posted 01-07-2026 01:02 PM               

This particular lunar cover found a new owner, but first by premier space collector Jacques Bracke that he had requested and purchased way back in June 1980 from the Buzz Aldrin family just over ten years after the historic maiden lunar landing voyage. It was labeled by the lunar module pilot as "EEA-30 Carried to the Moon on Apollo 11" at top left of the envelope.

The Type 3 crew-mission emblem cover was also signed and inscribed by Aldrin as seen on the cover's reverse side, "This cover was carried to the moon on board Apollo 11 in one of my personal preference kits (signed) Edwin E. Aldrin Jr."

It's my belief that most, if not all, flown Apollo covers to the moon were not inscribed or notated in such a unique way until the practice started with Jim Irwin after Apollo 15 in 1986 when requesting for one of his flown lunar surface covers.

posted 01-08-2026 06:43 AM               

Buzz's standard notation on the front of the cover is enough verification of it being flown to the moon while stored in Columbia, but his special and excellent notation and signature on the back just further verifies it. No independent documentation is needed in this case; the cover stands on its own.

As mentioned, such back-of-cover documentation is (very) rare at least with flown covers and is, very unfortunately, also not encountered often with Apollo insurance covers.

But Pete Conrad documented many of his Apollo 12 insurance covers on the back, as did Jim Irwin (I believe, both at Ken's urging) and John Young did later on, plus those from the Armstrong estate possibly/probably had added documentation on the back of both Armstrong's flown and insurance covers.

posted 01-08-2026 07:54 AM               

Irwin was the first Apollo astronaut that had signed-inscribed in a special way on the reverse side of his flown Apollo 15 lunar surface covers (just one of them) back in 1986. I believe he may had been the first (or second behind Aldrin) to do so when asked. The 8th moonwalker also did several of his own crew insurance covers as well.

Charlie Duke during that same time period also said he would inscribe one of his 25 moon covers, when offered, but such a transition did not happen at the time. This same flown cover was offered to another collector that had been inscribed by Duke on the back-side flap of the lunar cover.

The above Aldrin flown cover, I believe, may be the first flown moon cover in which its original astronaut owner was asked to include such a reverse-side cover inscription. I also like the fact that Aldrin used his full name to better coordinate his EEA initials on the other side. It looks more vintage to me and not being inscribed many years later.

In early 1991, as Bob has pointed out, Pete Conrad approached me in letting go some of his crew insurance covers, and later, the same with his Apollo 12 crewmates Alan Bean and Dick Gordon. As a personal note, I never did care for the flown 12 covers since they flew on another Apollo flight two years afterwards.

Ed Mitchell did the same on some of his crew insurance covers, but I can't recall if he had done so with any of the his flown lunar surface covers. Unfortunately, during our two or three visits together, the topic never came up.

I was not involved with John Young when providing a brief back-side certification of "From my collection" when selling many of his personal Young-signed only Apollo 16 mission emblem covers. I believe those for Young had been requested by author Howard Weinberger.

posted 01-08-2026 01:41 PM               

Charlie Duke wrote a certificate on the flap of both Apollo 16 moon covers in my collection. By the way: Charlie wanted to leave the three covers illustrated by William R. Hanson in Earth orbit. However, I do have copies of letters from Charlie and Dotty to Bill Hanson from 1972 that all three eventually reached the lunar surface. In April 2014, Ken Mattingly signed both covers at his lecture in Pontefract, England.