posted 05-24-2009 10:28 AM               

I also have the letter that came with the photo addressed to my parents, since my mother had written to them and Virgil Grissom responded, it too has his original signature. Finally, I also have the newspaper clipping of my Mom when she received the photo as this was very special in those days. The newspaper clipping is dated August 25, 1961, the letter from Grissom is dated July 31, 1961.

The photo and the letter are in frames with glass covers. The glass is broken on the letter frame. The newspaper clipping is in fair to poor shape and is attached to yet another copy of the original photo, that the newspaper company reproduced for her.

I am a brand new teacher, and I would like to get out of debt. My mother passed away in 1982, and I have clung to these items since she was so very fascinated with space exploration.

posted 05-24-2009 12:03 PM               

While I can certainly understand your financial situation there a couple of things you should do to assist yourself in selling the Mercury autographs:

1. Check out auction houses to see what similar items sold for.

2. Provide a scan or photo (the higher resolution the better) to allow those cS members who are authorities in such things to verify if the signatures are authentic or not.

3. If you decide to keep the items get them into archival safe plastic sleeves and away from sunlight to protect your investment.

posted 05-24-2009 12:16 PM               

If you haven't done so already, you should have someone experienced with astronaut autographs review your items and make sure the signatures are genuine. Many people wrote to NASA at that time and received what they thought were genuine autographs, but often received machine-generated signatures, known as autopens. An excellent website that discusses autopens can be found here. So obviously, the first thing you need to do is to establish authenticity. I know it must seem cruel to think these items might not be "genuine" but it's important to establish what they are before assigning a value.

If you wish, you can post photos of the items here and people here will be happy to weigh in with their opinions. (If you don't know how to post photos, you are more than welcome to e-mail me the photos and I can post photos on your behalf...click on the little envelope above my posting for my address.)

Also, condition of the items will play a big role in value. It sounds like they have been framed and displayed for quite some time. If that's the case, then fading to the photo and letter might be a concern. Since the framing appears to be damaged, you might want to consider removing the items from their frames and storing in an acid free photo sleeve out of the light to prevent further fading or damage.

Assuming everything is genuine and in excellent condition, the price of the signed photo will most likely be $4000-8000. Price of the signed letter is likely $500-1000, depending on the content and quality of the letter. I would personally never separate the letter from the photo, as the two items belong together. The clipping makes for a nice story to go along with the photo, but doesn't really add much in terms of monetary value to the item.

Even if you decide to keep the items, I would consider taking measures to authenticate them and store/display them in a more safe environment.

posted 05-24-2009 09:57 PM               

I have recently moved and before I put these back into storage, I thought I would pursue their value and decide if it is enough to tempt me to part with them.

posted 05-25-2009 05:15 AM               

The photo signatures look good too. A mint one of these would probably sell for $4000-6000. This appears to have moderate wrinkling so you'd have to deduct for that.