posted 01-27-2011 10:31 PM               

In the last couple of years I've also started to collect autographs and other associated items for those 27 missions, but those items are not my predominant focus.

Here are some items from my collection (there are associated CoA's with each of these items):

Liberty Bell 7 dime (ex: Jerry Hammack).

A piece of Friendship 7's booster (ex: Deke Slayton).

Richard Gordon's silver astronaut pin. (Unflown).

posted 01-27-2011 10:31 PM               

A flag from Apollo 11 (ex: Buzz Aldrin).

posted 01-27-2011 10:51 PM               

In the unflown category are:

Gemini-Agena tie-clip (ex: Jerry Hammack):

Deke Slayton's Turtle Club pins (they are both a little smaller than a dime):

STS-1 Liftoff and Landing:

A Flown Flag and Patch from STS-1 (ex: Deke Slayton).

One thing I noticed in another thread was a person talking about how best to protect his/her items that had some issues. I also collect Fine Art and live in California near a major metropolitan area. One thing I've learned is to call the conservation/restoration department of major museums. They normally can put you in touch with people who conserve valuable objects.

One thing I noticed about both the Apollo 11 and STS-1 flags was that they had essentially been stuck to their respective cardboard/paper sheets by two-sided scotch tape. I called a conservation department at one of the major local museums and they recommended someone who could conserve these flags.

In essence the recommended person got the tape residue off/out of the flags. In the case of the Apollo 11 flag the flag was remounted using current high end mounting techniques. The STS-1 flag was mounted to a completely different sheet as the "frame" it had been in had essentially fallen apart.

posted 01-28-2011 07:28 PM               

It looks like you've got a pretty good start on reaching your goal. A few years ago I completed my own collection goal of acquiring a flown item from each of the collective Mercury 7 astronaut missions. That's 13 total flights. It took me, you might want to sit down for this, about 18 years to complete. There were certainly frustrations along the way but it was so worth it in the end. And actually, the journey itself was really a great experience.

posted 02-01-2011 10:58 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by SkyMan1958:
In the case of the Apollo 11 flag the flag was remounted using current high end mounting techniques. The STS-1 flag was mounted to a completely different sheet as the "frame" it had been in had essentially fallen apart.

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Something to think about, though, and a question for others here:

When you remove a flown flag from it's presentation and re-mount it, have you essentially destroyed its provenance?

If the flag were signed as flown by an astronaut on the crew, then it would not be an issue, but if not... someone in the future could easily think that the flag could have been swapped out for an unflown flag.

posted 02-01-2011 11:32 AM               

The item is unflown and is ex: Deke Slayton. It is circa 1960 and shows how many issues the US manned space program was having back then. If you look closely you'll see that each of the "astronauts" has been signed by one of the Mercury 7. I like the concept of having a flag from Apollo 11 right next to a cartoon showing how screwed up the US manned space program was in 1960.

posted 02-02-2011 10:01 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by SkyMan1958:
a cartoon showing how screwed up the US manned space program was in 1960.

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posted 03-28-2011 04:23 PM               

The bill is flown.

posted 04-05-2011 01:58 PM               

Flown.

posted 06-20-2011 01:51 PM               

After the flags were conserved the Apollo 11 flag was re-"glued" to it's presentation piece by best current conservation techniques (which interestingly enough are an old Japanese technique). The STS-1 flag and presentation page with patch were left "freestanding". I had them framed using museum quality material. The STS-1 frame is hung in the playroom and the Apollo 11 flag is in my bedroom closet.

In the closet with the flag is a circa 1960 cartoon, e.g. during the height of the issues of getting Mercury man-rated, showing the Mercury 7 astronauts getting old waiting for their chance to fly in a Mercury capsule. The cartoon is ex-Deke Slayton, and each of the astronaut caricatures has been signed by one of the Mercury 7. I love the juxtaposition of the early Mercury screw-ups with the Apollo 11 flag.

posted 06-27-2011 04:32 PM               

The next day I was able to meet and talk with Jack Lousma. He was a very pleasant gentleman to talk with... and that was before I mentioned that I had won his flown patches. After talking with him for some period of time I mentioned about the patches, and he became even more effusive. One thing that was amusing to me (in the "small world" kind of a context) was that after leaving NASA he had worked for a period of time with the Chair of my Doctoral Committee.

I decided to get his signature on two pictures; one of Skylab (which I also had Alan Bean, Skylab 3 mission commander, sign) and one of Lousma on a Skylab EVA. Jack was kind enough to write a nice inscription on the EVA picture. The two pictures and the 4 patches make a very nice grouping, and I plan to hang them together on the wall in the playroom.