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Author
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Topic: Alan Shepard pre-flight photography test label?
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hbw60
Member Posts: 355
From:
Registered: Aug 2018
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posted 03-13-2025 12:41 PM
   
[deleted] |
gareth89
Member Posts: 734
From: Ireland
Registered: May 2014
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posted 03-13-2025 02:08 PM
I don’t have any info to give you about the label, just wanted to say congratulations on your acquisition, very nice indeed. It looks to me to be Shepard signing off on a piece of equipment, maybe the film for the onboard camera. It’s definitely a lot more than just a signature, it’s a little part of his checklist ahead of his historic flight! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 54444
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-13-2025 02:49 PM
"Test 108" was the designation for the launch of Mercury-Redstone 3. So any reels made of the flight, whether original or copies, could have had that numbering and date as a reference. It would be similar (though not exactly like) writing "AS-506" and "7/16/69" on a tape for Apollo 11. I do wonder about the tear just above Shepard's signature. Maybe it is nothing, but it also looks like it could have been made to remove a personalization. The tear seems to be at the same angle as the signature and date. |
4allmankind
Member Posts: 1145
From: Dallas TX
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 03-13-2025 08:32 PM
Cool piece - I can’t add anything about this exact item but I can confirm that I’ve seen a few instances of Alan Shepard signing an item related to his Mercury flight with the 5/5/1961 date addition in his hand though the item was clearly not signed on that day. |
hbw60
Member Posts: 355
From:
Registered: Aug 2018
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posted 03-16-2025 11:59 AM
[deleted] |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 54444
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-16-2025 12:52 PM
Without speaking too much ill of the dead, in his life, Clark McClelland was known to add and remove inscriptions from otherwise authentic signed photos to serve as evidence of his alleged closeness to the astronauts or to key missions in history. This was all done to support some his more wild conspiratorial claims.To be clear, all of the autographs in the auction were reviewed by trusted people, so there is no reason for concern. I confirmed with the auction house prior to the sale that none of McClelland's known questionable inscriptions were part of the auction. It is pure speculation, but McClelland may have removed the personalization because it was not made out to him and he wanted to claim it was something he got directly from Shepard. |
hoorenz
Member Posts: 1051
From: The Netherlands
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 03-16-2025 03:33 PM
Why does it say Shepardt? ... Oh, it is "Jr". |
Ross
Member Posts: 569
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 03-18-2025 06:19 AM
I believe your second guess is correct. It is Jr. |
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