posted 11-20-2006 07:50 AM               

Apart from being in bad taste, and over priced. Is it even legal to be selling these? Presuming they are the original certificates...

posted 11-20-2006 02:28 PM               

Here in the UK it is possible to purchase copies of birth, marriage and death certificates from the registrars/records offices. These are the source of much information for family history research.

These items seem to be far more than this

posted 11-20-2006 08:58 PM            

I never thought the world could be a place where people could profit from the tragic deaths of others.

posted 11-20-2006 09:25 PM               

I never cease to be amazed at the ghoulish ways in which the Internet can be used. If you're a NA$CAR fan, you don't dare do a Google image search for Neil Bonnett, because somebody has posted his (and Rodney Orr's) autopsy photos on a website. The guy claimed it was for research purposes and as a matter of public interest (and also tried to get access to Dale Earnhardt's autopsy photos), but you really can't help thinking it's in awful poor taste regardless. Anybody who's ever seen even one autopsy photo knows what I mean.

jodie

posted 11-21-2006 06:59 AM               

"I am the one with the death cert's. First, please let me say one thing. My intentions were very honorable. I put these on Ebay as a way to learn more about these great historical documents. That is why the bid starts high with an even higher reserve. I never intended to sell these to the highest bidder. I have a lot of people emailing me and I have to be honest, they have been very mixed. I have been railed for wanting to make a profit and also been praised for wanting to get these out in the open. I am from a different era and did not appreciate the historical value associated with these great space pioneers. As I told one person tonight, I feel ashamed that I do not know more about these men. I was born at Patricks Air Force base and I should be more informed. In closing, please allow me to apologize for trivializing what these men stood for. As I stated earlier, my intentions are very honorable. I felt a need to defend myself, and hope that you will post this to your bulletin board in collectspace.com. Also, I have ended the auction in Ebay out of respect for you and the others that I have offended!!

Sincerely,
Chris"

I promised him I'd make no comment on it, just share it.

posted 11-21-2006 08:06 AM               

You made an honest mistake. Move on and join our crowd of the most knowledgeable space fans in existance...active and lurking.

posted 11-21-2006 08:36 AM               

That is the older style of death certificate in Florida. To get a copy you have to be a family member or have a legitimate reason to get one. They are also photocopies, and do not appear to be an original - it's very evident - or even earlier, a mimeograph copy. A retyped version may have gone to NASA, USAF and the Medical Examiner, but everyone else got photocopies.

So IF these are the original issued to whomever, then there may be possible legal action involving this. Ergo how did he obtain them?

In the late 80's or early 90's, the State of Florida began issuing a newer style birth & death certificate that is pretty much an original for each copy. Computer generated of course, and it is impossible to discern from an original.

As for autopsy photo's, Dale Earnharts wreck was the catalyst for a law in Florida that prhoibits autopsy photo's from being given out OR posted in any way, shape or form.

A law I fully agree with, but needs to be amended for training and legitimate purposes. In some aspects of training my company prduces, we too are even prohibited from using any. And we train death investigation courses of many types.