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Apollo 15 Lunar Module Flown "Sieger" Crew-Signed Cover, Serial Number 016, One of 100 Sold by Herman Sieger in 1971, with Not...
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Description
One of the 100 covers that caused the scandal
Apollo 15 Lunar Module Flown "Sieger" Crew-Signed Cover, Serial
Number 016, One of 100 Sold by Herman Sieger in 1971, with
Notarized Certification on the Verso. A philatelic cover with a
color cachet based on the Apollo 15 mission insignia. At upper left
is written the following: "Landed at Hadley Moon/July 30,
1971" above the two moonwalkers' signatures: "Dave
Scott" and "Jim Irwin". At lower left are the signatures
of the crew: "Dave Scott", "Al Worden", and "Jim
Irwin". It bears a 10¢ "First Man on the Moon" stamp (Scott
#C76) canceled on the launch date of July 26, 1971, at Kennedy
Space Center. At lower right is a se-tenant pair (in correct order)
of 8¢ "Decade of Achievement/ United States in Space" stamps
canceled on board the U.S.S. Okinawa on the splashdown date
of August 7, 1971. On the center of the verso is the typed
statement: "This is to certify that this cover was onboard the
Falcon at the Hadley-Apennine, Moon, July 30-August 2, 1971" which
is signed and notarized by Mrs. C. B. Carsey of Harris County,
Texas (Houston) along with her Notary blind-stamp. At lower left of
the verso Sieger's name "H.W. Sieger" is stamped then signed by him
below the handwritten serial number "#016 ". Hermann Sieger,
who purchased and sold these covers, was one of the earliest to
recognize the historical significance of postal covers flown to the
moon. His involvement adds another layer of collectibility and
provenance to this artifact, making it a highly sought-after piece
for philatelists and space collectors alike.This is only the third time Heritage has been privileged to offer one of these first 100 lunar-flown covers. Others that we have offered previously are from the remaining 298 that were kept by the crew. A rare opportunity. Original backing card with a message from the astronauts included. Excellent.
The story behind these famous, moon surface-landed covers is extraordinary. In 1970, a German stamp dealer by the name of Hermann Sieger set out to recruit an Apollo crew to carry some philatelic covers to the moon and back. The Apollo 15 crew agreed to carry one hundred covers for a payment of $7000 to each of them. The agreement was that they would not be sold until after the Apollo program wrapped up. Along with Sieger's covers, the astronauts added 300 of their own (actually 298 as two of the 300 were destroyed before the flight). The NASA rule was that the astronauts had to obtain permission prior to taking anything with them on the spacecraft. For unknown reasons, these were never reported. All the covers were canceled just after midnight the day of the flight and then rushed through the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building, where they were vacuum-packed and sealed in fireproof fiberglass. They then went to Launch Complex 39A where Scott took the package and put in a pocket of his spacesuit. These were not properly manifested. After the flight, the crew had the covers stamped and cancelled onboard the rescue ship. They signed the covers on the way back to Houston. Shortly thereafter, the one hundred covers were forwarded to Siegel in Germany, and he immediately began to sell them. The astronauts made efforts to retrieve the covers but failed. They returned his payments, but a congressional inquiry caused NASA to suspend all three from active flight status. The 298 remaining covers were confiscated and held until 1983 when NASA settled Al Worden's lawsuit out of court and returned the covers to the crew. From the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke.
Auction Info
2025 June 13 - 14 Space Exploration Featuring The Family Collection of Jacques Bracke Part II Signature® Auction #6317 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2025
13th-14th
Friday-Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $1,000,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $5,000,000 per lot.
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