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  Space Cover 309: Gemini 3 at 50

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 309: Gemini 3 at 50
micropooz
Member

Posts: 1751
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 03-22-2015 08:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for micropooz   Click Here to Email micropooz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 309 (March 22, 2015)

Space Cover #309: Gemini 3 at 50

Fifty years ago tomorrow, the first manned Gemini flight, Gemini 3, was launched. Gus Grissom and John Young performed a flawless three-orbit test flight of the new capsule. The cover above was machine cancelled at Cape Canaveral on the day of launch, March 23, 1965. It carries no cachet, just the hard-to-find autographs of the two crewmen.

I have a favorite story about this cover. Years ago, Stevedd841 and I visited a picnic being held by the Metropolitan Airmail Postal Society (MAPS) near New York City. Most of the people there were hardcore airmail collectors, but there were a few of us space geeks along as well. Well, one of the guys was looking through a box of mostly airmail covers for sale, when he pulled this cover out, for sale at $75. He asked if the autographs looked good, and both Steve and I affirmed that. Meanwhile, I was salivating since I did not have a Gemini 3 crew autographed cover. Well, after staring at the cover for several minutes, the unnamed collector put... the... cover... back... in... the... box and moved on! So, with me being next in line to look through that box, well, the rest is history.

Anyone else have any favorite Gemini 3 covers? Let's post them! I can host your cover image if you need, just email me the image.

bobslittlebro
Member

Posts: 257
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 03-22-2015 09:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for bobslittlebro   Click Here to Email bobslittlebro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great story and great cover Dennis.

cvrlvr99
Member

Posts: 208
From: Arlington, TX
Registered: Aug 2014

posted 03-23-2015 12:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cvrlvr99   Click Here to Email cvrlvr99     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
GT-3 is still no. 1 on my want list. About 5 years back I flew up to a Regency-Superior auction with $2400 in order to win one that was up for auction. I estimated the value then at about $1500. It went for $3200.

I was, of course, disappointed. But a few lots later, I got an Apollo 15 flown-to-the-moon cover for $2000 and I never would have tried to bid on it, had I not been there.

Bob M
Member

Posts: 1893
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 03-24-2015 02:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Certainly GT-3 crew signed covers are rare and rarely available. Dennis had great fortune in finding his for only $75 and while Ray missed his GT-3, more than made up for it with a bargain ($2,000!) Apollo 15 flown cover.

I have a GT-3 USS Intrepid PRS cover with a vintage John Young autograph — probably applied to a blank cover and later serviced for GT-3. It was done by pioneer collector Donald Schultz and I bought it in 1989 for $50 from another pioneer collector, E.V. Smith.

All times are CT (US)

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