Superb Astronaut Autopen Resource

Be sure to bookmark this highly recommended Space Directory Astronaut Autopen Guide.

In fact, the entire site is a treasure trove of great astronaut and space collecting information.

Kudos to the webmaster, Craig.

UACC Show Report

I attended the UACC National Show in Secaucus, NJ this past weekend. The show promised a good lineup of guests and I was looking forward to seeing many on my online buddies from around the country.

The show was held in the Exhibition Center of the Meadowlands Crowne Plaza. I've been in this room many times for other events, so I knew it would be hot. The room is always hot and the 100+ temperatures outside didn't help. Even industrial sized fans could barely help the weak air conditioning.

My plan was to get several signatures on my Saturn V wooden model and the SpaceShip One pilots to sign my new SpaceShip One wooden model. After that, I wanted a few signed photos from the guests and I would browse the dealer tables.

My first stop was with Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I wanted to add them to a photo previously signed by Arthur C. Clarke. This is a vintage still that I picked up in NYC years ago and was signed by Mr. Clarke in 1999. The Clarke signature and inscription is so nice that I was tempted to leave it as is, but temptation got the better of me and I had the 2 actors add their signatures. Both actors were very friendly.

My next stop was at the SpaceShip one table.

I asked Mike Melville and Brian Binnie sign a wooden desktop model. Both were real gentlemen and were a pleasure.

The rest of the people I wanted to get had fairly long lines, so I decided to browse the dealer tables a bit waiting for the lines to thin. I've been to enough of these shows to know that the lines always thin by noon, so there is no need to wait in long lines... be patient and you will get the signature you want. None of the guests are going to get up and suddenly disappear.


Next, I stopped by Rusty Schweickhart's table (Apollo 9) and had him add his signature to my Saturn V wooden model. It now has a dozen signatures on it, so signing space is getting limited.

After Rusty, Ed Gibson (Skylab), was my next stop. Always a pleasure, Mr. Gibson signed my Saturn V model as well. If I want any additional signatures on this, I may have to start using the base.

I returned to my car to unload the models -- they are a pain to carry around -- and returned to the show to have Valentina Tereshkova (the first woman in space) sign a photo for me. She looks unbelievably young for a 68 year old woman. She looks at least 10 years younger than she is. My regret is that I didn't think to take a photo with her.

That was it for the in-person signatures. I went upstairs to meet with the UACC Board in a wonderfully air conditioned meeting room. As we had sandwiches for lunch (Thanks to Al Hallonquist for the invite!) , Al Wittnebert tossed out a folder full of bargain signed photos... a special for the UACC Officers at the meeting.

I wasted no time picking out this one for $10. An in-person signature from early in A-ROD's career. This could be my bargain on the year.

After the meeting, I wanted to hit the dealer tables. I did a lot of browsing, but (thankfully) no big items caught my interest. I was thrilled to pick up this beauty from my favorite TV show for $10...

Most importantly, I did get to say hello to lots of listpeople we all know: Al Hallonquist, Bob Russo, Steve Gruber, Kevin Taylor, Bill Owenby, Bob Glass, Sam Stein, Steve Hankow, Tracey Kornfeld, Mint Montague, Carrie in the blue flightsuit, Doug Henry, Rob Pearlman, Andy McCully & Lauren, Linn LeBlanc, Eddie Bizbub, and I know I am forgetting at least 3 or 4 more. (Sorry) I did enjoy meeting everyone I spoke with.

Overall, kudos to the UACC, Steve Hankow and Nolan Sims for putting on a great event.

The Bronx Bleeder Pleads Guilty

From the August 11 eSCD Newsletter:

FORGERY CASE LEADS TO WEPNER PLEA

The FBI has released details regarding the guilty plea entered by former boxer Chuck Wepner, who lost to Muhammad Ali in a heavyweight championship fight in 1975 and was using the prestige of that event and his career to sell forged Ali autographs. The files were sealed until recently, but a press release now reveals that Wepner entered a guilty plea in May for conspiring to commit mail fraud. He admitted to selling memorabilia forged by John Olson, who pled guilty in 2003 and received three years probation, those sales taking place from June 1996 through March 2002.

Among the items that were sold were Champions Forever boxing posters (gold ink versions are forged). The Champions Forever forgeries were exposed in 1996 by Sports Collectors Digest, which quoted Wepner as claiming the forgeries were purchased from another party. "John (Olson) is a good kid," Wepner said in that 1996 story. "He buys things in good faith and sometimes he gets stuck." Wepner is scheduled to enter his plea and receive his sentencing on Oct. 24 in San Diego. Wepner and Olson say most of their forgeries were sold through Brian Ginsberg, who was indicted recently in San Diego on 13 counts related to the sale of forged sports and celebrity memorabilia. Ginsberg entered a not guilty plea and has a hearing set for Sept. 12. Olson was quoted in an FBI press release as saying Ginsberg paid him and Wepner about $117,000 for forged memorabilia.

In a related case, Michael De Sola of Madison Sports pled guilty in March 2004 to mail fraud, again related to forged autographs, often Ali, and again in a case sealed until recently. De Sola was sentenced to three years probation and a $1,000 fine.

DC Collection Is Complete!

With the recent acquisition of New Adventures 26, UK collector Ian Levine has completed his quest to collect every DC comic ever published. To keep the title, Ian continues to buy every DC comic published every week.

