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Three souvenir currency bills handed out during Gordon Cooper's triumphant homecoming after his record-breaking Mercury Faith 7 flight in 1963—the last space flight of the Mercury program—one of which is signed in blue ballpoint, "From my Collection, Gordon Cooper."
The mission was originally planned as a 22-orbit flight, but it was cut short when Cooper reentered Earth’s atmosphere during orbit 21. Even so, the 22-orbit goal remained a major theme of the mission. This may explain why Cooper carried a 1917 large-format $2 bill for good luck, and why the number 22 also became the theme of the 'homecoming' souvenir dollars distributed during his post-flight reception in his hometown of Shawnee, Oklahoma.
The bills measure 7.75 x 3.25 and feature a portrait of Cooper in his spacesuit at center. The signed bill features the date, "Homecoming, June 29, 1963," with "Shawnee, Oklahoma, Homecoming" text on the reverse; the two other examples bear facsimile signatures of Shawnee’s mayor and city manager. Their reverses differ as well, featuring the phrase "From Redman to Spaceman" and an evocative comparison between a tepee and a space capsule. In overall fine condition.
The Richard Jurek Collection.
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