission was over.Now, a couple of answers. The cachet is a flat print job, it's not raised. With regard to the Sokalsky recovery ship covers I've discovered that they are most likely Carlos Altgelt covers using a Sokolsky design. I've added this to my submission.
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yeknom-ecaps
Member Posts: 759
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 12-19-2021 10:11 AM
The circular rubber stamp was actually sold by Beck to collectors who could then put the cachet on any cover they wanted. |
Ross
Member Posts: 512
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 12-20-2021 08:28 AM
Tom, the following is a direct quote from Owen Murray's excellent Morris Beck site. Beck Applied the Round Space Rubber Stamp After Space Flights to Any Cover Sent to Him by Collectors... Beck also sold sets of the Rubber Stamps to a few Dealers. Collectors wishing to have this rubber stamp applied to covers, sent their covers with SASE to Mr. Beck. Mr. Beck applied the rubber stamp and returned the covers to the collectors using their SASE. Mr. Beck offered this service to all space collectors who wanted it applied to their covers. Beck would apply the rubber stamp to other cachet maker's envelopes if the collector sent him the cover after the flight. We also now know that Mr. Beck sold sets of 10 rubber stamps to some dealers that wanted to apply the design to their own covers. We are aware of at least one dealer still owning the rubber stamps. That means that there are many covers with this added design and that not all were applied by Mr. Beck. (updated 2019) |
yeknom-ecaps
Member Posts: 759
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 12-20-2021 08:29 AM
Thanks for the update Ross. |
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