Author
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Topic: Philatelic History of Conquest of Space (McMahan)
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micropooz Member Posts: 1512 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 05-11-2005 09:11 PM
Jack McMahan has released the 1974-75 update to his Space Cover catalog. This is not just a five or six page update. It is very lengthy and more detailed than anything in his first book. With the new revised first part of his catalog book being finished now with full updates of prices, covers discovered over the past 30 years, an easier numbering system and other upgrades, Jack wants to fill a void that exists in our hobby. The only catalog being used today by dealers is the Lollini Catalog, which has prices that are three to five times too high. Dealers use it to place prices on the covers they sell at shows. We, as collectors, can't see our way clear to paying their inflated asking prices and don't get some of the items that we want. Jack's book will bring prices more in line with the actual trends. But he is strapped financially and needs to sell some of the two new years that he just published so that he can run off the newly revised work. |
BrianB Member Posts: 118 From: Kamloops BC Canada Registered: Oct 2001
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posted 05-23-2005 08:45 PM
Could you expand on this posting a little? I've seen Lollini, but I'm not familiar with Jack McMahan's catalog. Seems like there's more stuff all the time I don't know about! Thanks. |
micropooz Member Posts: 1512 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 05-23-2005 09:33 PM
Glad to. Jack McMahan was a stamp dealer in Houston and one of the "gurus" of space cover collecting. In 1972 he wrote "McMahan's Philatelic History of the Conquest of Space: A Chronology of United States Missile and Space Launches and Events." This is the most comprehensive compendium I have ever seen of all of the space events through 1972, a catalog numbering system for each event, notations whether covers are known for each event, and valuation of the covers. It was 184 pages of small type covering literally thousands of events and covers. It is one of the benchmarks of space cover collecting.After issuing the 1973-74 update mentioned above, he is currently working on updating the old book, starting with the first six pages (1944-1953). This will be expanded to include many earlier events, more accurate accounting of the rocketplanes (with help from yours truly), and more accurate accounting of the V-2 development in Germany and US (with help from Steve Durst). It will be great when he can publish it. (The greatness of this catalog is not the price estimates (30+ years old) but the completeness of the log of events, and whether a cover is known for the event.) |
DOX32 Member Posts: 242 From: Lakewood Ranch FL USA Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 09-06-2010 09:03 AM
What is the current status of McMahan's Philatelic History of the Conquest of Space? Are there any new updates?Who would we contact to find out if it is being continued? I have an original copy, and the Section II update from 2005. |
NasaFrk Member Posts: 56 From: Winter Park,FL Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 09-26-2010 03:23 PM
I have a copy of McMahan's that ends with 1973 # 4991 on page 198. I take it that this is Vol. 1. What all does Vol. 2 cover? |
micropooz Member Posts: 1512 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 09-26-2010 07:09 PM
Section II covers 1974 and 1975. Jack may have issued a 1976 section, but I don't have it.Before his death, Jack sold the catalog rights to Tim Hansen, who had been helping Jack with it for many years. Tim can be reached at: 11106 Wortham Ct. - Houston, TX 77065. Prices in the US are $15 for the original catalog and $10 each for the 1974, 1975 and 1976 supplements which are each very extensive. He also sells the vinyl binder for $10. Prices include postage but he takes only checks or money orders. |
DOX32 Member Posts: 242 From: Lakewood Ranch FL USA Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 09-28-2010 07:39 AM
Any chance this could be put online and prices updated?I have update one through 1975, but not two. Also, have found many errors that need corrections, like later X-15 flights. We need to contact the owner. |
DOX32 Member Posts: 242 From: Lakewood Ranch FL USA Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 04-20-2014 10:23 AM
Is anyone working on an update or Excel spreadsheet based on the outstanding reference by Jack McMahan, "McMahan's Philatelic History of the Conquest of Space"?I have this catalogue plus updates through April 2, 2005. Editor's note: Threads merged. |
DOX32 Member Posts: 242 From: Lakewood Ranch FL USA Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 04-21-2014 07:51 AM
Please note: The coverage in my catalogue is only up to 1975, but the pages printed for this version show the "4/2/2005" date on the word processor he used.Does anyone have an update or Excel spreadsheet of this catalogue? Does anyone have the 1976 update version? |
cvrlvr99 Member Posts: 139 From: Arlington, TX Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-14-2015 07:52 PM
Sorry that I wasn't following collectSPACE until recently. I have some first hand info on Jack McMahan's Philatelic History. Before I start though, judges look at his book when they know they are going to judge an astrophilatelic exhibit. They see a date and a launch and assume that covers exist. To offset that misconception, exhibitors should always mention in their Synopsis, that a .00 after a launch means that a launch exists, but Jack had never seen a cover for that date. I did furnish Jack with a couple of hundred copies of covers for which he didn't show a value and he used some of that when he issued a supplement of launches from 1945 through 1956 and was planning on another section from 1957 through 1960 when he passed away. He was able to do this because my wife, Karen, typed his entire book on to floppy discs for him since he originally typed his book on a typewriter. Just before he typed the early supplement he created supplements through 1976. Bob Boyd and I helped him somewhat with information we had and visited him and his wife in Houston when he asked us to come down to talk about his book with him. Tim Hanson has all this material after buying the rights, so I can't copy what I have. But if someone who wants it can'd get it from Tim and he gives written permission for me to copy the 1976 and the 1945 to 1956 updates, I's be happy to help. If we ever get a group to discuss honoring some of the people who got the Space Unit thriving, Jack McMahan should be in the mix. So many of us relied, and some still do rely, on using his catalog to check dates on covers we run across. He and several of his children spent possibly thousands of hours at libraries researching newspapers so that he could list every launch that ever occurred, in the pre-computer days. |