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Author
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Topic: Value of laminated Mercury 7 autographs
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FlyNavyDan
Member Posts: 15
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Registered: Jan 2007
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posted 01-05-2007 02:16 PM
   
I have a B&W signed photo of all seven Mercury astronauts in their business suits. From what I can tell all the autographs look real and i don't think they were signed at the same time. The other thing about this photo is that it has been lamintated to a plaque! Can someone tell me an estimate of what this is worth and if the signatures are real and not autopens?  |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 01-05-2007 03:31 PM
They appear to be real on first glance, although a higher-res scan would be nice to make a better judgement call (and admittedly, I'm not the person to make that call). I don't see any obvious autopen patterns. The Shepard might need to be better examined to eliminate the likelihood that it's a secretarial signature, but I see no obvious characteristics of a secretarial signature from what little I can see. As for value, it's a good news/bad news story. Assuming all seven signatures are genuine and a photo is in good to excellent condition, a price range of all Mercury Seven on one photo is perhaps $4000-6000... maybe more, depending on the photo and the demand at the time of sale. The fact that the photo is laminated to the plaque is probably not good news, however. Collectors really like the option of displaying photos to match their own desires and styles. The laminating of this photo may have essentially cut it's value in half. Not necessarily, but it certainly doesn't enhance it's value any. The good rule of thumb with an item like this is to leave it as original as possible and avoid any alterations (trimming, laminating, etc.) that will harm the photo. I understand you may not have laminated it yourself, but for any other collectors who are considering such a move, don't do it!! You'll still fetch a nice price for your item (assuming all signatures are real), regardless, since vintage signed photos of the Mercury 7 are at a premium. |
RMH
Member Posts: 614
From: Ohio
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-05-2007 03:51 PM
I agree the signatures look real.The problem, also, with it being laminated is that there is no way to tell if this is a genuine item or a photographic copy of the original photo. The owner of the photo could have made several copies and made the copies into a display piece like you have. In my opinion it has no value to autograph collectors, for the sheer fact that even if it is an original there is no way to know for sure. But as a presentation piece, it looks nice and it not one of the more common pictures you typically see of the guys, it may bring you a few dollars. |
FlyNavyDan
Member Posts: 15
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Registered: Jan 2007
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posted 01-05-2007 03:58 PM
Thanks for all the info. I would like to find the guy who laminated the photo and give him an ass kicking, but oh well, nothing I can do. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 01-05-2007 04:36 PM
quote:
Originally posted by RMH:
The problem, also, with it being laminated is that there is no way to tell if this is a genuine item or a photographic copy of the original photo.
I hadn't thought about the possibility of it being a copy, but you bring up an excellent point.One question is whether the photo can, in any way, be removed from the plaque. Even if the front surface of the photo is laminated, it may be possible to remove the photo and expose the original back surface of the photo paper. One could probably tell from the photo paper if it was a vintage photographic print or a modern reproduction. Also, impressions from the signatures may be possible to be seen...indicating a high liklihood of it being real. Perhaps one could then end up with a loose 8x10 that is just laminated on the top side (trimming the lamination to match the edges of the photo)... which, in my personal opinion, is better than one stuck to a plaque. But one would need to proceed very carefully if one considered removing it from the plaque. For instance, the photo back might be glued to the plaque. It's something you might want to consider taking to an expert for an analysis of your options. Otherwise, as RMH said, authentication of the photo might be hard while it's still laminated against the plaque. If anyone disagrees with what I've said, I encourage them to speak up. I'd hate to give bad advice... Good luck with whatever you do! |
FlyNavyDan
Member Posts: 15
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Registered: Jan 2007
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posted 01-05-2007 05:04 PM
Some new info, my father who got it through a trade for some aviation stuff, said it originally came from a guy who worked at Rockwell in Southern Calif, which is probably where the photo was taken. So it all seems to add up to being real but like you said, its laminated and very hard to tell if its real. It does have "60's" written all over the plaque and looks "aged" so its not a newer copy, if it is a copy. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3314
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-05-2007 05:18 PM
Hard to tell here, but based on the image, it looks to my eyes like the Carpenter signature goes onto the bronze border that separates photo and plaque? I doubt a copy of a signed photo would do that. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3984
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-05-2007 09:16 PM
This is a second version of a similar Mercury 7 signed pic. The signatures on the first version — same exact photo from Langley — were pre-printed on a heavy stock matt-glossy that came from NASA as an early promotional Mercury piece. This second version, however, does contain different signature patterns than the first, but one can easily tell from the original first version all the autographs are indeed a printed production and not hand signed. Without seeing first-hand the second version in this format, we can only speculate, but I would guess more likely a better pre-printed production based on the particular history of the first piece. To know for sure, of course, it must be personally examined. |
randyc
Member Posts: 937
From: Highlands Ranch, CO USA
Registered: May 2003
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posted 07-07-2025 10:45 PM
I saw this topic from 2007 when I was looking at examples of Mercury 7 signed photos. This photo was taken at the McDonnell Aircraft facility in St. Louis, Missouri when the Mercury astronauts were there shortly after they were selected. There are several different photos of them when they were there, including individual photos taken outside. Note the McDonnell employees looking outside the windows.I bought this signed photo on eBay several years ago and can assure you the signatures are genuine. How can I tell? If you hold the photo at an angle you can see indentations in the photo where it's signed. So it's obvious that the signatures are not printed. Regarding the lamination; although some collectors would prefer that the photo wasn't laminated I think it actually helped preserve the signatures from fading. Lamination of photos on plaques was not uncommon in the 1960s and 1970s. For example I have several covers from Aviation Week & Space Technology that are laminated on plaques. One other benefit... I paid much less than $4000-$6000 for it! | |
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