16 December 2024
Added several covers to SpaceX Crew-8. Added several covers to Shuttle Support Covers - USNS Redstone.
15 December 2024
Added a n unusual USS Chipola cover with an Apollo 8 mission emblem on the front and an Apollo 10 Navy cachet on the back to Apollo 10. Added a USS Noa with an unusual Gemini Twins cachet to Gemini 6. Added a UTC Liberty cover with the black ship silhouette to Shuttle covers.
9 December 2024
Added a USS Dewey cover to MA-7 with the rare USS Dewey New York postmark, Carpenter's and ship's Captain signature thanks to Joseph Volutza. Added a number of covers thanks to Timothy Preston. Firstly a great GT-8 Beck B634 USS Boxer cover signed by the ship's Captain and the Gemini crew. Next a USNS Longview cover with an interesting 'Via Ship's Helicopter' cachet to Gemini 8 (not involved) . Next a USS Kearsarge MA-8 cover with the Commander's signature and an unusual text cachet. Next a second Gemini 10 USS De Haven cover with the hard to find ship's name at top of postmark. Finally a late postmarked USS Lake Champlain with the usual text cachet to MR-3.
6 December 2024
Added two Morris Beck crew covers; an Apollo 13 USS New cover and an Apollo 15 USS Austin cover to Beck Error, Crew and Unusual Covers. It should be noted that USS Austin crew covers are now known with both types of postmarks. Also added a Apollo 14 Patrick AFB cover with an interesting splashdown emblem to Recovery Cachets. Finally added a nice Mission emblem cover with a Norfolk postmark to ASTP
29 November 2024
Added an interesting USS Holder cover to Gemini 2. It has an Artopages Conquest of Space cachet on the front and a Printed Beck B460 cachet on the back. Possibly unique..
16 November 2024
Added a USS Myles C Fox cover with a second maroon New York USS Myles C Fox postmark and a Gemini capsule cachet to Gemini 8. Added a USS Lake Champlain on a German postcard to Gemini 5. Added a USS Mahan cover (not involved) with an rarely seen cachet to Mercury 9.
21 October 2024
Added a San Francisco cover to ASTP signed by the crews of both the Recovery and Swim helicopters. Also added an ASTP cover with a drawing of the ASTP space station above a recover yscene. It also has a general San Francisco hand cancel rather than the special ASTP machine cancel.And finally another ASTP cover with an unusual small capsule under parachutes cachet. Added a second MA-5 Riser fake.
11 October 2024
Added an extremely rare USS Iwo Jima postmarked Grumman contractors cover to Apollo 13 thanks to Timothy Preston. Added a card from the Captain of the MA-8 PRS announcing a special FDC (Captain's cover?) thanks to Thomas Steiner.
23 September 2024
Added signed Skylab 4 covers for the crews of the ELS, SWIM and PHOTO Rescue helicopters.
21 September 2024
Added an extremely rare USS Wasp cover with a combination of a GT-11 black Navy cachet with a GT-12 postmark. This is the rarest of the GT-12 USS Wasp combinations. Added an San Francisco ASTP cover with a small capsule under parachuts cachet. Added an unusual cover to Apollo 11. The postmark is just lines and the Navy cachet is on the back despite there being plenty of room on the front.
4 September 2024
A couple of interesting sales on eBay. An Apollo 16 Captain's cover sold for €303 and an Apollo 14 New Orleans Beck B861 cover with missing colour sold for an amazing US$455! Added an Apollo 12 USS Hornet cover with both a hand cancel and a machine cancel. Added a USS Wasp cover with the ship's cachet and a hand cancel to Gemini 12.
2 September 2024
Added an interesting Norfolk Naval Air Station cover to Apollo 11.As well as a blue TF-140 cachet on the front it has a very unusual blue Navy cachet on the back. It also has a different postmark to the standard one. Added a KSC cover with an unusual recovery cachet to Interesting Recovery Cachets - Skylab.
31 August 2024
Added a very nice hand drawn USS Hawkins cover to Apollo 12. Added USS Austin and USS Kiwishiwi covers with Gordon text cachets to Apollo 15. Added a nice USS Henry W. Tucker to Apollo 7. Finally added a Helicopter Recovery cover to Skylab 4.
27 August 2024
Added a page for SpaceX Crew-8 covers. Added SpaceX Mission Emblem covers to Axiom-2 , Axiom-3 and CRS-29.
24 August 2024
Added a rare Gemini 12 Captain's cover with a machine postmark and an unusual 4 x 5c US postage stamps. Added SpaceX covers to Crew-3 and Crew-4.
22 August 2024
Added two really great covers to Apollo 13, the RFA Tarbatness and the RFA Tideflow (late postmark) thanks to Tom Steiner.
11 August 2024
Added SpaceX covers to Crew-6, Crew-7, CRS-25, CRS-29, plus Norfolk NAS cover to Skylab III and a Mission Emblem San Francisco cover to ASTP.
4 August 2024
Added a great USS New Orleans cover that was carried aboard the ship by Dr R A Ramkissoon.
