Author
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Topic: FS: Molly Brown Commemorative Patches
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JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 01-19-2008 10:36 PM
Join with me in commemorating the accomplishments of astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom and John W. Young! With the help of Bill Hunt and the collectSPACE community I've put together a modern replica of the "Molly Brown" patch to honor their GT-3 mission -- the flight of the "Molly Brown." A brief history courtesy Space Mission Patches: According to John Young, during his Apollo training Gus Grissom had a batch of "Molly Brown" patches made. This patch commemorated his and Young's Gemini 3 mission, on which the radio call sign "Molly Brown" was used. This was the last mission to fly without a mission patch (assuming you count Gemini 4's American flag as a mission patch, as the Gemini 4 crew did). Grissom's "Molly Brown" patch shows a Gemini capsule serenely floating in the ocean, awaiting recovery -- in contrast to Grissom's Mercury flight, when his "Liberty Bell 7" capsule sank to the bottom of the Atlantic when the hatch prematurely jettisoned. There are photos of Young wearing this patch prior to Apollo 10, during his training for the Apollo 16 mission, and during the Shuttle era. The patch offered here is a replica of the original but can be distinguished from the "real thing", mainly by the nose markings and some thread variations. The back is plain - no adhesive or plastic backing. These were made by AB Emblem at the North Carolina facility.If you are interested, see details and consider purchasing. Any proceeds above and beyond my expenses will be donated to the Gus Grissom Memorial in Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, IN, for planned expansion of the exhibits there. John Berry gusmobile@earthlink.net |
JGJ Member Posts: 35 From: USA Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 01-19-2008 10:40 PM
What's the size? (i.e. in inches diameter) |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 01-19-2008 11:12 PM
3 1/2 inches... that's 90 mm to my friends across the pond(s)! |
JGJ Member Posts: 35 From: USA Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 01-20-2008 03:00 AM
Sounds like a good deal. Just ordered one. |
stebur Member Posts: 41 From: Hong Kong Registered: May 2007
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posted 01-20-2008 07:47 AM
Thanks for your efforts. I've just ordered a couple too! |
Bill Hunt Member Posts: 399 From: Irvine, CA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 01-20-2008 07:45 PM
I can tell you first-hand that John just did a really beautiful job, as did the folks at AB. John managed to get the thread colors as close as possible. He really went to a lot of trouble with this, so my hats off to him. Now if we can just get replicas of some of the other Gemini patches... ![](http://collectspace.com/ubb/wink.gif) |
rjurek349 Member Posts: 1190 From: Northwest Indiana Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 01-20-2008 07:54 PM
If proceeds are going to the Museum in Spring Mill State Park, I encourage all to buy one. That is a fantastic little gem of a museum, in a wonderful setting. I have been there, and plan to go again. They have some amazing artifacts there -- including good ol' Molly Brown herself! It is a great, great cause. |
Michael Clemente Member Posts: 186 From: Atco, New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 01-20-2008 08:53 PM
I am looking forward to add one to my collection. Plus, it goes to a great cause. AIM HIGH! Mike |
embangloy Member Posts: 75 From: Nashville, TN, USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 01-20-2008 09:38 PM
I believe that this is the "best looking" Gemini patch. Thanks John for allowing me to add this to my collection.
