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  382009526612: Bill Dana lifting body cover

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Author Topic:   382009526612: Bill Dana lifting body cover
Mike_The_First
Member

Posts: 436
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2014

posted 05-10-2017 02:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mike_The_First   Click Here to Email Mike_The_First     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've looked at these two Bill Dana covers every which way, and I honestly can't tell if someone wrote the name in or if they're signed.

To my untrained eye, they look like certain elements are in line with what a signature would look like, but, at the same time, there are elements that look decidedly off.

I know that they used to hand-write the information when they applied the cachet, so I'm assuming that's the case here, but the style seemed similar enough to some signature examples that I've seen that I thought it might be worth a second opinion.

Thanks in advance!

yeknom-ecaps
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Posts: 660
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 05-10-2017 07:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Servicers at Edwards wrote the name of the pilot on the covers - you see this for LLRV, M-2, HL-10, X-24A, etc.

Mike_The_First
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Posts: 436
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2014

posted 05-10-2017 03:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mike_The_First   Click Here to Email Mike_The_First     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I figured as much, but I'm sure you can see the similarities that gave me pause.

Thanks!

albatron
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Posts: 2732
From: Stuart, Florida
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 05-10-2017 11:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Actually I'm not sure I'd dismiss these as servicers out of hand. The D in Dana is very similar to his, and most servicers printed the names.

This is a tough one.

yeknom-ecaps
Member

Posts: 660
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 05-11-2017 08:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Al - Agree it is tough!!! Interestingly some servicers were more "secretarial" like astronauts Shepard, Grissom, etc. signatures where they mimicked the pilot actual signature - others just wrote names in their own style or printed as you stated. I was thinking these fell into this category but I certainly don't know 100% for sure.

When I first started collecting autographs I sent a X-24A cover to John Manke to autograph, not know what his signature looked like, and in John's note back he noted that the servicer wrote his name just like him...

Like everything else in autographs - if you didn't see the person actually sign it you will never really know.

Steve Zarelli
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Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 05-11-2017 09:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Steve Zarelli   Click Here to Email Steve Zarelli     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Interesting example. At first glance, it bears a strong resemblance to an authentic example. The formation of the D is strikingly similar as is the "ana."

I looked through a few dozen of good examples from different eras and they all had loopy double Ls that have a little upturn at the end. These examples have stick like Ls with little or no loop... and they terminate shooting straight down.

In real Dana examples there is little space between the D and a... The a often slightly overlaps the D. In these examples, there is a wide gap between the D and a.

Lastly, the Bs aren't great matches.

So, there are three atypical traits.

I can't state with 100% certainty, but I think it's unlikely the questioned examples were signed by Bill Dana.

Mike_The_First
Member

Posts: 436
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2014

posted 05-11-2017 09:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Mike_The_First   Click Here to Email Mike_The_First     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks everyone!

I will say that I did notice the "B" looked funky and that Bill Dana always looped his L's (which was missing from here). I missed the other stuff Steve mentioned.

But, at the same time, with the similarities in the "Dana", I didn't know if other issues could be explained by him trying to write quickly and smaller than usual.

If they were real, they wouldn't be the greatest examples, but at the listed prices ($2 each shipped), I'd be willing to sacrifice quality.

That said, I'll also confess to going in with the assumption that the servicer would be writing the name, rather than trying to duplicate the signature. I now know that assumption is, in some cases, decidedly false.

With that shattered, and the discrepancies noted, I'd put my stock in the majority opinion.

All times are CT (US)

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