29 July 2024
Added two covers thanks to Timothy Preston. The first is a great Apollo 12 USS Hornet cover with a Gordon text cachet and signed by the crew. The second is a Apollo 13 USS Kawishiwi cover with an Ekas cachet. The first one I've seen for an Apollo 13 Secondary Recovery Ship.
20 July 2024
Added SpaceX covers to Axiom AX-3.
20 July 2024
Added SpaceX covers to CRS-30 and Crew-7. Also added a cover to Apollo 14 with a rare Goldcraft cachet.
8 July 2024
Some recent eBay prices: Mercury 4 USS Randolph cover - €1021, Mercury 6 USS Randolph Captain's cover - €82, Mercury 9 USS Kearsarge with both hand & machine postmarks - €155 and Gemini 10 Captain's cover with Navy cachet - €301,
6 July 2024
Added a cover for Norfolk for Apollo 9 with a double postmark and a NASA cachet. Added SpaceX covers for CRS-29, Crew-6 and Axiom AX-3.
29 June 2024
Added covers to SpaceX CRS-29 & Crew 7.
9 June 2024
Added Norfolk Naval Air Base printed cachets to Apollo 11, Apollo 12 & Apollo 13.
1 June 2024
Added article on Riser fakes from the Explorer magazine of Oct-Nov 1975. Added article on ASTP covers by Dr. Reuben Ramkissoon
28 May 2024
Added two USS Assurance Mission Emblem covers and two USNS Redstone Mission Emblem covers to Apollo 17.
26 May 2024
Added SpaceX Mission Emblem covers to CRS-25, CRS-28, Axiom AX-1, Crew-1, Crew-4 and Crew-5.
20 May 2024
Eugenio Vespiano has noticed a very significant variation in the Navy cachets for Apollo 8 Atlantic ships. Each ship has two different cachets. One with the words 'MOON ORBITAL FLIGHT and one without! All the Pacific cachets seen have the text.
18 May 2024
Added several covers to Space Shuttle SRB Recovery Covers. Added a great USS New Orleans map cover to Skylab 3. Added a USS Ticonderoga cover with an unusal cachet to Apollo 16.
16 May 2024
Added a very interesting late postmark USS Kearsarge cover with both the ship's Captain and Wally Schirra Jr. signatures, a rare black special MA-8 ship's cachet, a Schultz cachet on the back and a late hand cancel for 19 November to Mercury 8.
14 May 2024
Added a very nice USS Intrepid Crew cover on ship's stationary to Captain's and Crew covers. Added a very nice USS Kearsarge cover to Mercury 9. It has both a Type 3 and the ship's cachets, a rare hand cancel and is signed by Cooper.
6 May 2024
Added Crew-6 mission covers to SpaceX.
4 May 2024
Added a second Apollo 12 USS Hornet Contractors cover, a USS Ticonderoga Apollo 17 Mission Emblem with facsimile signatures cover and a a USS Ticonderoga Skylab II cover with a photo of the station.
13 April 2024
Added a second USS Guadalcanal cover with a Navy cachet on ship's stationary to Captain and Crew covers. Added a USS Lake Champlain cover with the a photo of the ship as a cachet to Mercury 8. Added an unusual USS New Orleans 'Salute to Apollo' cover to Apollo 14. Added a second cover from J. Walter Green of the A/P NASA Photo Pool to Apollo 14.
6 April 2024
Added a USS Wasp cover to Mercury 9 which has a multicolour ship's emblem cachet and is signed by the ship's Commander. Also added a USS Ozark cover to Apollo 10 which has an unusual soldier waving a USA flag cachet.
1 April 2024
Added another USS New Orleans cover to Skylab 4 (III) with an inverted 8 thanks to Tom Steiner. Added a Norfolk cover to Apollo 10 which has a 1B instead of the usual 1A in the postmark thanks to Eugenio Vespiano.
23 March 2024
Added an Orbit cover to Skylab 3 which shows the splashdown location. Added an interesting Norfolk Naval Air Base cover to Apollo 11. It has a Gemini 9 Navy cachet on the front and a TF-140 cachet on the back. Postmarked for Apollo 11. Added a USS Okinawa cover to Apollo 15 with a blue mission emblem on the front and a maroon Navy cachet on the back and signed by Jim Irwin thanks to Robert Mcleod Jr.
14 March 2024
Added a possibly unique USS Guam cover with a Gemini 10 Navy cachet on the front and a Gemini 11 Navy cachet on the back thanks to Randy Constantin.
3 March 2024
Added an interesting USS Hornet cover with a photo of the ship to Apollo 11. Added a USNS Vanguard cover with an extra 7 added to the shop's cachet to Apollo 7.
26 February 2024
Added an interesting note regarding postmark variation to USS New postmarks for Gemini 5. Thanks to Eugenio Vespiano for pointing this out.
17 February 2024
Added three great covers which sold on eBay for medium to high prices. The first is a USS Wasp cover from Gemini 7 on ship's stationary. Rare. The cachet also shows a change in ink from maroon to black or the other way round. It sold for $47.50. The second is an even rarer cover, being a USS Wasp cover on ship's stationary from the aborted Gemini 6 mission. It sold for $305! The third is a USS Guadalcanal cover from Gemini 10, also on ship's stationary. It sold for $187.50!
