Space News
space history and artifacts articles

Messages
space history discussion forums

Sightings
worldwide astronaut appearances

Resources
selected space history documents

  collectSPACE: Messages
  Opinions & Advice
  251150223529: Armstong Signed WSS portrait

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   251150223529: Armstong Signed WSS portrait
jemmy
Member

Posts: 176
From:
Registered: Dec 2010

posted 09-17-2012 12:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jemmy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was wondering did somebody do really well or really bad purchasing this signed Armstrong.

Michael1976
Member

Posts: 106
From: Chandler, AZ 85249
Registered: Nov 2011

posted 09-17-2012 02:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Michael1976   Click Here to Email Michael1976     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Bad. Really bad.

chet
Member

Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-17-2012 03:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chet   Click Here to Email chet     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Good or bad, this Armstrong signature cannot be easily dismissed (provided it's not any kind of a reprint or such). In my opinion it has traits more indicative of an authentic one than not; if it isn't authentic it's the work of a pretty skilled artist.

jemmy
Member

Posts: 176
From:
Registered: Dec 2010

posted 09-17-2012 03:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jemmy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A starting bid of £49 GBP seems a bit odd. This seller recently sold an Armstrong for £45 GBP. I think if the seller had an authentic Armstrong he/she would not make the same mistake as selling the previous Armstrong for such a low price.

Dougin SoCA
Member

Posts: 111
From: Aliso Viejo, Ca, USA
Registered: Jan 2011

posted 09-17-2012 04:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dougin SoCA   Click Here to Email Dougin SoCA     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I noticed the tail of both of his Armstong's looked different from other examples I seen (see photo below). It makes an almost immediate left turn, unlike pretty much everything else I've seen which it takes a good drop, and comes back up more at a 45 degree angle to the left. It is unusual that both of these have this characteristic? If they were not genuine, then you wouldn't think whoever did them would take too much tweaking to get their fake autographs even harder to distinguish.

As Jemmy mentioned above, letting one genuine Armstrong signed item go for almost nothing, you wouldn't make that mistake again (unless you have more worthless ones in the pipeline).

chet
Member

Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 09-17-2012 04:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chet   Click Here to Email chet     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The red flags mentioned regarding the seller are certainly noteworthy; I was commenting on the signature only.

By the way, the signature on the previously sold index card looks like a pretty good one too, fake or authentic. There are a number of things that could account for the low selling prices, and any buyer should always tread carefully when contemplating an Armstrong purchase through eBay anyway. But the signatures in question are certainly no candidates for the "Hall of Shame", in my opinion. They may be somewhat atypical, but again, if these are forgeries they're some of the better ones I've seen.

mjanovec
Member

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 09-17-2012 06:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dougin SoCA:
I noticed the tail of both of his Armstong's looked different form other examples I seen (see photo below).

I recommend that everyone take the time to re-familiarize themselves with the Armstrong exemplar signatures posted here on collectSPACE... especially considering recent developments. Look at the late 80s and early 90s signatures for more examples of this signature style.

If you see traits in his signature that don't look typical to you, check the exemplars. There have been many minor variations in his signature over the years.

Assuming that eBay item wasn't a reprint, I would say whomever bought it is one very lucky collector.

DSeuss5490
Member

Posts: 299
From: Columbus, Ohio USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 09-17-2012 07:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for DSeuss5490   Click Here to Email DSeuss5490     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have a 1991 through the mail Armstrong that is very similar in style. It was mailed to Neil Armstrong from Columbus and received back in less than one week. I'm quite certain the WSS is authentic and probably from the same time period.

Dougin SoCA
Member

Posts: 111
From: Aliso Viejo, Ca, USA
Registered: Jan 2011

posted 09-17-2012 09:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dougin SoCA   Click Here to Email Dougin SoCA     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by mjanovec:
I recommend that everyone take the time to re-familiarize themselves with the Armstrong exemplar signatures posted here on collectSPACE...
Thank you for pointing out this set of images to me. I see there are several that seem to match the style of two pieces from the auctions in question.

One that really surprised me in those examples is the next to the last one, a 1999 mail sample (I guess I was under the wrong impression Mr. Armstrong had stopped many years before signing through the mail.) This one still looks odd to me (I would have never even considered one that looked like this).

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-17-2012 09:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dougin SoCA:
(I guess I was under the wrong impression Mr. Armstrong had stopped many years before signing through the mail.)
No, you were not mistaken; Armstrong ceased signing autographs in 1994. That there are a handful of known exceptions to that policy that extend into the early 2000s, does not negate, for all intents and purposes, he had stopped signing. For example, had you requested an autograph in 1999, you would have been almost certainly turned down.

woodg2
Member

Posts: 133
From: Madison AL
Registered: Feb 2010

posted 09-17-2012 10:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for woodg2   Click Here to Email woodg2     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was the lucky recipient of a through the mail request in 2000. Mr. Armstrong and I had some common threads and he graciously signed an item for me and personalized it to my family.

We never knew each other, so it was a long shot when I asked. It was not a NASA related item, but it related back to some significant milestones we had in common in our younger years.

I always assumed there was an unspoken agreement that I would not sell it, and I fully intend to abide by that. It is my most prized piece of space history and I feel privileged that he made an exception to his policy for me.

DSeuss5490
Member

Posts: 299
From: Columbus, Ohio USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 09-18-2012 07:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for DSeuss5490   Click Here to Email DSeuss5490     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My son received a letter from Neil Armstrong in 2006 with a similar "printed" style. When received I thought it was signed by his secretary, but have since realized that it is quite possibly an authentic variation.

All times are CT (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | The Source for Space History & Artifacts

Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a





advertisement