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Author
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Topic: 322020205450: Covers flown to Salyut stations
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RichieB16
Member Posts: 552
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 03-01-2016 09:48 AM
   
Often, I see signed cosmonaut covers on eBay, which are stated to have flown to a Salyut space station and are stamped to have done so. I have also read that in the past, these stamps were often brought back to earth and used after the mission. So, is there anyway to know for sure if a given cover is actually flown? I would love to add one to my collection in the future but I don't want to buy it unless I know for sure that it was actually a flown item. Any thoughts. Here is an example... and this seller seems to have several (which also concerns me). |
spaceflori
Member Posts: 1499
From: Germany
Registered: May 2000
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posted 03-01-2016 11:08 AM
The example you show contains forged signatures in my opinion - so the rest would be highly questionable as well.Many if most of these Salyut covers are actually not flown but are souvenir "Spacemail" covers - maybe Walter Hopferwieser jumps in with more info. I would only buy a Salyut cover as flown if it comes with either an official COA (by Hopferwieser e.G.) or contains a handwritten remark by one of the participating cosmonaut that this cover has actually been flown. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 552
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 03-01-2016 11:37 AM
Great information, thank you. I wasn't really thinking about the signatures on this (not that I have a strong enough background to know anyway). That alone reinforces with me that idea that I need to ask here before I consider buying anything online. The truth is, I wasn't going to buy this item anyway, I was simply using it as an example... but just the fact that my example is so clearly bad makes me a lit more cautious. |
cosmos-walter
Member Posts: 691
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted 03-02-2016 02:55 AM
Richie, for Salyut-6, Salyut-7 and MIR space stations "souvenir covers" with genuine onboard postmarks and signatures exist. Some of them even have a handwritten signed notation from a participating cosmonaut like "onboard Salyut-6".The "flown covers" this seller offers on eBay are different: Signatures as well as onboard cancellations are faked. These days I am finalizing my compendium and catalogue on "Pioneer Rocket Mail and Space Mail". It should be available for 39.90 EUR in April. There will be many colour pictures of real space mail covers giving you a feeling what exists. Moreover, examples of gneuine signatures of all 556 astronauts who flew into space (+ Roger Chaffee and unflown astronauts who launched with STS-51L) are shown. |
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