Space News
space history and artifacts articles

Messages
space history discussion forums

Sightings
worldwide astronaut appearances

Resources
selected space history documents

  collectSPACE: Messages
  Patches & Pins
  Collection of U.S. space program pennants

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

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   Collection of U.S. space program pennants
kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 10-28-2016 12:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have been collecting U.S. space program pennants for some time and thought cS members might enjoy seeing some of them.

Ronpur
Member

Posts: 1259
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012

posted 10-29-2016 12:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Awesome!

Larry McGlynn
Member

Posts: 1413
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-29-2016 07:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Larry McGlynn   Click Here to Email Larry McGlynn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great Collection. Pennants are a fun way to celebrate.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50433
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-29-2016 11:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tom, do you have some sense how complete your collection is? Are there pennants you know exist but you haven't been able to find? What would you say are the rarities among the collection?

I have seen a couple of STS-1 pennants over the years. Do you also collect the shuttle examples?

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 10-29-2016 02:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, I really don't know how complete my collection is, I do have some pennants that I have not shown. I can show those if members want.

As far as rarity, the LM pennant as far as I can tell may be the rarest, it's the only one I have ever seen. Pennants in the first photo and the fourth photo are quite uncommon, as well as the small pennants in the third photo. Mercury program pennants are getting hard to find.

I haven't started to collect shuttle pennants, focused on mostly the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo pennants. It seems as if there should be more Gemini pennants, I know of four, and I have two of them. Also surprised by the lack of more Apollo 8 pennants.

It would be fun to have cS members post their pennants if not seen in the above photos.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50433
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-29-2016 03:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have seen the pennants in the second photo described as originating from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Is that correct?

Do you know where the others came from?

I also find it interesting that there are no (?) pennants for Alan Shepard's Mercury flight.

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 10-29-2016 04:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I hadn't heard of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus connection before. Most were sold at the cape, parades or homecomings. I'm surprised that there are no Alan Shepard pennants too! I have only seen Glenn and Cooper pennants.

Liembo
Member

Posts: 838
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013

posted 10-29-2016 09:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Liembo   Click Here to Email Liembo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What a unique and gorgeous collection!

Joel Katzowitz
Member

Posts: 856
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 10-30-2016 07:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Joel Katzowitz   Click Here to Email Joel Katzowitz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That's a very interesting collection, I was not aware that so many pennants were out there. I have a collection of pin back buttons which I understand were also distributed at parades and similar celebrations.

I tried for a long time to track down a Grissom MR-4 button but read that due to the fact there was no parade to commemorate his flight, there were are no buttons produced.

GACspaceguy
Member

Posts: 2944
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 10-30-2016 08:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That is amazing as I would not have thought there were so many. It speaks of how the country was so spaceflight centric during that time.

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 10-30-2016 08:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I also have a U.S. space program pin-back button collection (see here). I have a feeling that most buttons and pennants didn't start showing up for the astronauts until after Glenn's flight and all three of the flown astronauts (Shepard, Grissom, Glenn) started to appear in parades together as "Men of the Year."

There is a small Alan Shepard button from his flight.

Gilbert
Member

Posts: 1485
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 11-03-2016 03:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gilbert   Click Here to Email Gilbert     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very nice and interesting collection.

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 07-30-2019 10:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just some new additions to the U.S. space program pennant collection.

Paul J. Brennan
Member

Posts: 257
From: Linden, CA
Registered: May 2019

posted 07-30-2019 05:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul J. Brennan   Click Here to Email Paul J. Brennan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very cool, a beautiful display of pennants! I didn't even know they existed for the space program, but it makes sense since pennants have been popular for other hobbies through the years.

Gilbert
Member

Posts: 1485
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 07-31-2019 09:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gilbert   Click Here to Email Gilbert     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very nice! I really like those pennants.

LM1
Member

Posts: 861
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010

posted 08-31-2019 08:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for LM1   Click Here to Email LM1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Wow! What a collection! Do you ever sell any of them? And if so, do you fold them in any way. I have sold pennants many times. The package is usually very long because of the dimensions of the pennant. I sometimes fold them if the buyer says it is OK. I cover the pennant with cardboard on front and back.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50433
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-31-2019 12:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tom (kosmo), you may have already seen, but at this year's San Diego Comic Con, Peanuts Worldwide partnered with Pintrill to offer lapel pins and an embroidered patch based on the Snoopy pennants you have pictured above.

The pins and patch were exclusive to the con, but can now be found on eBay.

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 09-01-2019 09:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
LM1, thank you. I typically only sell if I end up with multiples of a pennant, which doesn’t happen to often. I usually ask sellers to loosely roll the pennant and ship it in a box, this cuts down on size of package and keeps the paint on the pennant from cracking (folding will cause that).

Robert, I have seen those, very nice and much smaller than the originals. Haven’t pulled the trigger on buying them yet, but probably will.

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 01-31-2022 06:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just thought I would post some additions to my US space program pennants. Most notably the Wally Schirra, Oradell New Jersey pennant. This is the first time I have seen a Schirra pennant and only the third Mercury program astronaut pennant I have found, typically it’s Glenn and Cooper.

KSCartist
Member

Posts: 3045
From: Titusville, FL
Registered: Feb 2005

posted 01-31-2022 08:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for KSCartist   Click Here to Email KSCartist     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I still have an Apollo 17 pennant that I purchased at KSC in December, 1972 the day before launch.

Zoo Keeper
Member

Posts: 43
From: Akron, OH
Registered: Feb 2021

posted 01-31-2022 08:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
When I saw that Schirra pennant posted on eBay, this thread was immediately my first thought. Congratulations on picking these up for your collection.

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 02-23-2023 09:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Another early Mercury pennant of Gordon Cooper.

MOL
Member

Posts: 174
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 04-11-2023 10:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MOL   Click Here to Email MOL     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I found this one in an antique mall in upstate New York. I am guessing it is from the early 1970s.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 50433
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-18-2023 03:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex now sells an Artemis pennant:

kosmo
Member

Posts: 519
From:
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 05-18-2023 04:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kosmo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Nice Robert, and pennant looks old school.

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 2023 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a





advertisement