9 February 2024
Added a Skylab 3 cover with a Norfolk Naval Air Station postmark. Most covers have a Norfolk postmark. Also added a Honolulu cover with a postmark that has an earlier date to Apollo 12.
5 February 2024
Added a very rare Apollo 12 contractor cover of North American Rockwell.postmarked aboard the USS Hornet thanks to Timothy Preston.
28 January 2024
Added a list of known USS John R Pierce covers from Mercury 7 compiled by Dennis Dillman
26 January 2024
Added two USS Noa covers with a PM postmark to Mercury 6; one thanks to Alan Green and one seen on eBay. This brings the total to 14 with 12 addressed to Mrs Trudy Woods.
20 January 2024
Added three covers seen on eBay which included the ship's cachet in addition to a Navy cachet; the USS Ozark from Apollo 11 plus the USS Robert L Wilson and the USS Bigelow, both from Gemini 3. The later is on ship's stationary. Finally added an interested postmarked boarding pass for Artemis 1.
31 December 2023
Added a possibly unique USS New Orleans cover to Skylab 4 (III) thanks to Tom Steiner. The 8 in the postmark is upside down!
11 December 2023
Added more SpaceX covers to Crew-5 and CRS-28.
30 November 2023
Added USS Hornet, USS Joseph J Strauss and a Pago Pago Boerger cover to Apollo 12. Added a Booster landing cover to SpaceX.
6 November 2023
Added SpaceX covers to Crew-5 and CRS-28.
28 October 2023
Added Crew-5 covers to SpaceX.
16 October 2023
Added several mission emblem covers to SpaceX CRS covers and SpaceX Booster Recovery covers.
7 October 2023
Added Italian produced covers postmark in Western Samoa for Apollo 14, Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 thanks to Eugenio Vespiano.
18 September 2023
Added several covers to SpaceX Crew-1. Added a Houston splashdown cover to Artemis 1. Added a cover with both Kunia and Honolulu postmarks to ASTP.
17 September 2023
Added a USS Cochrane cover with an unknown cachet to Apollo 7. Added two UTC Liberty covers with black ship's silhouette cachets to Other SRB Recovery Covers.
14 September 2023
Added a USS Thomason cover with a postmark variation to Mercury 9 and a Norfolk Naval Air Station cover with a Great Britain stamp to Apollo 10, both thanks to Eugenio Vespiano.
12 September 2023
Added a USS Kawishiwi cover with a Philatelia Differdange Rocket & Concorde cover to Apollo 15. Added a USS Tawakoni cover to Skylab 4. Several covers added to SpaceX.
6 September 2023
Added a most unusual Apollo 13 cover from the USS New on an Apollo XIII Grumman cover. Also added a similar cover from the USS Kawishiwi thanks to Antoni Rigo.
19 August 2023
Added a MA-5 USS Stormes Riser fake.
29 July 2023
Added a EKAS cacheted USS Iwo Jima cover to Apollo 13 and corrected a late cancelled EKAS cachet USS Okinawa cover to Apollo 15.
24 July 2023
Added two Cook Islands covers to Apollo 13 and a USS Lake Champlain first anniversary cover to Mercury 3.
14 July 2023
Added a USS Decatur cover to MA-7. While it was not involved with MA-7 the cover has a MA-4 cachet which appears to have been designed after the MA-4 mission.
4 July 2023
Added covers to SpaceX CRS-25 and SpaceX Axiom AX-1.
22 June 2023
Added an extremely rare Gemini 12 Proof Captain's cover to Captain and Crew Covers
16 June 2023
Added several covers to SpaceX CRS-27.
11 June 2023
Added covers to Artemis 1. Also added covers to SpaceX CRS-26.
7 June 2023
Added a very rare Reuben Ramkissoon cover to Skylab 3 (II). Added SpaceX covers to Crew-4.
28 May 2023
Added a couple of Captain's covers; an Apollo 11 cover with a 10c stamp and, thanks to Timothy Preston, an Apollo 12 cover signed by the crew of the Recovery helicopter.
7 May 2023
Added a Cape Canaveral with a picture of the USS Noa to Mercury 6. Added a KSC launch cover to Artemis 1.
17 April 2023
Added an unusual USS Hornet cover with both a hand cancel and machine cancel to Apollo 11. Also added a USS wasp cover which an unusual cachet to Mercury 9.
14 April 2023
Added several covers to SpaceX CRS-26.
2 April 2023
Added several Booster recovery trial covers from 1980 to Shuttle SRB Miscellaneous Covers
27 March 2023
Added more covers to Artemis-1
24 March 2023
Added a new section for Artemis-1 with more covers to come.
9 January 2023
Added a nicely done USS Iwo Jima cover to Apollo 13 that shows the moons surface and the crew. Added an interesting Gemini 12 Captain's cover with a late postmark and the ship's cachet to Captain and Crew Covers.
6 January 2023
Added a Goldcraft J F Kennedy 'We Will Reach the Moon' cachet to Gemini 7 which also has various signatures including the crew. Also added an unknown cachet to Gemini 6a.
