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Author
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Topic: Opinion on 1979 Neil Armstrong autograph
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Messier97
Member Posts: 17
From: France/Switzerland
Registered: Feb 2020
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posted 05-20-2023 07:04 PM
   
If some of you could give me an opinion on this Neil Armstrong autograph please. It was supposed to be done in 1979.I doubt it could be real as it happens to be on a homemade sheet with stamps and pieces of cover and personal annotations (unfortunately).  |
hbw60
Member Posts: 305
From:
Registered: Aug 2018
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posted 05-21-2023 04:48 AM
I'm not an expert, but the signature looks good to me. It's perhaps a bit atypical for 1979. In particular, the long "tail" of the underline is usually associated with his later signature. His earlier signatures were generally less wide and "jagged". But this style did show up sometimes back then. If it is a forgery, it's a pretty accurate one.But the most worrying thing is that Armstrong completely stopped signing postal memorabilia after the Apollo 15 postal cover scandal. He wanted to reduce the potential for his signature to be seen as a valuable collectible to be sold. Because the stamps and notations perfectly surround the signature, it's possible that they were added later. But I'd be very hesitant to purchase any Armstrong-signed postal item with a postmark after 1971. Steve Zarelli is the world's leading Armstrong authenticator. On his website, he offers email evaluations for a low price. I highly recommend asking him. His input is reliable. |
Axman
Member Posts: 22
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 05-21-2023 05:09 AM
It's an autopen signature. The tailing edge of at least three of the long lines show the tell tale dot of an autopen. It matches a NASA autopen pattern of an item I possess. |
stsmithva
Member Posts: 2076
From: Fairfax, VA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 05-21-2023 04:33 PM
It's really not an autopen. Sometimes people do pick up pens, leaving a dot. Other lines here show trailing off, as the pen was gradually picked up. Most importantly, it doesn't match any autopen pattern. |
gareth89
Member Posts: 561
From: Ireland
Registered: May 2014
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posted 05-21-2023 05:00 PM
I looked and it doesn't seem to match any patterns but I wouldn't be 100% confident, I wouldn't be happy with it on a first look. I think I have a good knowledge having been a collector for close on twenty years but Armstrong is always difficult. If in doubt contact Steve Z, he's the man. 👍 |
hbw60
Member Posts: 305
From:
Registered: Aug 2018
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posted 05-21-2023 06:50 PM
It's not an autopen, but Axman is correct about the dots. In this case, I wonder if the dots were a result of someone doing a general tracing of an autopen pattern. It's almost identical to Armstrong's final pattern. Perhaps they traced it quickly enough to get a distinct version, but carefully enough that the hesitance left dots at the endpoints.I just overlaid the autopen pattern on top of the item in question, and it's very similar. There's a slight chance this is a very warped autopen. Some of the differences are major (notably the small horizontal line in the "A"), but the general style is very close.  |
Axman
Member Posts: 22
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 05-22-2023 07:53 AM
To expand on my previous statement: it is identical to an item I possess. That item was sent off to Steve Zarelli. I was told it was a NASA autopen.In my considered opinion it is an autopen. ...but, yes please, do send it off to Steve Zarelli. I'd quite like a definitive answer to this. |
Messier97
Member Posts: 17
From: France/Switzerland
Registered: Feb 2020
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posted 05-22-2023 11:44 AM
Thank you for your comment and knowledge. This forum is very helpful.From what I read, I guess the stamps and postmarks were added after as they are really well arranged around the signature. I didn't think about an autopen as I couldn't find any which correspond and as some lines seemed to have different thickness. Axman, on what type of document is your autopen? Would you mind sharing a picture of your autopen here? |
Axman
Member Posts: 22
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 05-26-2023 12:24 PM
Mine's on a philatelic cover. It has a US First Man on the Moon stamp FDC postmarked, but also a German stamp with a 10th anniversary man on the moon postmark.The signature is where the address should be on postally used items. |
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