posted 07-14-2018 09:27 PM               

Space Cover 474: SCC and Swanson Skylab Covers

When collectors think of Space Craft Covers they normally think of the printed covers created by artist Carl Swanson and his business partner Joe Fitzpatrick. Covers were available on a subscription basis from 1961 until the set of four covers created for Apollo 17. A planned set of Skylab covers were never produced. Carl did produce a set of covers for the ASTP mission that was available through the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Stamp Club. All of these had the "Swanson" depicted in part of the cachet.

Less well known is that a number of servicer rubber stamp cachets were created by Carl – for example – some of the cachets from Wallops Island, X-24B at Edwards AFB, USNS Redstone, Vandenberg AFB. Some of these have the "Swanson" in the cachet but others do not.

Though printed Swanson cachets do not exist for Skylab there are Swanson designed rubber stamp cachets for all the Skylab missions. The Goddard Space Flight Center Skylab Tracking Team cachet as shown above for the Skylab 2 launch show the design of the rubber stamp cachet. "Swanson" is depicted in the cachet.

The cachets appear for multiple events for the missions including launch and splashdown. The color of the cachet varies for the missions.

If you have a Space Craft Cover collection and want to include the "missing" Skylab launches here is a way to fill in the collection with a Swanson designed cachet. As an extra challenge to look for, there are a number of these Skylab event covers that are addressed to "Space Craft Covers" having the SCC logo in the address.

Good luck in your search... I just obtained one of these out of the dollar box at a stamp show today.