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Gemini 10 Ultra-Rare Backup Crew (Bean, Williams) Signed Splashdown Postcard. ... (Total: 2 )
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$500.00
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Description
Gemini 10 Ultra-Rare Backup Crew (Bean, Williams) Signed Splashdown Postcard. A plain white postcard with a 5ยข "Flag" stamp affixed at right bearing a hand cancelation from Kennedy Space Center dated July 21, 1966, the day that Gemini 10 was launched. The cachet consists of a simple rubber-stamped Gemini capsule. Signed beautifully in black felt tip: "Alan L Bean" and "C C Williams". This is the first philatelic item signed by this pair that we've encountered. Unaddressed. Excellent. Included, for purposes of display or matting, is a glossy color print of the two from the Gemini 10 press conference.This backup assignment marked the first official crew assignment for both astronauts, who were selected as part of NASA's third astronaut group in 1963. Their next (or intended) missions would be:
Alan Bean: Bean did not fly in Gemini. His next assignment was as the backup LMP for Apollo 9, alongside Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon. That backup assignment led directly to his flight on Apollo 12 where he became the fourth man to walk on the Moon, serving as LMP under Conrad's command.
C.C. Williams: Williams was selected to fly as LMP for Apollo 12, originally assigned alongside Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon. Tragically, he died in a T-38 crash on October 5, 1967, well before that mission came to fruition. After his death, Alan Bean was chosen to take his place on the Apollo 12 crew.
The Gemini 10 backup assignment was a steppingstone into the Apollo program, though it had divergent outcomes: one path ending in tragedy, the other in a Moon landing. From the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke.
Auction Info
2025 September 27 Space Exploration Showcase Auction #33169 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
September, 2025
27th
Saturday
Internet/Mail Bids: 18
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 116
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