THE ROCKET MAIL PAGE, PART 2
By Paul A. Roales
Updated: July 31, 2008 Return to the opening Rocket Mail page here.
NEWS
(Added July 31, 2008) THREE NEW LAUNCHES
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: THREE LAUNCHES BY GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE
GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE in Austria has been very busy already this summer with rocket mail launches. I received notification of three since my last report. They occured on June 28 in Austria, July 5 in Switzerland, and July 10 in Austria.
Here are the three announcements: 1) "I am happy to inform you about an additional rocket launch,the GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE in cooperation with the Waldviertler Astronomische Gesellschaft arranged on June 28, 2008 at Wielands (Lower Austria). Rocket: AUSTRO-EXPERIMENTAL 100 years TUNGUSKA meteorite Covers were cancelled with special picture-postmark. 100 numbered covers and some VIP-covers." 2) "I am happy to inform you about an additional rocket launch, the GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE arranged on July 5, 2008 at "Cape Kaltbrunn" (Swiss). 50 anniversary launch of SPUTNIK III. Covers were cancelled on the exact launching-date. A total of 500 numbered covers + some VIP" and 3) " I am happy to inform you about an additional rocket launch, the GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE arranged on July 10, 2008 at Gaissau (Austria ). 60 anniversary launch of first american primate monkey ALBERT I. 100 + VIP were flown.This year we plan further rocket-launches in memoriam to: 50 years PIONEER I; 50 years US-monkey GORDOMONK; 50 years LUNIK I."
As usual with this group the covers will be sold only on eBay. The first cover is shown on the right and the other two are shown below.
REMINDER
This page depends upon your information to prosper. Please contact me if you have any rocket mail information or news.
(Added July 1, 2008) NOT MUCH NEWS TO REPORT
By Paul A. Roales.
ITEM 1: FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON GOLDBERG AUCTION
I continued to sell on eBay the duplicates I acquired in the Golddberg auction. US EZ156C1 which cataloged in Kaufmann at $15 sold for $61, but US EZ62C1 only sold for its catalog price of $10. The difference here in in the number of covers flown. Only 305 of EZ156 were flown, but a total of 2000 EZ62's in total were flown. Years ago the rocket mail experiments may have carried up to 5000 covers. The hobby might have been able to support that fan base back then, but not now. With 5000 (or even 2000) covers on a flight the market will not support a high price.
(Added June 3, 2008) SOME THOUGHTS ON THE GOLDBERG AUCTION AND A NEW LAUNCH IN AUSTRIA
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: MY ACQUISITIONS IN THE AUCTION
As I mentioned in my last column I won 4 Lots in the April 11, Goldberg Auction. I got Lots 301, 303, 308, 328. Because the Lots were groupings of covers I had to accept a number of covers I already had to get some new ones. All in all I got examples of US EZ61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 100, 101, 156, and 161. On some of those I got multiple varieties. 64, 65, 67, 100 and 161 were the new example I acquired. I paid .965 of the Kaufmann prices for the total accumulation (some more, some less). That included the 15% buyers premium and all shipping charges. On the left I picture the most valuable of the new covers I acquired: EZ 100C1. It was flown on September 18, 1967 at Bear Pen Mountain, NY by J. P. Nagl and only 20 flown covers exist. It is valued in Kaufmann at $40.00 but I suspect it is more valuable than that.
ITEM 2: SELLING DUPLICATES FROM THE AUCTION
To prove that the Kaufmann prices are badly out of date I sold 2 of the duplicates I received in the Goldberg Auction on eBay this month. They were both valued at $10 in Kaufmann. EZ 61C1 sold for $113.61 and EZ 63C1b sold for $158.85. The market for rare and scarce rocket mail covers is very strong, but the market for the common covers is weak.
ITEM 3: A NEW LAUNCH IN AUSTRIA
On June 2 I had an email from Sandra Matejka. Here is what it said: "I am happy to inform you about an additional rocket launch, the GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE arranged on April 4, 2008 at Gaissau (AUSTRIA ). Two different covers were flown: 50 anniversary launch of EXPLORER-2 and 75th anniversary Eng. F. Schmiedl rocket launch V-14. The Schmiedl-covers are cancelled at the exact landing-place as in 1933. Also both covers were cancelled on the exact launching-date. From each cover only 100 covers exist. You will find both covers in the attachement. As usual the covers are going to be sold on Ebay soon.
This year we plan further rocket-launches in memoriam to: 60 years US-monkey ALBERT; 50 years SPUTNIK III; 50 years PIONEER I; 50 years US-monkey GORDOMONK; 50 years LUNIK I."
The two covers are shown below.
(Added April 30, 2008) THE FIRST LAUNCH OF THE YEAR
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: THE FIRST LAUNCH OF 2008
On April 13 I got an email from Miri Matejka announcing the first rocket mail flight of 2008. Miri said: "First rocket launch in spring 2008 by the GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE. On the 28th March 2008 we were again able to fly memoriam covers with our new postal rocket AUSTRO EXPERIMENTAL in Gaissau/Vorarlberg/Austria. These memoriam covers are postmarked exactly 50 years after that happening and honour the first both sattelite-starts of the USA. As usual it is possible to receive a few covers on ebay soon. From each kind of covers only 80 exist."
The two covers are shown below. As usual with this organization they will only be available on eBay.
ITEM 2: THE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER, 2007 ASTROPHILE
The September-October issue of THE ASTROPHILE has an article titled "The Greenwood Lake N.Y. Rocket Flight" by Joseph J. Frasketi, Jr. and Dennis Dillman on p. 205. The article has several letters from Willy Ley about the launch. There is also a picture of a White Sands NM V-2 rocket mail cover on p. 213.
