The 30 Minute Rule begins October 22 at 7:00 PM EDT. An Initial Bid Must Be Placed By October 22 at 6:00 PM EDT To Participate After 6:00 PM EDT
Two official glossy 10 x 8 NASA photographs of Ham, the chimpanzee whose successful Mercury-Redstone 2 mission paved the way for America's first human spaceflight, each bearing Ham's original fingerprint and palm impressions in black ink on the reverse, including what appear to be impressions from both the left and right hands. One image depicts Ham being removed from his Mercury pressure suit and examined aboard the USS Donner following recovery; the other shows him reaching for an apple shortly after splashdown. Both retain their original NASA captions and Smithsonian Institution Photographic Services stamps on the reverse. In overall fine condition, with binder dings to bottom edges.
Accompanied by three TLSs from James F. Pinkney, Chief of Photographic Services at the Smithsonian Institution, documenting the extraordinary effort undertaken to obtain Ham's "autograph." Writing in November 1971, Pinkney offered to "attempt to get his cooperation," joking there was "no guarantee that he won't eat your picture though," and assuring the recipient that "we won't 'do this for too many people.' Your autograph will be unique if we can get it!" A February 1972 follow-up reports that Ham was "as publicity shy as Howard Hughes" and that arrangements would instead be made during his annual physical examination. Finally, on April 27, 1972, Pinkney confirms the successful completion of the project: "Mrs. Hamlet was able to arrange for his prints on your pictures. I am certain that you have the only 'autographed' pictures of Ham in the world, and your autographs will remain unique." Notably, Pinkney copied the final correspondence to Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 astronaut who had become director of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum the previous year.
Ham (1957–1983), known simply as ‘No. 65’ until his safe return to Earth, was subsequently named for the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center (HAM) at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where he had been trained, while also honoring the laboratory's commander, Lt. Col. Hamilton ‘Ham’ Blackshear. On January 31, 1961, Ham became the first great ape launched into space aboard Mercury-Redstone 2, completing the behavioral tasks required throughout a flight that subjected him to greater acceleration and a longer trajectory than originally planned. His performance demonstrated that astronauts could function effectively during spaceflight and directly validated NASA's Mercury spacecraft before Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 mission just over three months later.
The accompanying correspondence was preserved by David C. Styve (1954–2003), a dedicated space collector whose lifelong interest in Project Mercury led him to pursue, and ultimately obtain, Ham's extraordinarily rare inked hand impressions through the Smithsonian Institution.
