posted 11-16-2014 06:00 AM               

Only 300 limited edition Project Mercury Space Craft Covers were made by Joe Fitzpatrick and Carl Swanson for Project Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard's historic suborbital space flight, May 5, 1961, down the Atlantic Missile Range. All of these limited edition covers are unaddressed and numbered, and intentionally were not mailed and sent through the mail stream. When available to collectors, one of these covers could be purchased for $15. The SCC limited edition cover pictured is from the author's collection and is denoted as number 124 of 300 on the back of the cover.

This first limited edition SCC cover unlike the earlier SCC space cover for Shepard's flight also includes a Space Craft Cover stuffer, an envelope insert with historical data for Alan Shepard's successful suborbital space flight. The SCC cover stuffer in time would become a hallmark of excellence for SCC covers.

A second limited edition of only 50 SCC covers with new artwork and a new cover stuffer was made by Joe Fitzpatrick and Carl Swanson for astronaut Gus Grissom's successful suborbital space flight, July 21, 1961, down the Atlantic Missile range. The limited edition cover for Grissom had to be purchased separately for $20 from SCC, and it was a pricey space cover at the time. But then again, there were only 50 of the covers produced by SCC, and like the Shepard cover, the covers were not mailed to SCC collectors as part of their subscription service. The limited edition SCC cover shown above is marked as number 31 of 50 on the back of the cover and is from the author's collection.

The SCC cover stuffer for Gus Grissom's suborbital flight has more data than the original stuffer made for Alan Shepard's space flight. It now includes a sketch of Grissom's suborbital trajectory in his space craft and the wording Project Mercury. It further explains that Grissom's spacecraft was unable to be recovered due to water entering the space craft when a hatch was opened after splashdown. The SCC cover stuffer becomes an integral part of the space cover providing key information for the astronaut's mission.

Space Cover #291 – Limited Edition Space Craft Covers for Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom

A U.S. Air Force officer approached Joe Fitzpatrick and Carl Swanson of Space Craft Covers with an incredible offer. He had 300 blank cancelled covers for astronaut Alan Shepard's suborbital space flight which also was the mission for America's first man in space. However, they were priced at "a rather high price." Joe Fitzpatrick and Carl Swanson thought about the offer and then jumped at this golden opportunity to purchase the covers. SCC artist and designer Carl Swanson created new artwork, added a multicolored cover cachet, and added a cover stuffer not included in SCC's earlier launch cover for Alan Shepard's mission. Fitzpatrick and Swanson hoped to capitalize on SCC's involvement on the successful manned space flight of Project Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard in space craft Freedom 7 by issuing the first of a limited edition series of special SCC covers.

The limited edition covers for Space Craft Covers were not part of the subscription service for existing SCC subscribers, and the covers were advertised for sale in Fitzpatrick and Swanson's space cover collectors' magazine, "Space Craft Explorer" for $15 per cover. All of the covers were cacheted after the fact, and all of the covers also were unaddressed. The limited edition covers for Shepard were all identical and made on 7c U.S. airmail embossed envelopes and also were appropriately numbered on the reverse side of the envelope. The limited edition covers quickly sold out. It was a heady time for SCC in this new venture.

A second opportunity presented itself as cited by Space Unit Director, Chuck Vukotich. In his book "Space Craft Covers, a Monograph and Catalog" published in 1988, Vukotich notes that SCC was able to obtain 50 identical 7c Globemaster embossed envelopes cancelled for Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 space flight. Fitzpatrick and Swanson decided to produce a second limited edition space cover for Grissom's Project Mercury suborbital mission. The covers were cacheted in multicolor, had cover stuffers added for the flight, and again were advertised in the SCC magazine, "Space Craft Explorer." The price had gone up for the second limited edition SCC space cover for $20 per cover, but the limited edition covers again were a tremendous success. Vukotich comments, "No reason was given for the Shepard or Grissom covers to be issued, but it must be assumed that it was to capitalize on the popularity of the two events (missions of Shepard and Grissom)."

Since its inception in 1960, Space Craft Covers have been an exciting area in which to collect primarily because of the detail and attention Joe Fitzpatrick and Carl Swanson gave to produce SCC covers. In the early days of the company, Joe Fitzpatrick gave this overview, "We at Space Craft believe its members have assured a more-than-average interest in Space. Therefore, we have dedicated our efforts to give the best of our services, cachets, and related information." And among the 287 space cover designs SCC produced, cover number 4, the limited edition cover for astronaut Alan Shepard's mission, and cover number 9, the limited edition cover for astronaut Gus Grissom's mission, stand as the epitome of that Space Craft Cover excellence for space covers. And by many space cover collectors, they are considered the Cadillacs of space covers!

posted 11-16-2014 06:25 PM               

When I first started collecting space covers as a young teenager during the Apollo program, Space Craft Covers artist Carl Swanson wrote a nice letter to me after seeing an early mention in a astrophilately journal of my interest in space covers. We quickly became pen pals during those "early" years and Carl had been a great inspiration and influence that would eventually help to establish my own space philatelic firm. He was one of the original early space cover pioneers of this great hobby of ours, along with his SCC buddy, Joe R. Fitzpatrick, that I never got a chance to know.

I just sold one of the airmail SCC/MR-3's during the AAM show last weekend at Kennedy Space Center (it was a higher number), but as Steve and Tom pointed out, the airmail cachet cover of MR-4/Grissom is indeed quite scarce to come by anywhere!

Still in my own collections from MR-3/Shepard are Nos. 25, 39, 45, and as mentioned a higher number just sold last week. Could you imagine having the very first numbers of the 300 series; Wow! Anyone out there have a No. 1 or close to it? Steve!!!

In addition, I have Nos. 30 and 40 that have been signed by Shepard during a private signing with America's first spaceman and 5th Apollo moonwalker during the 1990s. No. 30 is inscribed "MR-3 Pilot" and No. 40 with "Freedom 7." I wonder how many of the 300 issues Shepard did actually autograph.

posted 11-16-2014 07:25 PM               

When we purchased the Space Craft Covers holdings from Joe Fitzpatrick's widow back in 1988 there were four of the Grissom covers and many more of the Shepard covers. The Grissom covers were gone very quickly. I kept one for my own collection and Tom, I believe we sold you the one that you own.

As for the Shepard numbers, I had more than enough to choose from. I chose to keep #115 for my collection as Shepard flew 115 miles high and I thought that was an appropriate number. I do not remember the lowest number that was in the holdings but I believe it was greater than #100. It also appears that Joe Fitzpatrick did not sell them in numerical order as there were many large gaps through to #300.

posted 11-17-2014 06:40 AM               

Yes, Al, I agree, these covers at the dawn of the U.S. manned space program are fabulous; they can't be beat. Tom, I also agree that the Grissom SCC limited edition space cover is very, very difficult.

I don't remember when I picked up mine from Eddie (good memory on this, too, Eddie), but it was quite a while ago and remember at the time that it was the last limited edition Grissom SCC cover Eddie had. And Ken, I also corresponded with Carl Swanson, but did not know Joe Fitzpatrick. Would have loved to have talked or corresponded with him.

posted 11-18-2014 05:57 PM               

Ken, yes we did sell you a dozen or so Shepards... probably around 1991. Bill Davis from Richmond VA also bought a bunch of them from us. Joe Fitzpatrick produced 300 of the Shepards. Sorry to say he didn't even sell half of them before SCC stopped producing covers.

posted 11-23-2014 10:43 AM               

Ken stated that he had Shepard sign two of his SCC covers in person, with mine signed TTM. It would be interesting to learn how many of the 300 covers are signed by Shepard - probably not too many.