posted 11-14-2002 09:47 AM               

I have seen a few signatures on the market. I note Irwin's involvement with the Church and the High Flight Foundation.

posted 11-14-2002 11:27 AM               

I'm pretty sure the pre-inscribed litho is the most common of Irwin signatures available on an 8x10 image.

posted 11-14-2002 12:48 PM               

The neat thing is sometimes he would draw a small crescent moon above his signature which I was fortunate enough to get.

posted 11-14-2002 06:03 PM            

I met him three times, in 1983, 1985 and finally in 1991, only a few months before he died. He was a delight to meet, and addressed probably dozens of public meetings where he happily signed photographs (with the famous crescent Moon) for anyone who asked. There was never any question of charging.

posted 11-18-2002 03:55 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Irwin was the first astronaut to charge a fee for his autograph.

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posted 11-18-2002 12:33 PM               

I asked him to sign a couple envelopes canceled for his mission, a postcard, and maybe something else. He made a comment that (at the time I thought odd and felt defensive about asking for his autograph) when signing the covers that by me having him autograph them that they automatically tripled in value. He must have at least sensed a good value for his autograph.

This was before the internet and eBay so the comment really threw me off at the time, but he was correct that the value of the covers are worth a lot more now — but they proudly stay in my collection.

posted 11-18-2002 08:27 PM               

But before Irwin's death on Aug. 8, 1991, a day after the 20th anniversary of his return from the Moon, it was quite a different scene when it came to the space autograph and memorabilia hobby and marketplace.

After he left NASA and retired from the Air Force in 1972, he founded High Flight Foundation in Colorado, an interdenominational Christian organization, of which I was a long-time member, supporter of, and a contact point here on Florida's Space Coast. Ever since that time when HFF got started until Irwin's untimely death, he never charged for signing autograph requests through the mail or in person but a fee of only $2 was requested for a signed and/or inscribed 8x10 lithrograph of Irwin on the Moon alongside the rover, LM, and the American flag.

The fee also included the color picture and even the return postage from Irwin's HFF offices. Not a bad deal, huh? The fee was later $4 in 1989-90 because of photograph-production costs and return postage.

A track entitled "Foot Prints on the Moon" was usually included with most mail requests and sometimes even autographed on the front surface at no additional charge, but was signed with a printed brochure autograph of "Jim Irwin, Apollo 15" with a crescent Moon on the back page.

The tracks were printed in two versions along with a third track entitled "UFO's... Fact or Fantasy," that was more limited than the first tracks.

Of course, it should be pointed out that donations to HFF were always welcomed and appreciated, especially for the outreach ministry programs. As a matter of fact, the very first-ever astronaut appearance and signing opportunity at KSC's Spaceport USA, which is now the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex operated by Delaware North Parks Services, was in July 1987. During a packed audience of 500 people, Col. Irwin showed a 20-minute film about his flight to the Moon, gave a brief speech and took about a dozen questions from the audience.

Afterwards, Jim, Mary (his wife) and myself were positioned outside the Galaxy Theater where Jim and Mary, also an author, were available to meet the public and sign autographs. There were no signing restrictions, however, the visitor's complex requested that no Christian-related books be available for sale, which even to this day, I wasn't in agreement with, but their policy was honored.

The 8x10s of Jim on the Moon were also available upon request along with the tracks. That was the very first astronaut signing opportunity at the tourist center — with free autographs just for the asking — and that was more than 15 years ago!

It should be noted that Irwin was one of the first astronauts to write about his NASA and space travel experiences in "To Rule the Night," first published in 1973 and republished again in 1982 as the first Holman softcover edition. His book only sold for $2 via mail order throughout the 70s and most of the 1980s; in 1990 a softcover copy of "To Rule the Night" was priced at $10 along with a string of other books authored by Jim and Mary with prices ranging from $4 to $14.

posted 08-21-2015 10:31 AM               

Anyone know Jim Irwin's signing habits early in his career? i.e. Why don't we see more of the business suit lithos signed? They seem almost as scarce (but less desirable) that his WSS litho.