Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 04-18-2016 07:31 PM               

---

I am looking to complete my collection of autopen signed lithographs. It looks like I need three, Gemini 3, Gemini 5 and Gemini 6.

I need the two crew signed not individuals. Please let me know if you have a spare for sale.

Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003

posted 04-19-2016 12:50 AM               

---

Good luck with that... Gemini 5 and Gemini 6 do come up on eBay, especially GT-5. Well done on getting GT-4 with Ed White.

GT-3 is really hard.

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

Posts: 2914
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 04-19-2016 06:03 AM               

---

Let me see what I can find for you Chuck, but I did let go "almost a set" of Gemini crew autopen lithos a few months ago to a collector friend. I think all the autopen-signed lithos were there except GT-3, however, I'll check for you on some other Gemini crews needed.

Also got a few GT-7 autopen lithos that include the backup crew as well, but they do not have White's autopen on them.

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 04-19-2016 04:35 PM               

---

Ken, as always I appreciate anything you can find. I am only missing the three and I will have every crew from Mercury through shuttle.

I can always put my authentic GT-3 in with the autopens and see if anyone catches it. Next it is off to individual astronaut autopens. Thankfully I have a good start on that one already.

Posts: 2914
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 04-19-2016 06:36 PM               

---

Let me know, Chuck, what individual astronaut autopen lithos are needed as I got a bunch. But you do already have autopen lithos of all the Apollo crews (including 204), Skylabs, and ASTP?

There were even more than one litho type of some crews with autopens (i.e. Apollo 10, 13, 14 and 15) along with two different Skylab lithos with all nine crewmen autopens in addition to ASTP as well.

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003

posted 04-20-2016 07:57 PM               

---

Was the Apollo 14 "alternate" you referred to Ken simply because of entirely different signatures?

I only know of one litho, and of course a different pose for a glossy.

Posts: 2914
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

Posts: 42987
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 04-20-2016 09:07 PM               

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
...crew litho with different autopen applications.

---

Just for my own education, what do you mean by this?

I was under then impression that the person operating the autopen machine made the choice of what patterns to use and as such, any combination of autopen styles could appear on any item, be it a book, a litho, a glossy, a cover, etc. Was that not the case?

Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003

Posts: 42987
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 2914
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 04-21-2016 09:37 AM               

---

To clarify, Robert, I was referring to different autopens used on the NASA Apollo 14 crew lithos.

I've actually got here in front of me four (4) different vintage-era autopen crew lithos for Apollo 14. All of them are different in some autopen application; for instance, only one has "Alan B Shepard," while other Shepard autopens have his "Jr." afterwards.

For Mitchell, most of his autopens were "Ed Mitchell," but another I have is with "E. D. Mitchell" not so often seen, and it's not the smaller pre-printed version (see last paragraph).

Roosa is different in two ways; "Stuart Roosa" is the more common usage, but there is another with his full name, "Stuart A. Roosa" on crew lithos.

But as Robert and Mike pointed out, yes indeed, there is a pre-printed autopen crew litho with smaller signatures, but those pre-signed lithos were mostly given to space workers throughout the NASA field centers.

Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003

posted 04-21-2016 07:22 PM               

---

I think it's fair to say that with different patterns, different coloured pens, different placements on the lithos, it would be a huge task to collect them all, especially pre shuttle. Heck, I have an Apollo 11 with Armstrong's Gemini era style "signature".

I find autopens a fascinating hobby, but the older ones are becoming harder to find as time marches on. I wouldn't want to be starting a collection from scratch, that much is certain.

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 04-22-2016 05:41 AM               

---

Ken, please hold onto your lithos until my next visit although I have several variations for several different missions it would be awesome to compare.

And I could not imagine starting an autopen collection today. I started mine about 20 years ago and purchased a few as authentic signatures. Over the years I have learned and grown in my collecting but I still love the autopens and a collection of all the variations would be a great accomplishment. I have close to 100 at the present time.

Posts: 150
From: CA, USA
Registered: Jul 2007

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014