posted 01-08-2005 02:41 PM               

Will it confuse matters to start 'Grabbox 2'? or a 'European grabbox'?

posted 01-23-2005 09:55 PM               

Signed index card:
Byron Lichtenberg (mail) STS-9, STS-45
Ed Gibson, Skylab III (mail)
Best regards, Jerry Carr, CDR, Skylab III (SL-4) (mail)
Best wishes, Mike Lampton, SL1, EOM, Atlas 1 (mail)
Drew Gaffney, STS-40 (mail)
C F Bolden, MGen USMC, 6/2/99 (mail)
Joe Allen, STS-5, STS-51A (mail)
Sam Durrance (mail) Mission 61E, STS-35, STS-67
Owen Garriott (mail)
Robert Cenker, STS-61C (mail)
Bill Nelson, STS 61C (mail)

Original glossy:
STS-76 insignia

Lithos:
Space shuttle lifts off into space (STS-3)
Apollo 11 EVA (Aldrin/1975)
Skylab, astronaut Lousma EVA (non-NASA)
Apollo 10 view of the Earth (worm logo)
Apollo Soyuz symbolic flight activities

Autopens:
Bill Shepherd

Documents:
STS-41D schedule from Mission Planning and Analysis Division
STS-7 contractor public relations badge
Public viewing site pass for “Test Flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise,” blue, postmarked Edwards AFB, Jul. 26, 1977
STS-59 landing Bus Boarding Pass

Miscellaneous:
Cast photo, Max Q, ABC-TV “inspiring picture of today’s space program and a suspense-filled thriller”
Lunar orbital flight Apollo 10 cover, postmarked Patrick Air Force Base, May 22, 1969
Two slides from Nova’s “Terror in Space,” about Mir
Two photos of Apollo 10 CM from London’s Science Museum
Mission 41B patch
NASA-JSC safety, reliability, and quality assurance patch
Deep Space Network decal mounted on frame backer
German stamp showing shuttle
Canadian 34 cent stamp showing Canadarm
Cassini patch
NASA Kennedy Space Center Florida USA meatball
Manned Orbiting Laboratory patch
Marsha Ivins STS-32R 3x5
Space Shots cards: Soloyov, Berezovoi
25th anniversary LM-4 “Snoopy” patch
NUSAT deployment postcard, postmarked Houston, TX, Apr. 29, 1985 and KSC, also same date
Postcard of Enterprise separating from 747
STS-1 printed sig award
Bob Crippen GI Joe action figure
Size Large Snoopy KSC Shuttle Command sweatshirt
On the Moon with Apollo 17
Canaveral Port Authority Space Shuttle Commemorative Coins (set of four, plus a reverse)

Autographs:
L. van den Berg on STS-51B cover postmarked KSC, April 29, 1985
Bonnie J. Dunbar on STS-71 insignia cover postmarked KSC, Jul 7, 1995
Maj. Eileen M. Collins/Space Shuttle Pilot/Astronaut candidate/April 14, 1990 on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space cover
Gordon Cooper on Colorano silk cachet US Space Achievements FDC (only “A Decade of Achievement” stamp is on cover)
Gerald Carr initialed note
Jack Lousma initialed note
A. A. Beagonranov signed Apollo 10 cover,postmarked Cape Canaveral, May 18, 1969: “With best wishes to the collector of space material”
Cheryl Sterns inscribed and signed Army Reserve booklet (champion sky diver)
Mike Massimino signed sticky-note (first name only)
Ulf Merbold ESA card
Loren Shriver signed note (first name only)
Peter Longhurst, Commander Royal Navy, Skynet 4PS, 1 Aug 84 signed envelope
Roy Bridges signed note
Ribert W Phillips, Payload Specialist, SLS1 signed Space Achievements FDC (with Exploring the Moon and Probing the Planets stamps), postmarked KSC May 21, 1981
Terry Hart inscribed poster of New Jersey area
Valentina Tereshkova signed postcard-sized portrait
Walter Cunningham signed “All-American Boys”

What I took: "The Race" and "We Seven" books, STS-41 ISP, a few covers and a few stickers, a 1984 Morton Thiokol Space Shuttle Payload Launch Schedule, Space camp bear, a NASA Facts sheet on TAL sites. Still a whole lotta neat stuff for the rest of you'all.