4 January 2023
Added Crew-4 covers to SpaceX.
1 January 2023
Added covers to several SpaceX pages.
10 November 2022
Three scarce covers were recently sold on eBay for good prices; a USS Hassayampa cover from Apollo 12 sold for US$108 (only the 3rd seen), a USS Wasp cover from Gemini 4 with a blue Navy cachet sold for US$167.50 (again only the 3rd seen) and a Beck 566 from Gemini 5 with a rare Goldcraft 'Kennedy We Shall Reach the Moon' cachet sold for US$82.
5 November 2022
Added 3 Space Voyager covers to ASTP. Added 2 USNS Redstone covers to Apollo 17.
29 October 2022
Added an interesting Gemini 4 Captain's cover which includes a stamp from Paraguay
22 October 2022
Added two CRS-25 covers to SpaceX CRS-6 & Above
17 September 2022
Added covers to SpaceX Axiom AX-1 and Crew-3.
24 August 2022
Added a very nice USS New cover with a hand drawn USS Iwo Jima to Apollo 13.
13 August 2022
Added more covers to SpaceX Axiom Covers.
22 July 2022
Added page to SpaceX for AXIOM Covers.
18 July 2022
Added page to SpaceX for Crew-3 covers. Added an unusual cover to Gemini 11 with a Navy cachet and a German meter cancel.
25 June 2022
Added another Artopages cachet to Apollo 15. This is the third distinct Artopages cachet known for Apollo 15. Added a UTC Liberty cover with the black ship's silhouette to STS-27. Added a interesting USNS Vanguard cover with multiple cachets on both sides of the cover and signed by the KSC Postmaster on the front and the ship's Master on the back to Apollo 17.
25 May 2022
Added another USS Noa cover with a PM postmark to Mercury 6. Again addressed to Mrs Trudy Woods. Also added wonderful hand drawn USS Hornet covers to Apollo 11 (part of a number of similar covers) and Apollo 12 (a set of 7 of similar covers).
23 May 2022
Added two unusual covers from the USNS Redstone in Australian waters after Apollo 11.
21 May 2022
Added covers to SpaceX CRS-24 and SpaceX Others. Also added a USS Noa cover with both a backdated postmark and a first anniversary postmark to Mercury 6.
14 May 2022
Added a rare postmark variation for the USS Charles F. Adams for Mercury 8, a PM time slug.
24 April 2022
Added a wonderful Project Mercury Recovery Force participation certificate for MR-3 thenks to Joseph Volutza.
18 April 2022
Added covers for the USS Randolph (MA-6 probably backdated) and USS Lake Champlain (MA-8). Both have mulicolour ship's cachets whick may be a modern addition. Also added a Cook Islands card with a special Splashdown text cachet to Apollo 16.
17 April 2022
Added several Carlos Altgelt covers based on a Sokolsky design to Apollo 6 and Apollo 7. Added a Gemini 12 Captain's cover with an 8c stamp.
14 April 2022
Added several covers thanks to Joseph Volutza including a GT-6 cover with UN franking, another GA-6 cover with a different cachet and a GT-6 cover with a Romp cachet.
1 April 2022
Added a beautifully done parchment with three of the Apollo 11 50th anniversary pictorial postmarks. This is a highlight of my 50th anniversary collection. It only lacks the Cape Canaveral postmark. Added covers to SpaceX Crew-2 and CRS-24.
1 March 2022
Added a very unusual Mercury 6 USS Noa Goldcraft cover with the black misplaced. Added info and covers to SpaceX CRS-24.
25 February 2022
Added an Apollo 12 Norfolk cover with a cachet showing 2 Astronauts on the Moon thanks to Timothy Preston.
21 February 2022
Added a Honolulu postmark on a Apollo 16 Navy cacheted cover. Also a Gemini 6A cover with a Cleveland postmark. And an Apollo 10 USNS Mercury cover with a Cleveland postmark. All thanks to Joseph Volutza.
19 February 2022
Added a rare cover from the USNS Kingsport on a Nigerian FDC for Syncom 2 tracking thanks to Joseph Volutza. Also added a USS Rich cover with a Navy cachet to Gemini 3 thanks to Joseph Volutza. For some reason this cover is rare with a Navy cachet.
8 February 2022
Added a new cachet by Charsabatano Sbatano to Mercury 9 with information on cacheted ships from Anthony O'Brien.
5 February 2022
Added a new cover For Western Samoa's Apollo 16 postmark. Added a number of SpaceX covers to DM2, Inspiration4 and Crew-2.
25 January 2022
Major discovery - The Lost Squadron! Up until now it was thought that there were 24 ships plus a replenishment ship on the Mercury 6 Recovery Force. However, an entire Destroyer Squadron, DesRon 36. was forgotten, lost in the mists of time. In early 1962 DesRon 36 deployed from Florida to Bermuda to participate in an early attempt to launch John Glenn on Mercury 6. When that attempt was posponed the Squadron spent two weeks of tender availability until 20th February when it was again deployed off Bermuda for the actual Mercury 6 flight. DesRon 36 consisted of 9 destroyers. Covers are known for 7 of them, although in most cases only one cover has been discovered. See my page on Mercury 6 for a list of the ships and scans of the covers thanks to Joseph Volutza.
