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Author
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Topic: Space Cover 709: STS-67 numbered cover
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Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 280
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 07-08-2023 05:37 AM
   
Space Cover of the Week, Week 709 (July 08, 2023)  Space Cover 709: STS-67 numbered coverAmong thousands of space shuttle covers sometimes we can find something different or unusual that catches our attention. Above is a printed cover postmarked at Edwards AFB, CA in Mar 18, 1995 for commemorating landing of Endeavour in its STS-67 mission. Nothing special here. But, as you have already seen, in the right bottom corner there is this inscription: LIMITED EDITION SERIAL#_______ in black and some digits in red ink. This cover is numbered 000038. Reverse side of this space cover is blank. However, this space cover comes to me with some information inside. Below front and backside of the insert enclosed. As you can see, the insert was also numbered 000038 but no information about who, what stamp society and most important why this cover was made as a limited edition.  
In addition, inside the cover there is too this cut paper with a bit more of information.  It seems this cover is the first one because in the text this sentence is provided "We started out with only 134 of these..." Do any of you have a similar cover with another number? Do any of you know who made these kind of covers and why? |
Axman
Member Posts: 58
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 07-08-2023 06:21 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Antoni RIGO:
It seems this cover is the first one...
Sorry, I don't understand the logic here. Why is 38 out of a possible maximum of 134 "the first one"? |
bobslittlebro
Member Posts: 243
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009
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posted 07-08-2023 08:04 AM
It looks like an average run of the mill printed cover. Ones like Ken Havekotte does on a regular basis. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3637
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 07-08-2023 09:16 AM
It's not uncommon in seeing covers like this with limited edition numbers. This particular cover is not mine, however, it does resemble a re-make (no bottom text lines) by the Titusville-Moonport Stamp Club.Most likely, the numbered covers were intended for either a stamp club or special launch viewing group in celebrating STS-67/Endeavour's pilot Bill Gregory of the Astro-2 mission from his hometown. Space promotor Al Bishop, for some highlight shuttle missions, would order my own shuttle emblem cachet covers and "dress them up" with similar limited edition numbers like this.
He did this for a few shuttle flights and used my cancel services for combo-launch and landing covers. But this cover for STS-67 in 1995 was not one of his, but perhaps, from a Gregory "family" member or by a Lockport, New York, stamp club or a launch/landing viewing group. Another similar request came from the Hubble family of launch observers for the big Space Telescope flight deployment in April 1990. The Hubble Family Historical Society had placed a special order for my HST cachet covers and wanted to add a couple of special text lines such as, "Launch Attended by Some Family and
Members" along with their historical society logo at bottom. It was a lot of fun working with the Hubble group and I think only a few hundred were printed of which I still got a few.
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Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 280
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 07-09-2023 02:23 AM
Your knowledge about space covers is impressive. Every time, every week, every post is a lesson. Many thanks Ken.However, I would like to know more in depth how common are this kind of numbered covers. I have only this one in my collection and never, in +20 years collecting, I read an article or seen similar covers. Would you be so kind to post some of these numbered covers you told about? Thanks. quote:
Originally posted by Axman:
Why is 38 out of a possible maximum of 134 "the first one"?
Sorry, English is not my mother tongue. What I wanted to say is why this numeration made in STS-67 is the first one and not in STS-66 or STS-68. What was the reason behind the first numeration in this specific mission. I hope to be clearer next time.Additionally, I would like to remark the six digits used in the numbering. Why use six if with three is enough to cover all the numbered covers? Why 000038 iso 038 when only 134 made? quote:
Originally posted by bobslittlebro:
It looks like an average run of the mill printed cover.
Thanks for your comment. |
Axman
Member Posts: 58
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 07-09-2023 06:34 AM
Ah! That makes more sense now, I see what you mean. Unfortunately I have no idea why that particular flight should be the first.I can however probably help with the enumeration angle. Many shop bought date stamps were of the six figure variety. They had a metal frame and a wooden knob/handle on the top. You set the numbers at the side and when you pressed down on the handle the stamp mechanism sort of twizzled round and stamped the date on the paper. Most (in England) had the 12 Mar 88 type configuration but some had 120388 configuration. I think that kind of device is what was used in this instance. The cover producer never intended to go up into the thousands, they just used what they had, a cheap, easy to operate hand held device. |
Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 280
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 07-10-2023 01:11 AM
Thanks Alan.I understand now that by using a data mechanism of six digits (DDMMYY or MMDDYY) as a counter numbering produces a result of six numbers in the serial, regardless the intention never was to complete all the covers until 999999. It has sense and is a logic reasoning. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3637
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 07-11-2023 04:46 PM
Here is a sample, Antoni, of that Al Bishop reproduced STS-26/Discovery cover referred to above. The official crew emblem cachet cover is one of mine, however, the more I see it now, it looks to be either a mis-printed cachet alignment since the patch design is very low at the bottom of the envelope. It's possible that Al wanted an additional 1,000 printed covers in this capacity so that he could add-on the additional three text lines that you see at top and bottom. As instructed, I had the covers posted for both launch and landing of Discovery, the Return to Shuttle Flight after Challenger had been lost on Mission 51-L almost three years earlier. You can see his "Limited Edition of Cover No. 081 of 900 printed" and "Registered with Astronautics Int'l Corp." in Las Vegas, Nevada. That was Bishop's new aerospace collectibles company that he founded after the Apollo program ended. The third postal cancel that you see is of Las Vegas on Nov. 5, 1988, when the State of Nevada honored the STS-26 astronaut crew in the city that Al was living. Bishop had been a primary sponsor of the crew return from space event in 1988. In my personal opinion, though, the extra text lines added on the envelope make it look too busy for me, somewhat crowded, with too much to read on it. Value wise, I would say around $2-3 or so. It's a nice idea in creating the trio of cancel locations, but for me, it's just a very busy and crowded cover. |
Antoni RIGO
Member Posts: 280
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013
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posted 07-15-2023 01:33 AM
Ken, thanks for the information and this new example of a numbered space shuttle cover.Even if you think is a busy and crowded cover, it is very interesting to know the history behind it. Again, I learned a lot from you. Thanks for sharing with all your huge knowledge about space covers. | |
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