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mjanovec Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 01-20-2008 10:48 PM
Very nice looking reproduction...so nice that I had to order two! |
space4u Member Posts: 323 From: Cleveland, OH USA Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 01-21-2008 07:17 AM
Thanks John-- I just ordered two patches. Also I visited the Grissom memorial last summer and it is worth visiting if you are in the area. Besides the Molly Brown, there are some nice artifacts like one of Grissom's helmets and a wonderful wall of historic Mercury/Gemini astronaut era photos. It definitely could use some refurbishing and I would have loved to buy some Grissom souvenirs there but none were for sale. It also needs updating about the Liberty Bell 7 being found in the ocean by Curt Newport and Discovery Channel.Best of luck with your outstanding efforts. |
OOTWCook Member Posts: 18 From: Lancaster, California , USA Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 01-21-2008 12:27 PM
John-What a great looking patch, I just ordered two! Thanks for sharing this with all of us. Keep up the good work. |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 01-23-2008 11:48 PM
The response to the patch has been very gratifying. Thanks for the positive feedback and support of this project.Credit where it is due -- Bill Hunt really made this possible by sending along a high-resolution photo of the patch and giving me his invaluable feedback on the sample patches -- Thanks Bill! I wouldn't have done this if Luc from the Netherlands hadn't come up the idea of making quality repro's of Gemini patches -- I was looking for a Molly Brown patch but hadn't thought of making my own! I got a chance to visit the Grissom Memorial over the holidays and it was great to see the real Molly Brown and the rest of the museum -- nice collection of artifacts. By the way, our very own Steve Grissom, cS member, deserves the credit for the great collection upstairs -- some awe-inspiring things up there, including the flag that covered Lt Col Grissom's coffin. Sobering, but I was very thankful to be able to see those things. Nice job, Steve. I've posted some pictures from my trip -- along w/ a look at my boy "Gus" - President and Chief Noise Maker at Gusmobile Memorabilia. He's modeling a t-shirt w/ the patch on it -- wear yours so someone will come up to you and say "Who the heck is Virgil?!" (Marcy, I too wanted to buy some Grissom souvenirs at the Memorial but there weren't any... wonder if they'd like a few patches to sell?!) |
lm5eagle Member Posts: 429 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 01-24-2008 03:16 AM
John, I am indebted to you in two ways:Thanks for the opportunity of obtaining such a high quality replica of the Molly Brown Patch. Thanks for giving us the opportunity of sharing your visit to the Grissom Memorial. That will be on a future itinerary. |
astroborg Member Posts: 200 From: Woodbridge, VA, USA Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 01-24-2008 04:46 PM
Very nice. I'm glad you were able to do this; I guess we can consider this the first installment of the Gemini repro patches??I ordered two, also. I've always been a fan of Gus's, and have the Boomhower book, too. |
space4u Member Posts: 323 From: Cleveland, OH USA Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 01-24-2008 07:34 PM
Yes John--you'd think that if they wanted to raise money for refurbishment of the exhibits that they would sell some souvenirs. Perhaps due to the fact that it is in a state park they can't legally sell souvenirs?And, yes, I was very much in awe seeing the flag that draped Grissom's coffin. |
space4u Member Posts: 323 From: Cleveland, OH USA Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 01-25-2008 01:37 PM
Hi John: I got my 2 Molly Brown patches in the mail today and they look great. Very fast delivery! Also--to those interested in the Grissom exhibit at Spring Mill State Park, there is also in Mitchell, IN:In downtown Mitchell stands the Gus Grissom Monument, a scaled-down limestone carving of Gus's Gemini rocket. It is maybe 5 minutes away from the park and well worth checking out too. (I liked your "little" Gus photos at the museum.) |
Michael Clemente Member Posts: 186 From: Atco, New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 01-27-2008 03:48 PM
John, I received my patch yesterday along with the card. Thanks for the fantastic job and card presentation. I hope you come out with more different patches. |
medaris Member Posts: 181 From: United Kingdom Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 01-29-2008 01:23 PM
My patches arrived in Scotland - excellent. Thanks for going to this effort, and for making them available to others. |
lm5eagle Member Posts: 429 From: Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 01-30-2008 02:46 AM
My patches arrived a couple of days ago. They are A1 quality. I urge collectors to give John their support in his venture. Additionally, he is one very nice and genuine guy.Thanks a million, John. |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 01-30-2008 08:10 PM
Thanks again for the kind words of encouragement. I have 26 of the "greeting cards" left so if that interests you, order now...After that, I'll be selling the patches w/ simpler packaging. Looks like this patch will be the "appetizer" for the Gemini Quality Reproductions project that Luc is working on. See that thread in the Patches and Pin section. |
Harald Kraenzel Member Posts: 304 From: Dinslaken,Germany Registered: Nov 2005
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posted 01-31-2008 11:21 AM
John, my patches arrived yesterday. I received the numbers 060+061. Great patches. Thanks a lot. |
stebur Member Posts: 41 From: Hong Kong Registered: May 2007
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posted 02-01-2008 03:40 AM
