stsmithva
Member Posts: 1933
From: Fairfax, VA, USA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 07-20-2016 08:03 AM
   
SOLD An item popular among collectors of astronaut autographs is the "WSS litho." This was a formal portrait taken of most Apollo astronauts wearing his "White Space Suit" (not its technical name, of course) and then printed by NASA as a lithograph.
Many collectors try to assemble a full set of such signed WSS lithos. They run into trouble when they get to Apollo 15's Jim Irwin. For some reason Irwin did not sign many of these photos. In fact, even unsigned copies are rarer than those of the other astronauts.
Here is a Jim Irwin signed WSS litho printed by NASA. It is inscribed "To Kelly / My Very Best."
  Yes, it is a good example of what can happen to a photo when it is framed and then exposed to sunlight. Both the image and the handwriting have faded. Also, there was Scotch tape on the back edges of the top and bottom, and one side. Where this was peeled away it left indications on the back, and there is still a thin strip of tape on the very top edge of the front. There is a tiny area of damage on the bottom front. None of this shows up very well on scans or photos (or on the real thing), but should certainly be mentioned.
Irwin signed WSS lithos come up for sale quite rarely. Heritage Auctions, after years of space auction with thousands of lots, has never offered one. Sales of inscribed ones in other auctions in the last couple of years include $3066 and $3660. Spaceflori sold one directly in 2014 for $2400. Even a WSS portrait in the form of a glossy photo, printed years later, sold here on collectSPACE for $3500. (Those were all for inscribed examples. Uninscribed ones have sold for $9995 and $10,760!) Despite the condition issues, this is a rare chance to complete a collection of signed WSS litho portraits... at about a third the price that those signed by Irwin sell for when they do become available. $975 SOLD |
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