17 January 2022
Added a probably unique Gemini 12 Captain's cover addressed to Buzz Aldrin! Sold for $149 on eBay.
8 January 2022
Added another USS Boxer cover with a green Navy cachet to my article on Gemini 8 USS Boxer cachets. This one on an airmail cachet. Also added a USS Wasp cover with a US Aircraft Carrier cachet to Gemini 9.
4 January 2022
Added several covers to SpaceX Crew-2 and SpaceX Insperation 4.
29 December 2021
Added a USS Ticonderoga cover signed by the Manned Spacecraft Recovery Officer Pacific thanks to Tom Steiner.
24 December 2021
Added a great find from Tom Steiner. A HMS Nubian cover marked three days after Apollo 13 recovery. Although not postmarked the Commanding Officer's cachet includes the date. Also added a USS Wasp cover with an additional double circle USS Wasp New York postmark to Mercury 9 and a USS Guadalcanal cover with a USNS Range Recoverer corner card to Apollo 9, both thanks to Tom Steiner.
18 December 2021
Added an interesting USS Wasp cover with a monochrome Centennial like cachet to Gemini 12. Added a number of covers to the SpaceX Crew-2 page.
8 December 2021
Added Gemini 5 & 6 covers to Gordon Cachets thanks to Eddie Bizub.
5 December 2021
Some buys from eBay. A Gemini 7 USS John Pierce with a Goldey cachet sold for $533! A very rare cover. Coincidently Timothy Preston also added a USS John Pierce cover to his collection. A Mercury MA-7 USS Farragut cover sold for $87. A Gordon Cooper plus Capt. Rankin signed MA-9 USS Kearsarge cover sold for $123. A GT-12 Captain's cover addressed to Buzz Aldrin sold for $149. A rare Beck B652 cover addressed to Skelley sold for $219. A USS Wasp cover postmarked for both Gemini 4 & 6A sold for $81. A group of USS Wasp souvenir items including a couple of nice covers with both Navy and Ship's cachets sold for $240.
4 December 2021
Added an interesting postcard to Skylab 4 which has an unusual splashdown cachet plus an incorrect postmark which has been changed to the correct date. Also added a USS Kearsarge cover to MA-9 which has an interesting add-on Project Mercury Recovery Team cachet. Finally added several covers to SpaceX Crew-1 & Inspiration4.
26 November 2021
Added three rare B317 covers to 'Beck Error, Crew and Unusual Covers', the USS Kearsarge, USS de Haven and the USS Frank Knox
19 November 2021
Added a USS Guadalcanal cover with a US Aircraft Carrier cachet to Gemini 10.
29 October 2021
Added a most unusual cover to Skylab 4 thanks to Tom Steiner. As well as a standard 8c stamp which appears to be the correct postage, it has an additional 3c postage due stamp. And even stranger the postage due stamp is postmarked aboard the USS New Orleans, showing it was applied before the cover was postmarked! The reason for this stamp is unknown. Also added two splashdown covers to SpaceX Crew-1 covers.
10 October 2021
Added two covers thanks to Anthony O'Brien. The first is a new Apollo 11 Harry Gordon text cachet and the second is a new example of the Apollo 12 Souvenir Cover cachet, this time from the USS Austin.
8 October 2021
Added SpaceX covers to CRS-22 and Crew-1.
18 September 2021
Added a wonderful cover and letter from a member of the U.S. Navy Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 52 on the USS Wasp. Probably printed aboard the Carrier. Sold on eBay for US$119.50.
10 September 2021
Added several covers to Space Shuttle Ship Covers.
9 September 2021
Added several USNS Range Sentinel covers to Skylab 1. And more covers to SpaceX.
5 September 2021
Added several covers to SpaceX DM-2 and Crew-1. Added a late dated USS Bordelon cover to Apollo 13 and a late dated USS Plymouth Rock cover to MA-4, both thanks to Tom Steiner. Added a number of items to Other Items such as patches, certificates and prayers. Added a photo to STS-51l signed by the Commander of the USS Preserver.
August 2021
Unable to update website due to ongoing maintenance.
6 August 2021
Added USS Lake Champlain cover postmarked on the 3 May (in between the posponed launch date and the actual launch date) to Mercury 3.
1 August 2021
Added a Gemini 12 Captain's cover (not postmarked) signed by Aldrin and Lovell. Also added a drawing of Bill der Bing of JSC, drawn while aboard the USS Lake Champlain during Gemini 5, to a new page for drawings.
16 July 2021
Added several new cachets to Mercury 9.
15 July 2021
Added a very nice Crew signed USS Guam on an 'Orbit' cover to Gemini 11 thanks to Timothy Preston. It is also signed on the back by the Commanding Officer.
7 July 2021
Added an interesting late usage Apollo 17 Captain's cover. Also added another cover to SpaceX Crew-1.
18 June 2021
Added SpaceX covers to CRS-21 and Crew-1.
12 June 2021
Added very nicely done Astro Philatelic Covers USS New Orleans covers to Skylab 3 and Skylab 4. Also added a USS New Orleans cover signed by the 4 swimmers from the Recovery Helicopter to Skylab 4.
