John Glenn Signed Project Mercury First Day Cover, Cape Canaveral Feb. 20, 1962 View Watchlist >
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Lot # Nasa48
System ID # 29230704
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John Glenn Signed Project Mercury First Day Cover, Cape Canaveral Feb. 20, 1962
A Project Mercury First Day Cover boldly signed in black ink by John H. Glenn, Jr., the first American to orbit the Earth. The cover marks the issue of the 4-cent U.S. Man in Space commemorative stamp, present here as a block of four canceled with the Cape Canaveral, Fla. "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" postmark dated Feb. 20, 1962 — the very day of Glenn's historic Friendship 7 flight. The cachet at left illustrates the Mercury capsule and launch tower alongside a portrait of Glenn in his pressure suit, captioned "Commemorating the First Successful Orbital Flight by an American."
The convergence of date, location, and signature makes this a tightly focused piece of space-race memorabilia: the stamp released, the flight flown, and the astronaut's signature all anchored to the same day and place. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Dave Zanicky, member of the U.A.C.C., guaranteeing the signature.
Significance & Rarity
Glenn's three-orbit flight aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962 restored American momentum in the space race and made Glenn a national figure. The U.S. Post Office released the Project Mercury stamp the same day in a rare coordinated event, keeping the design secret until the flight succeeded. First Day Covers bearing Glenn's own signature tie the philatelic milestone directly to the man and the mission.
CONDITION
Very Good. The cover is clean and bright with a crisp signature and sharp cancellation. Light handling wear to the envelope edges consistent with age; corners intact.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Cover: 3 5/8" × 6 1/2"
- Signed: John H. Glenn, Jr. (black ink, lower right)
- Stamp: 4¢ U.S. Man in Space / Project Mercury, block of four
- Postmark: Cape Canaveral, Fla. — First Day of Issue, Feb. 20, 1962
- Includes: Certificate of Authenticity, Dave Zanicky (U.A.C.C.)