Hi John, Just a quick "heads up" to advise that my "Molly Brown" patches have safely lobbed in the Fragrant Harbor of Hong Kong. Sincere thanks for all your efforts... VERY impressed! |
astroborg Member Posts: 200 From: Woodbridge, VA, USA Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 02-01-2008 06:30 AM
I'd like to echo the recent comments - I got my two patches this past Tuesday. I'm very pleased w/the quality! Thanks for taking this up John, and your investment (of time/$$/energy) to make this happen for the rest of us. |
FFrench Member Posts: 3161 From: San Diego Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-03-2008 01:23 AM
I'm not a space collector per se - never mind a patch collector - but these really intrigued me, and the two I ordered arrived today. They do look really nice - thanks for doing this! |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 02-05-2008 07:29 PM
LAST CALL! In about a week I'm going to put these out on ebay for "the masses" -- want to make sure that every cS member who wants one has one - or two - before I do that. See the link above for more details and/or to purchase.Thanks everyone, for your outpouring of support for this little project. |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-06-2008 05:30 PM
Two Molly Brown patches arrived safely in the UK today. Lovely quality and great service. If anybody out there is thinking about buying one ...don't. Just get on and do it. You will not be disappointed. |
KAPTEC Member Posts: 578 From: Madrid, Spain Registered: Oct 2005
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posted 02-07-2008 05:56 AM
Mine arrived three days ago to Madrid.Thank you John. It's a very nice repro and a very good way to begin the new collection of Luc (and you). |
GoesTo11 Member Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 02-11-2008 03:39 PM
I just received the two "Molly Brown" patches I ordered from John, and they look terrific. If the rest of the set is up to these standards, it will definitely be worth the wait! |
spgrissom Member Posts: 119 From: Mitchell, Indiana, USA Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 02-12-2008 03:05 PM
John, thanks for the patches, they are very nice... I have not been on the site for a while. In regards to the memorial, we have gotten in a lot of stuff. Most of the items were not and are not on display... yet. We are working on that. Some of the items that we now have and are in the process of displaying are Gus's Stetson hat from LBJ, the pouch Gus took the Liberty dimes in on LB7, his Randall knife, grade cards from Purdue, his mechanical drawing set from Purdue... just to name a few. I am looking forward to putting out the items and hearing the publics feedback on them. |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 02-15-2008 09:25 PM
I suspect the public will be very glad to get a look at those items! Can't wait.If you bought a patch or two from me, your order should have arrived by now. If you placed and order but haven't seen your patches, please contact me. |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 04-08-2008 08:58 PM
A round of applause for yourselves - I sent a donation in our names to the Grissom Memorial, c/o Steve Grissom, of just over $450 USD. Thanks for buying patches! |
Bill Hunt Member Posts: 399 From: Irvine, CA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 04-09-2008 12:03 AM
Bravo, John! Well done. |
JohnBerry Member Posts: 35 From: Helotes, TX Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 09-15-2008 10:29 AM
I have a few more of my 3.5" modern replica "Molly Brown" patches I had made up to commemorate Grissom and Young's Gemini flight. The cost is $10 for one, $19 for two. I've covered my costs so everything collected (minus packaging and shipping) goes to the Grissom Memorial in Spring Mill State Park, Indiana. We've donated about $450 so far - Thanks for supporting this cause! Here's the link for buying patches. Thank you! |
spaced out Member Posts: 3110 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 08-07-2012 01:52 PM
Anyone know if John is still selling his replicas? The original link that I use on my site appears to be broken. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 08-07-2012 03:22 PM
I bought one a couple months back through the website - a very quick and pleasant transaction. |
Gonzo Member Posts: 596 From: Lansing, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 08-08-2012 05:22 AM
The problem is the links are to mobileme and that has been closed. What we seek is the new address at icloud. I too am interested. |
John Graham Member Posts: 15 From: Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 09-06-2012 08:46 PM
I too would like to purchase one of the Gemini III patches to complete my collection. Any info would be appreciated. |
mooncollector Member Posts: 104 From: Alabama, USA Registered: Feb 2011
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posted 04-08-2013 08:04 PM
Like above posters, I saw that these sites were down so I used an old PayPal link I had to order one of these last week. I had this one sort of on the back burner to get thinking they were readily available.I have heard nothing from the site owner and PayPal reports that the payment went through, so I am sort of concerned that this site is in limbo and that I might not receive anything. Anyone know what's up with this patch? UPDATE: I received 2 patches (the original link was for 2 @ $19 and I didn't realize it before I sent the payment) with no problems. I didn't communicate with him in too much detail but I got the sense that he was not actively selling anymore but does have some left for the occasional order. |
GoesTo11 Member Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
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posted 09-13-2014 08:51 AM
Does anyone know if John Berry still has any of these for sale, and how best to buy? I emailed him at the listed address a few weeks ago and got no reply. Thanks! |