9 June 2021
Added a couple of covers thanks to Timothy Preston. The first another USS Ticonderoga cover from Apollo 17 with the signatures of eight frogmen. The second is a USS Okinawa cover postmark while waiting in Pearl Harbor for deployment for Apollo 15.
6 June 2021
Finally added 2 PRS covers covers thanks to Lee Kok How. The first is a USS Ticonderoga cover from Apollo 16 with an unusual cachet. The second is a great USS Ticonderoga cover from Apollo 17 with the signatures of eight frogmen!
5 June 2021
Added even more rare covers thanks to Lee Kok How. An Apollo 8 USS Yorktown cover signed by A member of the recovery team, Richard Korth and his wife. Also an Apollo 17 Captain's cover on a different sized envelope to the one I had illustrated. And an updated scan of an unusual Apollo 17 Captain's cover. Finally an Apollo 16 Recovery helicopter cover with an unusual cachet and with the rare machine cancel.
2 June 2021
Added some more rare covers thanks to Lee Kok How. Firstly a possibly unique Apollo 13 USS Iwo Jima Beck crew cover from the wrong Ocean, the Atlantic! And a second Apollo 13 USS Iwo Jima Beck crew cover, this time from the correct Ocean, the Pacific. Finally a USS Boxer cover from Gemini 8 with both a machine and a hand cancel. Only the second one known.
31 May 2021
Added some more rare covers thanks to Lee Kok How. Added a second example of a USS Randolph cover with an additional red double ring New York USS Randolph postmark plus a second USS Randolph cover signed by the Captain to MR-4. Finally, added a wonderful USS Wasp cover with a P.M. hand cancel (first one seen) and signed by 7 members of the recovery team!
29 May 2021
Added some very rare covers thanks to Lee Kok How. Added another USS Noa cover with P.M. time slug to Mercury 6. This is now the eighth such cover found. Also added a rare USS Randolph cover with an A.M. time slug to Mercury 6. And a rare USS Lake Champlain cover with an A.M. time slug to Gemini 2. More to come.
9 May 2021
Added the four known postmark variations from the USS Charles R. Ware to Mercury 9.
2 May 2021
Added an interesting full envelope cacheted cover to Apollo 11.
5 April 2021
Added an interesting USS Arneb cover to Apollo 7 postmarked for launch rather than splashdown and with an inverted 11 thanks to Tom Steiner. Added a possibly unique Apollo 11 Captain's cover with an Apollo 12 Navy cachet and postmark again thanks to Tom Steiner.
16 March 2021
Added a number of covers to Space Shuttle covers.
22 February 2021
I have now added scans for the new section to SpaceX for CRS-6 and above.
1 February 2021
Added a great USNS Range Tracker Austrian postcard to Gemini 9 which has a MSTS cachet plus a USNS Range Tracker embossed emblem. Also added a third B640 USS Boxer cover (was designated for the USS Goodrich) to Rare Beck Covers. Also added a great dual cover with Navy cachet, USS New Orleans postmark, USNS Vanguard corner card and two different cachets and signatures of both commanders thanks to Joseph Volutza! Added an unusual USS Wasp cover with a dark bluish cachet to Gemini 12 thanks to Tom Steiner. Is it a combination of maroon and black inks?
9 January 2021
Added several covers to Shuttle Support Covers. Added a couple of covers to the SpaceX booster recovery section. Added a new cover to Gordon Cachets with the first sighted Apollo 201 cachet. Added a USS Robert L. Wilson cover to Apollo 201 covers. Added a Fujeira overprinted stamp to Stamps and Minisheets.
26 December 2020
Have been busy adding a section to SpaceX for CRS-6 and above. Presently it's still under construction and only includes information. I'll add scans of covers over time.
12 December 2020
Completed sections for SpaceX DM-1 and DM-2 missions.
25 November 2020
Added three covers from Tim Preston. Firstly an unusual dual cancellation cover (USS Hornet Navy cachet and Titusville FDC on an 10c first Man on the Moon stamp) to Apollo 11. Next a USS Iwo Jima postmark and Navy cachet on J. Walter Green's stationary ( from A/P NASA Photo Pool) to Apollo 13. Finally an Apollo 4 KSC cover with an added NASA AS 501 Apollo Mission 4 cachet. Also added several covers from Tim to Harry Gordon cachets.
15 November 2020
Added a new page devoted to Harry Gordon cachets.
5 November 2020
Added a USS Ozark cover with an unusual cachet to Apollo 11. Added a number of covers with Harry Gordon cachets to Gordon cachets. More to come.
30 October 2020
Added a rare K. Karcher cacheted USS Hornet cover to Apollo 11. I believe this is the first Karcher cover I've seen for an Apollo mission. I also obtained similar covers for the USS Salinan, USS Goldsborough and the USS Arlington. Also added a plain USS Myles C. Fox cover to Gemini with a 16 March postmark rather than the usual 17 March.
10 October 2020
Added an extremely unusual postcard to Mercury 8. It is a preused GB postcard cancelled on the USS Kearsarge dispite no extra postage! Added several signed PRS covers to Skylab 2.