Will the next person on the list please contact me, which I believe goes as follows (David D', I assume you're the DavidH as we wanted to hit the Canadian people first?):

Kpamke
astpexhibitor
Housedadx4
andthekids
Aztecdoug
Larry
BoogerBill
Spacekid2
Manilla Jim
Bruce Moody
Machmanbuster
Kirsten
Jacques van Oene
Ben
Robert Pearlman
John K Rochester
Daveblog
Spaceman1953
MrSpace86

Of course, I still have the rest of my storage unit to go through... so there may be a second visit to this neck of the woods later.

posted 01-31-2005 06:24 PM               

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Kind Regards

Douglas Henry

posted 02-02-2005 12:59 PM               

Now if the package could say make over to this side of the pond with some one going to Autographica and then it going back via some one going to the UACC show (or similar events and vice a versa) it would save a packet for the UK or US guy who has to send it over the pond.

posted 02-12-2005 11:13 AM               

All right, in all seriousness, I had a few questions/observations that I wanted to share, but first, if anyone's curious, here's what I received:

I stopped taking pictures there 'cause I didn't want to spoil what's inside for the people who are next. And let me tell you, going through it took some time.

So, my questions/comments:

1) I was inclined to make some changes to add some durability; to wit: replacing the cardboard box with a plastic one, and purchasing some binders and plastic sleeves to put flat items in. The cardboard box doesn't seem to be a problem, but as I understand, it has to be replaced from time to time. (And, theoretically, a worst-case scenario of shipping damage bad enough to injure the contents is always a possibility.) The binders would protect flat items, which is an issue, in that there were some items that were bent up.

The trade-off, however, is that this would, of course, increase the weight, and thus shipping costs. For myself, I think it's worth it to reduce damage to the contents, but others may prefer to keep it as lightweight as possible to get as much content bang for your shipping buck as you can.

If anybody who's further down the list has any preferences, please let me know.

2) Given that part of the point of the grab box initially was for newbie collectors to get a jumpstart on their collection, it bothers me that there are handsigned items mixed with autopens and preprints in the box. Sure, looking closely enough, I was able to tell for most of them, but a beginner could easily assume that all of those items were authentic signatures. I think we should start a list of (")signed(") items in the box so that future receipients can easily tell if an item is genuine or not.

The same point could be made for hardware, as well. It would be really great to know what exactly a given piece of hardware is, and whether it was flown or not.

Again, any thoughts on this idea?

3) Who's next? Give me an address.

David

posted 02-13-2005 09:24 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rob Joyner:
GEEZ!!!
Look at that 'box'! The first pic looks like something that was rigged up on Apollo 13!!

---

The problem was in finding the right sized box. I had gotten an Extra Large box from U-Haul (bought brand new), but that was too big, and had to cut down the top of it so the contents wouldn't shift too much.

Housing the box inside another is great, but again, there's the cost. At 40+ pounds, well, plug in the zip code at usps.com from where it's originating to where it's going. If indeed the box is meant for newbies than for people to trade duplicates, then you'll find (IMHO) that newbies won't be able to participate as much due to cost. (I also paid extra for delivery confirmation for tracking.)

Same thing with splitting into two boxes - you may find that two 20 pound boxes does not cost the same as a 40 pound box. And there's extra possibility of one of the boxes getting lost, or arriving at different times despite being mailed out same day same place.

As for the poster (the item, not the person , if it's the one I'm thinking of, it was one that I had pulled out of my collection unfortunately like that already (and I figured it'd be better on top rather than on the bottom.) Same thing with one of the autographs in there - it's got really bad traces of having been mounted on the back.

posted 02-15-2005 06:14 PM               

Tracking number is 468398651329220. For the record, the grab box now weighs 52 pounds, and cost me $18.81 to ship.

For the curious, here's one final peek with the lid off, and what it looked like when I shipped it to John.

posted 02-16-2005 08:51 AM               

Hmmm... don't have my list here, but a few highlights. Among other things, I took the Tereshkova postcard, some unidentified Shuttle hardware, and the Shuttle G.I. Joe, who's already making friends with my Mercury and Apollo Joes. A few lithos, a few stickers, and the National Geographic aerial pic of the curvature of the Earth for my mom, who was more impressed with it than any of the space stuff.

Put in: A flight suit, a photovoltaic cell left over from the construction of Skylab, some 11 x 14 Apollo lithos, enough meatball stickers to last the grab box for quite a while (unless someone needs several for some reason), a few Shuttle-era astro signed items, a Lego astronaut keychain, among several more "filler" items.

posted 02-17-2005 03:03 PM               

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John Macco
V.P- Space Unit
Shady Side, MD.