posted 11-26-2011 12:44 PM               

Space Cover #137: Astronaut Autographed NASA/KSC VIP Cards

Starting with Apollo 7, continuing through Apollo 17, and ending with the first manned Skylab mission, NASA/KSC produced special postal cards, typically referred to as KSC "VIP Cards," and were distributed to NASA guests, VIP's, at the time of the launches. These cards are relatively scarce and are prized by many collectors. Putting together a complete set would be quite interesting and challenging.

VIP Cards are a worthy collectible, but often they are found hand addressed and also many uncanceled. But many were both canceled and unaddressed and, as such, are quite useful and appropriate for autographs.

Twenty-five years after KSC's last VIP Card for SL-2, KSC again issued an official VIP card and it was for John Glenn's STS-95 flight in 1998.

Ray Cartier created an excellent study of NASA/KSC VIP Cards for the Space Unit, which shows all types, including fakes.

posted 11-26-2011 07:02 PM               

I've got a VIP card collection signed by most of the Apollo crews, however, I do not have cards signed by the full crews of Apollos 8 and 11, if I recall offhand.
If anyone has either crew, or both, let me hear from you. I would love to complete my own VIP card collection in this special way.

posted 05-09-2015 09:09 AM               

For SL-3 the Skylab II (second manned flight) the letters "S.P.P.S." for Space Port Philatelic Society, show the crew patch with Da Vinci. A parody for the crew's wives that shows a woman's image in lieu of the male image is a funny tribute.

posted 06-02-2015 07:41 PM               

Other postal-type cards, though not printed by a federal agency (NASA), were produced and distributed on space center grounds throughout 1969-75.

The two-sided printed cards, measuring 4 1/4" x 6", were provided by one of NASA's biggest and wealthiest space fan supporters — Dr. James R. Maxfield, Jr. of the Maxfield Radiological Center in Dallas, TX.

Thousands of his cards, starting with Apollo 11 in 1969, were produced and freely distributed to VIP launch attendees with others finding their way throughout the Florida Space Coast area during a big space shot.

Dr. Maxfield, a famous and pioneering radiology cancer treatment doctor, would fill-up a 747 jetliner from Dallas to Orlando, FL, with space fan family members, friends, associates, and others aboard for the 3 to 4 day stay in Florida.

It was his own privately-rented airplane flight for an exclusive KSC-tour/launch viewing opportunity for his entire "flown in" party of guests, with many people aboard VIPs themselves in some way or another.

On the front-side of the cards featured the designated mission patch-logo design. On the back or reverse side of the cards — let's take Apollo 11 in this instance — with the text copy reading, "WHY SHOULD WE GO TO THE MOON? We are here at Cape Kennedy to watch Apollo XI rise from its earth pad and head for the moon..."

Many of the cards from Apollo 11 to Apollo-Soyuz contain KSC-launch day postal cancels, however, many others do not. Of those with postmarks on them, most are addressed, while others are not.

posted 06-03-2015 08:10 AM               

In early Sept. 1998, NASA/DNPS placed an order with my firm for an initial 5,000 "Special VIP Launch Cards" at 10-cents each. The order was placed for the upcoming Mission STS-95 with Space Shuttle Discovery set to liftoff in late Oct. 1998. It was John Glenn's return to orbit and a much anticipated flight for the Florida Space Coast.

The postal-type cards were almost identical in design and inks than in comparison to the earlier NASA-issued Apollo-era VIP launch cards.

Many were distributed, but were limited, at no charge to invited launch attendees at the main VIP viewing areas and at the shuttle press site. But in the early afternoon hours on launch day, I had been told by spaceport officials, some of the cards were put up for sale at the viewing sites by DNPS of Spaceport, Inc., as the majority of my provided firm's STS-95 cachet covers, were almost sold out even before Discovery's liftoff!

As a side bar here, NASA/DNPS also ordered (first time review) from SpaceCoast Cover Service about 55,000 printed cachet covers for the Discovery flight, of which there were 3 different types available. With such worldwide attention focused on the "Glenn return flight," of course (and for Joel), we had to provide a special pictorial postmark in commemoration of the 92nd shuttle mission. Authorized USPS and certain NASA officials had welcomed and supported the suggestion. Next step; design it!