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Author
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Topic: 200928756330: Neil Armstrong autopen cover
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Bas S Warwick
Member Posts: 17
From: New Zealand
Registered: May 2013
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posted 05-31-2013 11:27 PM
  
This cover is being sold as a possible autopen.Any opinions appreciated. Auto-pen or Fake? Also, what would the approx value be based on it being autopen? Thanks in advance. |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 06-01-2013 02:13 AM
Autopen. Not being a cover expert I can't comment on value. |
DChudwin
Member Posts: 1096
From: Lincolnshire IL USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 06-01-2013 10:25 AM
Definitely an autopen. One of the clues is the dot at the end of each stroke.The cover itself is worth about $10. With the autopen, my guess is $25, but I'd like to hear other opinions. There are thousands of autopen Armstrong covers out there. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 06-01-2013 10:46 AM
That's a messy autopen. It could perhaps also be mistaken for a bad forgery? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-01-2013 10:58 AM
I don't think it could be confused with a forgery, at least not if you're familiar with the autopen patterns. |
DChudwin
Member Posts: 1096
From: Lincolnshire IL USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 06-01-2013 05:26 PM
Chris Spain has an excellent guide to astronaut autopens online. The signature on the Apollo 11 recovery cover closely resembles Chris' Pattern 4 Armstrong Autopen.Also, see this other guide to astronaut autopens for similar examples of Armstrong autopens. The one on the cover looks like the second one shown (after the two lithos). Another useful resource by Scott Cornish et al is the Neil Armstrong Signature Exemplar Study which is on collectSPACE under Resources. |
Bas S Warwick
Member Posts: 17
From: New Zealand
Registered: May 2013
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posted 06-01-2013 06:36 PM
Thanks all. I'm not sure its No 4 - just a basic check of the dot on the 'i' and the loop in 'e' in 'Neil' and they seem quite different. (The 'e' has no open loop area). Can the same autopen vary that much due to shake? Any other thoughts? Current price is $10.50. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-01-2013 06:58 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Bas S Warwick:
Can the same autopen vary that much due to shake?
In a word, yes.The autopen was mechanically operated, so the person pulling the item to be "signed" through it could affect the look of the signature based on the speed and precision of the operation. Autopen signatures can be stretched, compressed, having differences in letter kerning, and more. |
Steve Zarelli
Member Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 06-01-2013 07:51 PM
The funny thing is, I can't remember the last time, or if I ever, saw a real Armstrong signature that had a surname even close to this Autopen pattern. He obviously signed that way one time... Maybe that was it.  |
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