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Author
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Topic: Jim Iwrin's Apollo 15 'Shamrock' covers
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Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3330
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 04-04-2007 02:34 PM
   
On the subject of Jim Irwin's Apollo 15 flown Shamrock covers, they were inside Irwin's PPK that remained in the command module Endeavour for the entire flight.The eight Shamrock covers were listed on Irwin's command module PPK, as a copy of the manifest indicates. I've had a few emails and calls/discussions about this, but despite what others may think, it is my honest belief that all eight Shamrock covers were "Carried to the Moon" but never went down to the surface. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1627
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-28-2007 02:13 PM
Does anyone have any information on the Jim Irwin Shamrock (Apollo 15) covers? How many were produced? How many were flown? How many to the surface? Editor's note: Threads merged. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3330
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 05-29-2007 05:37 PM
To briefly answer Tom's questions here pertaining to Irwin's Shamrock covers; - My estimate of how many were produced is 500+ of the special cachet covers. I still have a few from the original batch that were KSC launch posted for the Apollo 15 liftoff on July 26, 1971.
- Only 8 covers were flown around the moon on the command ship Endeavour, however, there is a strong possibility that Irwin had anywhere from one to 42 more inside his PPK that were stowed aboard LM Falcon that went to the lunar surface.
Unfortunately, neither Scott or Irwin retrieved their LM PPKs as the landing craft was jettisoned while in lunar orbit. Irwin did report that some "covers" were indeed included as part of his LM Falcon PPK contents, however, he never did reveal exactly what type of covers those were. Perhaps some — if not all — were indeed from the original 50 batch he had of the Shamrock variety.
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backburner
Member Posts: 96
From: NYC, NY, USA
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted 09-14-2021 12:31 PM
I need some information on shamrocks from Apollo 15. I thought that I read somewhere that Jim Irwin brought shamrocks to the moon on his flight. He gave one of them to friends. I just saw a cover from Apollo 15 with it on the cover. Could this be one of them? Any help would be appreciated. Editor's note: Threads merged. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3330
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 09-14-2021 02:30 PM
Just briefly, Irwin did have eight "Shamrock" cachet-designed envelope covers with him on his lunar voyage. They had been a part of his CM-112 PPK #1178 while orbiting the moon in 1971. None of those in this category were stamped-up in advance nor flight posted, but one of them was processed for a later Kennedy Space Center (KSC) event of the crew's return ceremony in thanking the launch team later that year.But the same type covers, all bearing the exact same printed cachets as those that went to the moon, were produced by Ray Burton of the KSC Philatelic Society. The nearby Brevard Printing shop in Cocoa, Florida, did the actual four-color print job. At least 500 or more of the Shamrock cachet covers were printed, or I mean to say, were from the original batch of the ones that Irwin flew. But this batch of covers were mostly stamped and KSC launch day posted. Is this what you wanted to know? |
backburner
Member Posts: 96
From: NYC, NY, USA
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted 09-15-2021 01:46 PM
As always, thank you for your help. |
cosmos-walter
Member Posts: 733
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted 09-17-2021 11:30 AM
In my catalogue I wrote about these covers: Jim Irwin was of Irish descent and, before his Moon flight, had covers printed that show a three-leaf cloverleaf – shamrock – and two astronauts in the Moon car next to the mission emblem. He took eight of these covers to the Moon without a stamp. They are listed as no. 15 in his CM-PPK S/N 1178. After splash-down, he gave two Shamrock Moon letters to a friend who franked them with Apollo 15 dual stamps and had them cancelled in Kennedy Space Center on 29.09.1971 – the day the three space travelers returned to the KSC again.Due to a misunderstanding between the two Moon walkers, their LM-PPKs remained in the lunar module Falcon, when it fell on the Moon surface after the Moon walkers changed to the command capsule Endeavour. Irwin's LM-PPK contained up to 42 more Shamrock covers. Ken, are you sure, only one Shamrock cover was postmarked in Kennedy Space Center on 29.09.1971? |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3330
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 09-17-2021 12:11 PM
To answer your question Walter, I've only seen one of the Irwin Shamrock covers posted by Ray Burton, but never saw the other that Irwin had also gifted to KSC's mail chief Dusty Rhodes. It's quite possible that Rhodes had his only "moon cover" KSC-posted for the Apollo 15 crew return ceremonies seven months after the flight, as Burton did. |
cosmos-walter
Member Posts: 733
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted 09-17-2021 12:48 PM
The cover gifted to R. Burton can be viewed at here. The other one is in the collection of late Adolf Maier. |
cosmos-walter
Member Posts: 733
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted 09-17-2021 01:02 PM
quote:
Originally posted by backburner:
I thought that I read somewhere that Jim Irwin brought shamrocks to the moon...
I also read somewhere that Jim Irwin additionally carried at least one pressed shamrock. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3330
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 09-17-2021 01:55 PM
I can't say for sure, Walter, but it looks like Rhodes may have sold his Shamrock moon cover to Adolf Maier in 1981, ten years after the flight. I did handle two (2) of the eight (8) Shamrock flown covers as a family private sale, but not for Maier.Irwin did have three (3) leaf clovers that were encased in plastic that went to the moon as part of his CM-S/N 1178 PPK. |
thisismills
Member Posts: 455
From: Michigan
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 09-17-2021 09:23 PM
An article from the March 1992 Astrophile written by Ray Burton discussing the shamrock covers, enjoy! 
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Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3330
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 09-21-2021 05:42 PM
Great article posting Jeff about Ray's lunar covers in the March 1992 Astrophile issue as I had forgotten Ray's coverage of it. You know, I wonder if another 500 of the Shamrock cachet covers were printed as I have a few hundred of them KSC-launch posted. Mine came from Al Bishop with only a few from Burton. I don't think Bishop knew Burton that well, but on second thought, they may have come from the KSCPS or from John Jacobs or Bill Leach of Brevard Printing. I just can't be certain after so many years, but for sure, mine are the exact same batch of those that went to the moon as there is no question about that in my mind. |
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