New Space Cover Handbook and Price Guide Released

The U.S. Space Cover Collecting Handbook is now available. This 200 page spiral bound book is a standard 8 ½ X 11 size and contains over 1,100 illustrations. It is written for new as well as advanced collectors. Those who may wish to exhibit will find the tips and regulations for Astrophilately to be very helpful in raising their award level.

Judges will now have a source of information that will help them better understand the nuances of space cover exhibits that make such an exhibit significantly different from most other types of exhibits. For instance, it is the cancel followed by the cachet that determines the difficulty of acquisition. Also 35 fakes and suspect covers, including 21 of the Riser fakes are shown in a section on fakes with other Suspect Coves in the section of VIP Cards.

Covers are grouped by program. As an example, 59 of the Explorer series are shown in date sequence with a note about each mission followed by a code for the difficulty of acquisition and bracketed estimated values. For instance:
Explorer 1 Energy particles studies (Discovered the Van Allen Radiation belt) 5 /$200-$250 Jan. 31, 1958

(Note that "5" is scarce where a "6" is rare.)

Stratospheric balloons, rocket plane covers, precursors, manned and unmanned flights, Rockets, early covers, lunar, planetary, commercial rockets, Official Cachets, VIP cards, Captain's and Crew covers are among the items covered by this handbook. Autographs are not included except for Flown-to-the-Moon and Insurance covers as these were signed and are bought and sold that way.

The estimated values should be a major help to collectors as well as to dealers. Written by former Space Unit President and recipient of Gold Medal Space Exhibits, Ray E. Cartier, he had support from other long time collectors and exhibitors who reviewed the work over the year that it was in progress. They include Tom Steiner - current President of the ATA and the Space Unit auction Chairman; Steve Durst - VP of the Space Unit and author of several works on U.S. manned space covers including Apollo Walks on The Moon and the recipient of Gold Medals for his exhibits. Dennis Dillman - Author of the Edwards Rocketplane Cover Handbook and a Vermeil Medal exhibit recipient; Charles Vukotich, Director of the Space Unit and author of the SpaceCraft Covers and reviewer of space related books; Bob Boyd - specialist in comet-related covers and analyst of background information behind space covers.

Dr. Reuben Ramkissoon, President-Emeritus of the Space Unit and the F.I.P. Astrophilatelic Section US Delegate, and Gold Medal recipient for his exhibit, The Development of the United States Lunar Exploration, along with David Ball, author of American Astrophilately - The First 50 Years, a Gold Medal awarded book, both reviewed and commented on this work prior to printing.
The black and white handbook is $25 plus $4 postage in the US and $18 postage for overseas. A CD of the handbook in color is available for $12 plus $2 postage in the US and $3.00 for overseas, from:

AstroCover - 2509 Buffalo Dr. - Arlington, TX 76013, USA or [email protected]