Congrats to Ian on a notable achievement! Here are some pics...

Death of the Monthly Pamphlet?

Will the monthly comic book go the way of the Dodo? Are the publishers pushing us in that direction with the availability of inexpensive and comprehensive trade paperback reprints? Is it all part of a master plan to phase out monthlies?

Here is an interesting thread on this subject on the STL Comics message board.

Would Spider-Man Have Been Popular in 1938?

Recently on the CGC Message Boards, someone asked, "What if Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, had come out in 1938?" (At the same time Action Comics #1 was published -- the first appearance of Superman.)

An interesting topic... and here is what I wrote:

A significant part of the great appeal of Spider-Man is that he shared with teens from that era (the 1960s) many of the same problems -- insecurity, dating problems, bullying, not-belonging, etc. Peter Parker had a body supercharged with special powers, but his mind was still that of an everyteen underdog who was wracked with misplaced guilt and a devotion to an elderly aunt.

Would the culture of the late 30s have identified and cared about Peter's problemed psyche? Just a guess, but probably not.

The teens of the late 30s had recently emerged from the Great Depression and the storm clouds of world war were amassing on the horizon. They were not so introspective as to be able to easily identify with Peter Parker. Their problems were much more serious than getting marble-mouthed around Betty Brant; they had problems like worrying about how much food was going to be on the table, and were the relatives back in the "old country" okay.

And for every reason why Spider-Man -- a precursor to the "me" generation -- would have failed in 1938, Superman succeeded. They wanted a hero that was a "super" MAN, not a confused boy. Superman didn't have problems of his own, he solved other people's problems. He was the ultimate symbol of hope for better times -- an infallible champion of truth and justice.

It's no coincidence that when Spider-Man gained massive popularity, the times were very different and it coincided with the nadir of Superman's popularity.

These are 2 characters imbued with very different appeals, each custom fit to the era in which they were created.

Superman vs. Nazis

The book I've been waiting for finally arrived! After completing my Fantastic Four run earlier in the year, my next focus will be on some Golden Age Superman books, and I'm kicking it off with this one...

Action Comics #53, October 1942

I'm going to concentrate on WWII covers. Typically these books are pricey, but still affordable in midgrades. So, I will look for books in the 4.0 - 7.0 range with nice eye appeal and decent paper quality.

I'm pleased with this book -- even though two small color flecks came off (above the DC logo and behind the soldier's knee on the right edge) as I was carefully examining it. The paper isn't brittle or weak, so this surprised me a bit.

Structurally the book is very sound and it has no creases. It suffers only from minor edgewear, corner wear and light dust shadows on the front and back cover.

I bought this as a Fine (6.0), and I think it's close. What do you think?

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I arrived home yesterday to find a FedEx "we were here" thingy hanging off my front door. The waiting is driving me crazy. Hopefully my present to myself will be there when I get home today.

To pass the time, here's a hint of things to come...

I bought this in the early 90s from Vincent's Collectibles (now Vincent Zurzolo of Metropolis.) I always enjoyed chatting with Vincent in those early days when he did small local shows on Long Island. He was usually the best dealer in the room. He got a fair share of my collecting dollars back then.

I had a yen for a Golden Age Action/Superman on that day back in 1992 or 1993. Now, I wish I had pursued GA more vigorously at the time when prices were so much less.

This book is structurally in great shape with almost white pages. Other than the minor staple tears and the rodent chew on the lower right corner, it presents very well.

What is it with rat chews on books from the 40s? Were there that many more rats back then? You almost never see this type of damage on books from the mid-50s on. Storage conditions in the 50s and 60s couldn't have been that much better than the 40s... it's not like they were bagging and boarding them in 1958, yet you rarely see rodent damage from that era.

Odd.

Still Waiting...

I'm still waiting for the item I mentioned in the previous post. What is the saying? Something about a watched pot never boiling...

Anyway, this is a signed photo that I recently completed when I received it back from Al White. I was working on this for quite a while... I call it the X-15 signature sheet. It contains all of the living X-15 Pilots except Neil Armstrong, plus drops pilots. Sadly, William "Pete" Knight has passed since signing this page.

Off The Dole...

Well, I have finally accepted a job offer and will begin my new job as a Marketing Director for a small business association tomorrow.

After getting "reduced in force" along with 5,499 other colleagues of Marsh & McLennan last November, the past 7 months have been a very stressful and humbling learning experience.

But, I stuck to my guns, wouldn't let the experience break me, wouldn't give in and settle for a lot less than I'm worth, and I have finally found what appears to be a challenging position in a company that believes in attracting and paying talent well. (I've learned that all companies want talent, but few are willing to pay for it.)

So, I rewarded myself with my first notable comic purchase in 7 months. When it arrives, I will share.

That Old Comic May Be Worth $100!!!

An ad from a DC comic, October 1975.

I suspect that these binders were similar to the binders that are still used to hold magazines today... the book is probably secured under a metal rod that is placed in the centerspread. It would keep the spine straight, but probably not do much to protect it from dust and oxidation.

Even 30 years ago there was a "value" mentality regarding collecting comic books.

Curt Swan's Superman

Here is a page of original comic art that I picked up recently. In my view, Curt Swan is the quintessential Superman artist of the Silver and Bronze Ages. I've wanted a Curt Swan Superman page for a while now, and I fell for this action-packed piece. The Last Son of Krypton is using his powers in every panel.

From Superman 348, page 16