This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2001.
There is an amazing untold story behind this enormously rare Apollo 11 postal cover that was signed by all three astronauts on this the most famous space mission of all, the one that delivered men to the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. This is one of a number of such postal covers produced for the crew of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to sign together while in pre-flight quarantine only hours before the launch on July 16. The purpose of the signing was neither ceremonial nor to preserve the moment for future generations, but rather to give these courageous men who were about to risk their lives for their country, a way to provide a kind of insurance policy for their families. In the event they did not return to Earth, the families could sell the covers to raise money. While this small-potato "insurance" policy seems hard to believe today, in reality the space program was still young and extremely perilous back then. The mere mention of Apollo 11 has a glorious ring more than three decades later. The 3-3/4" x 7" cover sheet from the Buzz Aldrin Family Space Collection, carries the trio's signatures, one on top of another in blue marker, and are all bold and strong, indicating no launchpad jitters. All rate near perfect 10s, like this mission when Armstrong spoke the immortal words, "One step for man, one giant leap for mankind." To the left of the signatures is a circular image with the mission logo of an eagle landing on the moon and "Apollo 11" in yellow on top. The postmark, too, has a story, as some of the covers were marked, as this one is, "July 16, 1969" and others "July 20, 1969," the day of the landing. The stamp used commemorates the Apollo 8 mission and reads, "In the beginning God..." The cover is mounted on an 8-1/2" x 11" page explaining its history and with the same Apollo 11 logo at the top.