ITEM 3: RESULTS OF THE APRIL 11 GOLDBERG AUCTION.
The April 11 Auction of rocket mail by Goldberg had moderate sucess. Many lots only got 1 bid, but the rarest lots had competative bidding. I won 4 of the 5 rocket mail lots I bid on. I won 301, 303, 308 and 328. I believe the lesser material did not receive more bids because of the manner that Goldberg grouped the covers/stamps into mixed lots. In order to get a cover you needed you had to bid on a Lot with other covers you already had. I assume they did this to keep the price per lot high, but it probably discouraged some bidders. I have not yet received my lots and will report on them next month.
ITEM 4: ANOTHER AUCTION WITH ROCKET MAIL
On May 2-4 Regency-Superior will have an a Space - Coin - Collectables Auction which will include 18 rocket mail lots. There are not a lot of items, but a few high-value ones are included.
(Added March 31, 2008)AN UPCOMING AUCTION AND NEWS
By Paul A. Roales
ITEM 1: AN UPCOMING AUCTION
I received the catalog for the Ira & Larry Goldberg Space & Aviation Memorabilia Auction recently (far right). The auction is to be held on April 11, 2008. There are 321 Lots of rocket mail material. The US section is mostly sets of covers from a particular launch with all the vareties. I noted a few mistakes or errors, so be careful if you plan to bid. The catalog can also be seen online at www.goldbergcoins.com or on eBay.
ITEM 2: THE JULY-AUGUST, 2007 ASTROPHILE
The July-August, 2007 issue of the ASTROPHILE is a special 50th Anniversary of the start of the International Geophysical Year issue. It includes my article on the Rocket Research Institute rocket mail launch that I coordinated here in Tulsa, OK on July 1, 2007 which included both new covers being launched and RRI covers originally flown on July 1, 1957 being re-flown. The article "IGY 50th Anniversary Rocket Mail" starts on p. 165. The cover of that issue shows two IGY rocket mail covers (near right).
(Added February 29, 2008)LAST YEAR'S LAUNCHES
By Paul A. Roales
ITEM 1: A LAUNCH IN COLORADO LAST YEAR THAT I MISSED
On December 8, 2007 Jim Roth flew 12 minature covers (2.5x4.5") at Peyton, Colorado to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the unsuccessful launch of the Vanguard 1 satellite on December 6, 1957 (below). Jim still has a few copies of some of his 2006 and 2007 covers available for sale at $5 each. You can contact him at: Jim Roth, P.O. Box 7606, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7607 USA. Check with Jim for availability.
ITEM 2: THE REVIEW OF 2007 ROCKET MAIL FLIGHTS
I just submitted my annual review of rocket mail flights of the world for 2007 to THE ASTROPHILE. 2007 was a good year for rocket mail flights with 16 different flights in Switzerland, England, Germany, Austria, and the US. Lets hope 2008 is even better. I'll let you know when the review is published.
(Added January 31, 2008)AN ANNIVERSARY AND SOME OLD ROCKET MAIL PRICE LISTS
By Paul A. Roales
ITEM 1: AN ANNIVERSARY
This column marks the 10th Anniversary of this Rocket Mail web page. I posted the first one on January 31, 1998. I am happily surprised it is still going strong.
ITEM 2: A 1949 ROCKET MAIL SALES PRICE LIST
Recently on eBay I bought two price catalogs from 1949 which feature Rocket Mail. One is the Vol. 30, #1 1949 issue of "Philatelic News" issued by Karl H. Hennig. This issue of his News was issued when he was moving his business from Germany to the Dominican Republic. It lists both addresses, but the German address is crossed out. The News has 6 illustrated pages of German and US rocket mail covers and stamps being sold. An interesting item is the give-away mentioned inside the back cover.
It states: "That which surely will be missing in your collection - we give away only for the purpose to enjoy you and to draw the attention of further collectors to our house. We are in possession of PROOFS of the winterhelp issue of Rocket stamps issued 1934 - the last German Rocket stamps.
German Rocket stamps 1934 - so-called Winter-Relief stamps, issued in favor of the National Socialist Welfare, printed by Duvel, Hamburg, three values of 1/2 Mark, 1 Mark and 3 Marks. They are printed on white chalk-surfaced paper, without gum, imperforated. The Original stamps are of brown - olive green - silvered colour printed on paper with watermark, perforated and imperforated, whilst thePROOFS - all three values - are printed in red - black yellow, without gum, imperforated only.
We shall be pleased to send you FREE OF CHARGE a complete set of them, if you would care to send 10 Cents in mint US stamps to cover postage, If you want them to be sent to you by registered mail, please send 20 Cents in mint stamps instead. You will be pleased with them.
We have only a modest request: Please add some addresses of collector friends of yours (if possible of those gentlemen, who are active collectors and solvent). We wish to send them a specimen copy of our Philatelic News and we will do so without mentioning your name. We have lost (besides many other items) a valuable stock of addresses of collectors all over the world. We are now re-establishing our foreign business and therefore we should be much obliged even for the smallest assistance in this direction." (I wonder what those Proof stamps are worth today?)
The other catalog is his Rocket - Post Price list (shown on left). It is undated but only has his Dominican Republic address, so it may date from late 1949. The price list is 28 well illustrated pages and lists rocket mail stamps and covers from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, US, India, and Australia. Interestingly, the only US items listed are the stamps and covers from the 1936 NY TIPEX Show that did not actually fly. Willy Ley's Greenwood Lake flight of 1936 is mentioned, but nothing is for sale.
ITEM 3: THE ASTROPHILE
The May/June, 2007 issue of THE ASTROPHILE does not contain any rocket mail articles. It does have my article on "An Early Submerged Polaris Launch Cover" on p. 106.
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