posted 09-26-2014 04:55 PM               

In my opinion, the best "so-called official" mission emblem covers for Apollo 11 would be those that were sold at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in June/July 1969; mainly on the space center itself, including the main VIP viewing site area(s), at their souvenir gift shops operated by the NASA Exchange Council.

The cachet on this particular cover depicts the colorful Apollo 11 patch-emblem design, 3-inches wide, printed on the left side of the envelope.

Unfortunately, Daniel, many of the original postmarked covers for Apollo 11's liftoff on July 16, 1969, are not always in the best condition. Many have their back-surface flaps stuck or glued solid. In addition, during the early Apollo era, U.S. Postal Service regulations required, in most cases, that all received and processed space covers be addressed in someway at the bottom right of the envelopes.

Prices do vary based upon many considerations; such as condition of envelope, cancel type, addressed or not, if the back flap is glued solid or not, and if there is a provided insert card pertaining to the mission, and so on.

Prices for this particular described cover type for man's first landing on another world could be anywhere from $5 to $15 or more. I've seen a few sometimes go high as $25 or so.

The Apollo 11 crewmen themselves had acquired hundreds of the KSC-NASA Exchange Apollo 11 emblem covers for their own uses (mainly for crew insurance protection for their families). It was one of three different cachet cover types the lunar crew was able to acquire and even take many along with them on their epic space voyage more than 45 years ago.

Other KSC-NASA Exchange mission emblem covers were printed for all the manned Apollos (except Apollo 7) from 1968-72, all Skylabs (including the OWS launch) in 1973, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the twin Viking voyages to Mars in 1975, and all 135 shuttle missions from 1981-2011, overall, generally speaking.

posted 09-26-2014 05:05 PM               

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Originally posted by Joel Katzowitz:
I would, and often do, reach out to Ken Havekotte.

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posted 09-26-2014 06:51 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Joel Katzowitz:
I would, and often do, reach out to Ken Havekotte.

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posted 09-26-2014 07:07 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
Glad to hear you're starting to collect postal space covers and let me answer your questions the best I can.

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posted 09-26-2014 08:13 PM               

Besides the colorful printed Apollo mission emblem covers, Daniel, keep in mind that there were other "official" covers as such "out there" from the Apollo era.

The main postal unit at Kennedy Space Center, located inside the center's headquarters or primary administration facility, provided NASA rubber stamp cachets or impressions to thousands of received/mailed-in launch-day envelopes. Not just for manned space shots, but also, in commemorating other major space events from 1965-75.

Though not colorful nor attractive as the provided printed emblem cachet covers, the on-base provided NASA rubber stamp impressions only contained a single ink color.

posted 09-27-2014 05:10 AM               

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Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
(including the OWS launch)

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posted 09-27-2014 06:36 AM               

For the final Saturn V launch, the empty propellant tanks of the big Saturn's 3rd stage had been outfitted and modified to accommodate the entire Skylab orbital space station.