1 October 2020
Added another fake USS Wasp cover to Gemini 12 plus a fake USS Bennington cover to Apollo 4 both thanks to David Ball via collectSPACE. I also added a new table to Mercury 6 showing non Goldcraft covers which are very hard to find.
26 September 2020
Added a fake USS Wasp cover to Gemini 12 and to Fakes. This is the first example I've seen with non US stamps.
10 September 2020
Added a Netherlands postcard with Netherlands stamps from the USS Guadalcanal to Apollo 9. Also added a great Gemini 4 Captain's cover with the Commander Carrier Division Fourteen corner card.
31 August 2020
Added PRS covers with interesting cachets to Mercury 6, Mercury 7 and Mercury 8. All three sold on eBay.
24 August 2020
Added USS Goldsborough and USS New covers on Forces Air Letters to Apollo 11. Very unusual.
23 August 2020
Added a cover from the USNS Redstone to Apollo 13 containing a cachet indicating that the ship will no longer be operating with the Apollo Project. Cover thanks to Joseph Volutza. I wonder if such a cover exists for Apollo 12 as Apollo 11 was the last mission for the USNS Redstone? Added a cover for the SpaceX ship GO Navigator training for DM-2 to Training Missions.
21 August 2020
Added an original Apollo 11 Mission Emblem cover postmarked at KSC on 16 July 1969 with an additional Alameda 50th anniversary Moon Landing postmark and stamp. Added a cover with a special Western Samoa Recovery postmark to Apollo 16.
27 July 2020
Added an interesting series of covers with US Senate Press Gallery corner cards to Apollo 15, Skylab 2, Skylab 3 and Skylab 4.
23 July 2020
Added a cleverly done cover to 50th anniversary of the Moon landing covers. It is a reproduction of an Apollo 11 Captain's cover with a n Alameda 50th Anniversary station postmark. Added a Lorraine Carlson USS Pacific Fleet cachet to Mercury 9 to complement the Atlantic Fleet version.
8 July 2020
Added a remarkable cover from the USS Goodrich to Gemini 8. It seems to show the transition between the use of black ink and green. Most of the Navy RSC uses a darker than normal green ink (possible a mixing of black and green ink) while the NASA emblem uses black ink with small patches of green. Also added a USCGC Sweetgum cover with a postmark variation to STS-51 covers.
22 June 2020
Added a very colourful cover to Apollo 11 50th anniversay covers which has both Alameda and Cape Canaveral pictorial postmarks. Also added a USS Kearsarge cover with a USNS Range Tracker corner card to Mercury 9. Added a USS Guadalcanal aerogram with a NASA cachet on the front and a Navy cachet on the back to Apollo 9.
18 April 2020
Unfortunately added six more fake Beck covers to Fakes
13 April 2020
Added an extremely unusual USS Wasp cover to Gemini 4. It is one of only two seen with blue cachets! It sold on eBay for US$113.50 despite the signatures being autopens!
12 April 2020
Added an interesting variation on the USS Spiegel Grove postmark to Apollo 14 thanks to Andre Gutmann. It involves a wider thicker Time Slug as compared to the common version. He also has made interesting observations about the no Time Slug version.
9 April 2020
Added a nice USS Austin Heritage Cover to Apollo 15 thanks to Timothy Preston.
8 April 2020
Added a number of covers thanks to Gerard Zonneveld. Firstly a new Apollo 11 US Hornet postmark variety with both the Time Slug and the Year missing (2 examples!). Next a different example from the series of Apollo 11 USS Hornet hand drawn covers. Also another example of the rare Apollo 11 US Hornet postmark with missing Time Slug. Finally an Apollo 12 Mission Emblem cover with the missing Time Slug postmark. Wow!!
4 April 2020
Added article showing that the oiler USS Kawishiwi was involved in the failed Gemini 6 mission. This is the first time I've seen the ship mentioned for this mission. It was replaced by the USS Ponchatoula for Gemini 6A.
16 March 2020
Added four more 50th Anniversary Moon landing covers to Apollo 11.
15 March 2020
Added an amusing hand drawn cover to Apollo 16. It appears to be drawn by the same artist who did one for Apollo 15. If anyone has other similar covers please let me know.
28 February 2020
Added an extremely rare GT-4 Captain's / Admiral's cover to Captain and Crew Covers.
12 February 2020
Added a nice USS Wasp Beck Crew cover to Gemini 4.
5 February 2020
Added to STS-51L the first seen cover from the USCGC Point Charles thanks to Tom Steiner. However there still appears to be no indication if it was involved in the recovery mission or not.
3 February 2020
I've started to document Harry Gordon cachets. More to come.
2 February 2020
Added a Gemini 9 Captain's cover with incorrect 4c postage to Captain and Crew Covers. Added a USS Benjamin Stoddert cover with a small orbit Swigert cachet to Apollo 13. Added a USS Spiegel Grove cover with a seldom seen Goldcraft cachet to Apollo 14. Added a USNS Vanguard cover with an unusual cachet to Apollo 7.
1 February 2020
Added another fake Beck like cover. See the bottom of this page.
