posted 02-19-2021 09:11 PM               

The reason I ask is that it's cancelled on April 27, 1972, the day Apollo 16 splashed down. The majority of the Apollo 16 insurance covers were cancelled on the day of launch, with a smaller number cancelled for the moon landing on April 20, 1972 and the splashdown on April 27, 1972.

Are "insurance covers" cancelled on days other than the launch, and especially ones cancelled on the day of splashdown, as valuable as the covers cancelled on the day of launch? Specifically, how valuable are the "insurance covers" cancelled on the day of splashdown?

My personal opinion is that covers cancelled on the day of splashdown are less valuable (much less valuable?) than covers cancelled on the day of launch, even though there are less of them.

Why? Because when the covers were cancelled on the day of launch they were truly "insurance covers" because at that time there was no guarantee that the crew would return safely to Earth. However, once the crew safely splashed down, there was no doubt that the crew would return safely. Their purpose as "insurance covers" no longer applied.

That being said, they were signed before the launch, so they did start as "insurance covers," but when they were cancelled on the day of splashdown they "lost" that distinction.

posted 02-19-2021 09:12 PM               

Concerning the insurance cover referred to here, more information had been provided for its lot description (See Lot 225).

Apollo insurance cover producer and close friend to the Apollo flight crews, Al Bishop, had prepared a limited number of crewmen covers for moon landing and recovery dates. Bishop had been gifted by the crew some of the covers himself after they had been signed while the crew were in isolation at crew quarters before their lunar launch.

posted 02-19-2021 09:20 PM               

My question is: are insurance covers cancelled on the day of splashdown, when there was no doubt that the crew returned safely, worth as much as covers cancelled on launch day, and even the moon landing day, when there was still the possibility of the crew not returning?

posted 02-20-2021 09:05 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by randyc:
...but how do they compare, value-wise, to an insurance cover cancelled on the day of launch?

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By comparison, two Apollo 16 insurance covers postmarked for the day of launch sold for $3,750 each in June 2020. (Both were from the collection John Young, so the provenance is a factor, too.)

posted 02-21-2021 05:11 PM               

I did some research and found that Apollo 16 insurance covers cancelled on the launch day and certified from John Young's collection have sold for $2250 to $3750 over the past 7 years. Other than a cover that sold for $3750 in June 2020 (and certified from John Young's collection) most of the higher prices were paid before 2019, and the covers "Certified from John Young's Collection" sold for the higher prices.

My theory why the Apollo 16 insurance cover cancelled on the splashdown date sold for as much as it did is that there are insurance cover collectors that want every insurance cover ever made, including all of the cachets and all of the dates of cancellation. Since there are fewer Apollo 16 insurance covers cancelled on dates other than the launch date the collectors who wanted it bid up the price.

I believe that only the Apollo 16 insurance covers with a launch day cancellation were actually held by the astronaut's family and, as Ken mentions, the Apollo 16 insurance covers cancelled on the other mission dates were held by Al Bishop.