posted 03-27-2017 11:37 AM               

Space Cover 410: Company Business

When collectors think of space event covers they usually think of covers specifically created by individuals and cover servicers such as Morris Beck, Goldcraft, Space Craft, Space Voyager, Bob Boudwin, Vandy Covers, etc. Many individuals and all the servicers provided cachets for the events as well providing for the postmarks for the events.

An interesting collection can be put together of companies that produced space covers that were sent not to collectors but to their customers, employees, etc. The companies that collectors are typically familiar with are covers produced by Bendix and TWA for the Apollo missions.

But many more exist, with most being "one time" creations. Shown above is such a cover – it was produced by the Canton Greespan Company corner card which looks to be sent to an associate, Barry Leithead, at Cluett, Peabody & Co. cancelled in March 1962 with a "A Message from Outer Space" cachet.

The C-76 Moonlanding stamp first day provides a multitude of covers produced by companies to send out. The above cover is from the Excel Electric Service Company.

Here is another C-76 FDC, this one is from United States Lines along with the associated insert. Unfortunately since many of these covers went to non-collectors the inserts were thrown away.

The above examples show envelopes created by companies to send out. Another category to look for are company covers that use preprinted envelopes that were available to collector.

In this example from Atlas Chemical Industries using an Art Craft FDC envelope – there is no Atlas Chemical Industries address on the envelope but the insert describes that this envelope was sent to the addressee by Atlas Chemical Industries (including a paragraph on getting a new copy if the one received was damaged by tearing it open!).

So be on the lookout in FDC boxes for covers like these. You can usually spot them because of the addressee listing a business location.

A related topic is contractor covers cancelled for the space missions but that is another Space Cover of the Week topic.

Any others to share?

posted 03-27-2017 12:57 PM               

A FDC for C-76 Moon landing stamp produced by USS (United States Steel).

Enclosed letter is also shown:

posted 03-28-2017 06:24 PM               

There are many others, of course, but some of the space companies represented here are Grumman for the lunar module, Boeing for their role in the Apollo/Saturn V program, RCA for the Apollo 8 TV camera along with their many other Apollo contributions, KSC's Fire Services for Apollo and Skylab, Rocketdyne for Apollo 14, NASA's own Launch Vehicle Operations directorate at KSC with a signed letter inside by LVO Director Dr. Hans Gruene (one of my favorites), a first day cover issue in 1971 by Chalet Suzanne Soups (used by the Apollo 15 crew), USBI for the first shuttle solid rocket booster retrieval ships (were also carried on the vessels themselves), Rockwell International for the shuttle orbiters, Thiokol for their first DM-static rocket motor test in 1979, RCA for STS-1 and all the early shuttle flights, GE Astro Space for STS-26's return to space, Fairchild Space EUV/Explorer satellite launch in 1992, McDonnell Douglas honoring the 100th U.S. manned spaceflight, a Skynet-4 Matra Marconi satellite launch, and a Boeing Delta III inaugural launch from the Cape in 1998 with a company letter inside (the vehicle was destroyed on its maiden flight).