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  Space Cover 646: Apollo 1 replica ONC

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 646: Apollo 1 replica ONC
Bob M
Member

Posts: 1811
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 04-17-2022 09:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 646, April 17, 2022

Apollo 1 NASA/KSC cachet replica

At the time of the tenth anniversary of Apollo 1 in 1977, very long-time space cover dealer Sean Marsar offered to have collectors' Apollo 1 anniversary covers rubber stamped with a replica/copy of the Apollo 1 official NASA/KSC cachet (ONC). It was a free service and he stated that he would use black ink to identify the "anniversary" cachets from the actual blue Apollo 1 ONCs.

I took advantage of his offer and sent him three Apollo 1 tenth anniversary KSC covers and they came back nicely rubber stamped with the replica cachet in black ink. Then I mailed one to the parents of Apollo 1 astronaut Roger Chaffee and it was signed by both his father and mother as shown here.

Also shown is a scan of two of the replica ONCs enlarged, with one having "JOHN F. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - NASA" included beneath the standard Apollo 1 ONC impression. So shown here are two types of Marsar's replica Apollo 1 ONC rubber stamps he applied to my covers.

I'm sure many of us wondered where Marsar acquired the replica Apollo 1 rubber stamp ONC device and what has happened to it? As I remember there was some controversy among the Space Unit members over the implications and possible consequences of providing an impression to covers of such a rare and valuable ONC.

An authentic Apollo 1 ONC recently sold on eBay for around $2,800 of which only 40 are thought to exist. Since 1977, I have never seen any of the black Apollo 1 replica ONCs surface anywhere or any comments about them.

bobslittlebro
Member

Posts: 219
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 04-17-2022 12:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bobslittlebro   Click Here to Email bobslittlebro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very interesting cover and subject Bob. I'm wondering if the Marsar Apollo 1 Black ONC replica is the same size as the original?

yeknom-ecaps
Member

Posts: 771
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 04-17-2022 04:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
On a side note. Ray DuBeau had a number of the NASA ONC created on rubber stamps (along with copies of other period printed/RSCs from the 1960s/1970s). A number of them appeared on eBay being sold from his estate and are now out there somewhere.

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 3420
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 04-17-2022 05:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here are a few more of the replica AS-204 ONC issue. Mine on the left side in black, I believe as Bob stated, were from dealer Sean Marsar in 1977. Note that the black inked rubber stamp impressions did not have the bottom text line of "John F. Kennedy Space Center -- NASA." The dimensions of the back stamp are 2" x 1 1/4", however, the original 204 official NASA cachet for Apollo 1 were 1.5" x 1," a little bit less in size than the replica version(s).

I can't recall seeing or knowing too much about Ray DuBeau's replica Apollo 1 rubber stamps. All throughout the 70's I had been servicing and cancelling a lot of Ray's covers for space events here in Florida, but I don't know (or I just can't recall) why Ray never offered me the cachet service for Apollo 1's ten year anniversary tragedy. Perhaps Tom can illustrate one of them for us here?

The last cover depiction is a recent replica of the AS-204 ONC in 2020 by a well-known respected space cover collector and talented cachet designer. I've also got one of the same cachet cover events with the signatures of Chaffee's parents in 1977, but I am not able to locate it at the moment. It may had been an extra gifted to me by Bob.

yeknom-ecaps
Member

Posts: 771
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 04-17-2022 09:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ken, I never saw an AS-204 ONC RS from Dubeau, only some Gemini and Apollo ones (e.g. specifically know, for example, of Gemini 8 and 9). Though that does not mean he didn't create one.

I found out about the sale of these after they were sold. I do know, after contacting the person handling the DuBeau estate about these, he said he had sold many DuBeau RS privately and did not keep any record of what they were.

I don't own any so I can't provide any other details.

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