Posts: 44411
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-21-2016 06:52 PM               

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As pictured in today's article and photo gallery about the arrival of the Apollo 19 Saturn V first stage in Mississippi, the INFINITY Science Center has produced a replica of the unofficial Apollo 19 patch:

The patch, which is a fundraiser for the restoration of the S-IC, is presented inside a folder that is signed by Fred Haise.

The first phase of our fund raising effort offers a unique addition to your Apollo memorabilia: an autographed Apollo 19 mission patch. For a donation of $150, you'll receive a Fred Haise-autographed patch in a commemorative sleeve (as shown).

The science center's website (and the text on the first run of sleeves) incorrectly attributes the patch to being original to the mission. They are now aware of it (as well as who the artist was) and will be taking steps to correct the description.

That said, while I am normally not a fan of fantasy patches, I am fully in favor — and advocate — for the collectSPACE community to give as they can to support the restoration effort.

Posts: 2928
From: Titusville, FL
Registered: Feb 2005

posted 06-21-2016 06:58 PM               

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I am all in favor of supporting the fundraising effort. I even volunteered to donate my services to create a special commemorative.

As long as they correct the description and give the artist proper credit (which I don't understand how they made that mistake) then this patch can be a desired collectible.

Posts: 3446
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 06-21-2016 08:25 PM               

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Perhaps I'm splitting hairs here, but I don't see how this is considered unofficial, considering Apollo 19 was canceled even before a definitive crew selection (aside from perhaps Haise) — and thus no patch was okayed by NASA. No official patch, no unofficial patch.

This would be more properly termed a fantasy patch. Even if it has Haise's approval.

Posts: 44411
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 1320
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 06-22-2016 08:31 AM               

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Not to split hairs again, but the description on Infinity's website states "...an autographed Apollo 19 mission patch." Clearly, Haise signed his name on the sleeve showing the S-IC stage, not on the patch itself. Also, "memorabilia" is misspelled. Little things like that go a long way in presenting the item in a more correct and professional manner.

As far as the origins of the patch; well of course most cS members know the patches are merely proposed and artists' concepts. Whether this particular patch will be more valuable or less than other "fantasy" or "unofficial" patches I will leave to the experts — and the collectible market.

Posts: 23
From: Winston Salem North Carolina
Registered: Apr 2015

Posts: 357
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013

posted 06-22-2016 09:07 PM               

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Well that's both promising and disappointing that they're sold out. Promising in that I hope they sell a lot to help this cause. Disappointing in that I was hoping to help out the cause myself and, in return, receive one of these unique items. Hopefully more will be available for sale soon.

Any word at all if just the patch without the signed sleeve will be available? I'd most definitely be interested in one if this was the case. I've donated to Infinity in the past and am certainly not opposed to more donations, but $150 might stretch the budget a bit at the moment. However, a more reasonable amount for the patch alone certainly wouldn't be out of the question. $20-$30 for a charitable cause being reasonable, in my opinion.

Posts: 1320
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

Posts: 23
From: Winston Salem North Carolina
Registered: Apr 2015

Posts: 1621
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

Posts: 23
From: Winston Salem North Carolina
Registered: Apr 2015

Posts: 1621
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

Posts: 741
From: Longview, Texas, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-04-2020 03:18 PM               

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Does anyone know how the design of the Apollo 19 patch sold by the Infinity Science Center was determined?

It was mentioned under another thread that a patch design by the Apollo 19 crew was ready for submission to NASA HQ, but never submitted and that a patch design was not developed since the crew was not announced publicly. These statements clearly contradict each other.

Posts: 44411
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-04-2020 05:52 PM               

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A former cS member (Rob South) said that he created the design when designing his (now offline) website to illustrate a page about the Apollo 19 mission.

Then Randy Hunt, a patch dealer (since deceased), used the art to produce an embroidered emblem without identifying the design's origin, allowing assumptions about its origin to slowly spread.

Eventually, the design made it onto enough websites and other resources that it was understandably mistaken by the INFINITY Science Center as being original to the crew and was adapted accordingly for their 2016 fundraiser.