27 January 2020
Added two covers from Andre Gutmann. The first is from Skylab 4 and has both a machine and a hand cancel from Cape Canaveral. The second is from Apollo 16 Norfolk and uses a Canadian stamp rather than the required USA stamp.
23 January 2020
Added another fake Beck like cover. See the bottom of this page. Added another Gemini 12 USS Wasp Crew cover.
12 January 2020
Added a warning about three more fake Beck Like covers on eBay! See the bottom of this page.
4 January 2020
Added a newly discovered USS Thomason postmark variation to Mercuey 9 thanks to Andre Gutmann. The ship's name is on the top of the postmark rather than the bottom. Also the time slug is PM rather than AM. Also added a USS Wasp cover with an unusual text cachet to Gemini 6A thanks to Timothy Preston.
23 December 2019
Major Find! A Morris Beck un-numbered cover for Mercury 7 from the USS Fred T Berry was sold on eBay for Euro 113! This is only the third ship from MA-7 for which Beck covers are known. Although un-numbered I do not consider these crew covers. All three that I've seen are addressed to Morris Beck. It seems likely that he send these to the ships to be returned to him as an experiment before sending his numbered covers.
17 December 2019
Added a USS Hawkins Beck Crew cover to Apollo 12 thanks to Tony O'Brien. And this one includes the rare ship's name on the bottom of the postmark variety.
12 December 2019
Added a number of covers to SBR Recovery Covers.
8 December 2019
Added 3 unusual Gemini 12 Beck covers B709, B710 & B711 all with identical dual Cape Canaveral postmarks for the 11 & 15 November. Also a Beck B709 postmarked aboard the USS Joseph P Kennedy Jr rather than the designated USS Canisteo thanks to Wolf Magnus. Also an Apollo 10 USS Princeton B787 with missing background colour and with the number on the left side of the cachet rather than the usual right, again thanks to Wolf Magnus.
6 December 2019
Added a USS Wasp cover with a ship's cachet plus an George Goldey text cachet to Gemini 6A.
11 November 2019
Added a couple of USS Wasp covers with printed corner cards to Gemini 9A and Gemini 12. Added an interesting Society of Israel Philatelics USS Nicholas cover to Apollo 9.
11 November 2019
Added a very interesting USNS Vanguard cover to Apollo 7. It has a Navy cachet on the front and a black one on the back!
9 November 2019
Lost and Found. Added a unique USS Wasp cover to Gemini 7. This cover on USS Wasp stationary was apparently cacheted during the mission (December 1965) with a Navy cachet on the front and the ship's cachet on the back. It was then lost for 2 and a half years when it was found and postmarked at West Palm Beach in May 1968!! A very nice find.
8 November 2019
Added a very nice USS New Orleans postcard postmarked on the 23 July 1975 to ASTP thanks to Alec Bartos. Also added a request for information on a missing cover.
5 November 2019
Added a number of covers to Apollo 11 for the 50th anniversary of the splashdown.
30 October 2019
Two more questionable Morris Beck covers were recently sold on eBay. Please read my page on them and please contact me if you purchased one.
17 October 2019
Added an extremely unusual and rare Captain's cover to 'Captain and Crew Covers'. It has a rare maroon Ship's cachet on the back, uses a 10c stamp (unusual) and has Jim Lovell's signature. In addition the gold printing is slightly offset from the blue printing. All in all, a great cover!
12 October 2019
Added a USS Norris cover with an early postmark to Gemini 10 thanks to Andre Gutmann.
10 October 2019
Three questionable Morris Beck covers were recently sold on eBay. Please read my page on them and please contact me if you purchased one.
9 August 2019
Added a major new discovery by Wolf Magnus. The first Apollo 17 USS Recovery cover that is known.
5 July 2019
Added a new section on Goldcraft covers. I am working on a section on Gordon covers.
7 June 2019
Added a Artopages cover with USS Okinawa postmark to Apollo 15 thanks to Joseph Volutza. Also added a Gemini 7 USS Wasp Type 2 Crew cover to Captain and Crew Covers thanks to Timothy Preston.
30 April 2019
No major additions. However, did add covers to Shuttle SRB Recovery Covers and Stamps and Minisheets. Also minor items to other pages so check your favourite page.
7 March 2019
Added a new discovery from Tom Steiner, a USS Nimble cover from Gemini 4! First one I've seen. Also added USS Skill and USS Vesole (not involved) covers to Gemini 4 thanks to Tom. All with Harry Gordon cachets.
24 February 2019
Added a newly discovered variety of Apollo 6 USS Austin postmark. All postmarks to date have a dot after the M in AM. Now one has been discovered without the dot. Note that since the ink on the postmark is heavy, it seems unlikely that the dot missed being inked. Look out for this variey and please let me know if you find an example.
14 February 2019
Added a reply from Tom Steiner to the possible fake Beck like cover. Also added lots of new stamps with more to come.
14 February 2019
WARNING - Added a section on fake covers. At present it only lists one recently discovered, and reported on collectSPACE, Beck like cover but over time I'll add others. A must read section.
This page © Dr Ross J Smith
This page is maintained by the Webmaster
