Space Coinage~The Final Frontier

@spirityoda Space flown metal medallions are typically made up of a tiny fraction of an amount of space flown metal combined with a huge amount of "filler". In particular the medallions that have Moon flown metal I would suspect that ~ 99.999999% is non-flown material. So, to have 25% flown metal is quite out of the ordinary. I noticed that the medallion comes from STS-40. STS, or in non-NASA speak, the Shuttle. The Shuttle was a huge f___ing beast compared to the capsules that came before (and after) it. Parts of the shuttle that had gotten worn out after multiple flights would be replaced, and I SUSPECT that it was a relatively large part that got replaced that was used as the "flown" material for your medallions.

Coins (and medallions), huh? How about something a little bit different. Short snorters were originally created by fighter jocks in WWII. The basic idea was that a group of people would all sign some bill of each other's paper money. Thereafter, when these people got together again they would each have to show their signed bill. If they didn't have the signed bill, they would have to buy a drink for each of the people that still had their signed bill. This meant that the short snorter had to stay in the wallet, so oftentimes they got rather beat up.

Needless to say, the early Mercury astronauts, all being test pilots, were well familiar with the custom. Probably the favorite non-astronaut of the Mercury group was Bill Dana, a comedian who had a skit called Jose Jimenez, the reluctant astronaut. You can find the skit on YouTube. Dana became such a favorite of the Mercury Seven that they unofficially called him the Mercury Eight.

Here's Bill Dana's short snorter. My best guess is that it was signed several different times, first by some Mercury 7 astronauts, then by two "New Nine" astronauts and finally one other, (knowing Al) probably just getting together with Dana in a bar in the latter 1960's.

From top to bottom you have from the Mercury 7: John Glenn, Bill Lyon (Bill Dana's manager), Wally Schirra, Virgil Grissom, Leroy Cooper, Deke Slayton. Then the two "New Nine" astronauts, John Young and Pete Conrad, and finally Al Worden who was in the 1966 group of NASA astronauts. Note that the Grissom and Cooper signatures are both early examples as they didn't use their nicknames of Gus and Gordo.

 

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Here’s a couple more

 

Awesome Space Coinage Earthlings
Some really impressive pieces. Thank you and keep them coming.
Looks like I may have to postpone any tazing for the time being

 

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/exonumia59289.html.

 

The reversed 'N' on the Lombardo piece is quite interesting.

 

A couple more:

Barbados

Niue


And if you don't mind, here are some medals:







I have a bunch of Apollo/Space related medal and can keep posting them if you are interested.

 

Awesome collection Chris B. Feel free to post away!

 

Gemini X flown Fliteline medallion.

 

Now you've got me interested!

I listened on my little transistor radio on the way to elementary school as the Mercury astronauts made their way up and out. I knew then that's what I wanted to do. But as I progressed through my education, I came to the sad realization that math was definitely not my strong suit. But as the space race went on, so, too, did the advances in computer technology. So that's when I decided to become an electrical engineer, so I could be a computer repairman. That was my major in college, until I hit the Math Monster again! So I switched to computer science, but even before I got my degree I was working with them.

Anyway, I never even thought of commemorative coins. Now that I can do!

 

Hello Skyman,

That is a nice looking Fliteline medal. In fact all of the medals etc. shown on this thread have been amazing.

 

WOW! There are a great many items, some are very nice. I have focused on actual coins with the obverse and the reverse have a commemorative "emblem" on both sides. Many of those that are not coins are very nice and I will be selective of those that capture the Spirit of Space Flight. I would like to start with Alan Shepherd and his capsule, then the Gemini, etc. It will take some research and I will share what I have as I progress. Thanks to all of you.

 

Here are some more Apollo medals.











More to come as I get the photos edited.

 

I think one thing that all coin collectors do is think to themselves, "If only this coin could talk... where has it been, and who has handled it?"

This coin flew on Gemini 4 in 1965. At the time it was the only space flown gold coin that I knew of. It turned out there were several more that flew on that flight, but from the images that I've seen, this one is still the one in the best condition. The gold coins were brought on the flight by Jim McDivitt. McDivitt, the Commander of Gemini 4 (and Apollo 9), was the first mission Commander of the New Nine astronauts, the second group of astronauts picked by NASA. Many people think this was the finest group of astronauts ever picked by NASA. Neil Armstrong was a member of this group. So for McDivitt to be picked to be the first mission Commander from this group tells you all you need to know about how competent he was.

The USSR had humanity's first spacewalk (EVA) in March 1965. Gemini 4 was the flight that America had its first spacewalk. Ed White II was the person who did the EVA. Even today, the pictures from that spacewalk still look Great. I've met Jim McDivitt multiple times and enjoyed talking with him. He's a nice guy. Here's a pic of yours truly with Jim holding the coin and a picture that he took of Ed White that I got him to sign.

 

That's Incredible !

 

The space race has gotten me into the gold! I had no thoughts of when I would ever actually acquire a gold coin but I finally did and I find it really nice.
I am awaiting on the proof companion to arrive.

 

I'm assuming this is the reverse of the image directly above it in your first post. I'm rather intrigued by this, as it is the old USSR crest, yet the medallion is dated 2021. Given that the USSR folded in 1992 that is a WTF is the deal with the date??? My best GUESS is that it is a commemorative medallion of some sort, given that 2021 was the 60th anniversary of Gagarin's launch in 1961. Also, not to put too fine a point on it, Putin is a KGB man who has bemoaned the passing of the USSR, so I'm guessing the Mint produced the design to give at least one piece to Putin to curry favor.

 

The designs of the two medallions are attractive.

I didn't notice it on first pass, but the first medallion is incorrect. Apollo 16 was not the third lunar exploration. It was the 5th. Apollos 11, 12, 14 and 15 all landed previously to it.

 

For those of you who have read or seen the movie, "The Right Stuff", you know that Gus Grissom took some dimes with him aboard his first spaceflight. His spacecraft was named Liberty Bell 7. It was the second US manned flight into space. In total he took two rolls, 100 dimes, with him on LB7. I have seen a few of them and all of them were 1961-D's. Here is the one I own. Grissom gave it to Jerry Hammack, who helped design the Mercury spacecraft.

 

Skyman it's a
2021 Germania Mint 1-oz Silver Interkosmos: Gragarin

I really enjoy most of what this Mint puts out. Here is some info on the round/medallion.