Description
Buzz Aldrin's Apollo 11 'Type 1' insurance cover with a color cachet depicting the moon landing, bearing a July 20, 1969, Houston, Texas postmark, signed in blue felt tip by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Cover is also marked along the reverse bottom edge, "BA19." The cover is accompanied by a sheet of personal letterhead signed in blue ballpoint by Aldrin, which reads, in part: "This Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club postal cover…is one of the 'insurance covers' signed by the Apollo 11 crew before our launch on July 16, 1969…The cover displayed above has been in my private collection since 1969 and has an identifier of BA19 written on the reverse side. It was signed by the Apollo 11 crew—Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and myself prior to launch." In very fine condition. These famous insurance covers, produced immediately prior to space missions in order to provide financial security for astronauts' families in case of disaster, have earned near-legendary status as the ultimate space-related philatelic item, and exist as one of the most coveted formats for astronaut autographs.
Terms and abbreviations used in our descriptions.
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