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Scarce Official NASA Shuttle Flight Crew Mission Lapel Pin - STS 73 Columbia
Scarce Official NASA Shuttle Flight Crew Mission Lapel Pin - STS 73 Columbia
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$64.99 USD
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Welcome to my listing for:
Scarce Official NASA Shuttle Flight Crew Mission Lapel Pin - STS 73 Columbia
This pin is one in the small group that I recently acquired from the important Ken Havekotte NASA collection that was just brought to market. I have only one of each design. I have no option to replenish and it's highly unlikely that I will have another opportunity to anytime soon, if ever.
These particular pins were produced Tom Foley and his Coca Beach based space souvenir company, Kennedy Medals/Mint (CKM). In the earlier years of the 1990's, Foley made anywhere between 100-150 of the special emblem pins exclusively for the shuttle astronaut crew, their families, and very close friends. The quantities continued all throughout the rest of the shuttle program era (sometimes 200 in number for a single flight) until the final shuttle flight in 2011.
Altogether, there were 99 shuttle flights with the flight crew emblem pins produced. There are, however, a few known earlier crew pins when the special pins were made in extreme low numbers, starting with STS-31 and 35. Of those first issues, none are available to the public.
While in quarantine at the crew quarters (NASA's Kennedy Space Center) before their flight, arrangements were made for the astronaut crew to have an opportunity to acquire the special flight crew pins for their upcoming flight. Within a week or so before their scheduled launch into space, the special designed pins were delivered to the crew quarters for distribution to each member, and in some cases, "ordered" pins were picked up in Coca Beach by a representative of the astronaut flight crew office at KSC.
Showing barely any signs of age or handling. The pin's securing back piece may not be present (see photos) It measures approx. 28mm x 32mm.
Scarce Official NASA Shuttle Flight Crew Mission Lapel Pin - STS 73 Columbia
This pin is one in the small group that I recently acquired from the important Ken Havekotte NASA collection that was just brought to market. I have only one of each design. I have no option to replenish and it's highly unlikely that I will have another opportunity to anytime soon, if ever.
These particular pins were produced Tom Foley and his Coca Beach based space souvenir company, Kennedy Medals/Mint (CKM). In the earlier years of the 1990's, Foley made anywhere between 100-150 of the special emblem pins exclusively for the shuttle astronaut crew, their families, and very close friends. The quantities continued all throughout the rest of the shuttle program era (sometimes 200 in number for a single flight) until the final shuttle flight in 2011.
Altogether, there were 99 shuttle flights with the flight crew emblem pins produced. There are, however, a few known earlier crew pins when the special pins were made in extreme low numbers, starting with STS-31 and 35. Of those first issues, none are available to the public.
While in quarantine at the crew quarters (NASA's Kennedy Space Center) before their flight, arrangements were made for the astronaut crew to have an opportunity to acquire the special flight crew pins for their upcoming flight. Within a week or so before their scheduled launch into space, the special designed pins were delivered to the crew quarters for distribution to each member, and in some cases, "ordered" pins were picked up in Coca Beach by a representative of the astronaut flight crew office at KSC.
Showing barely any signs of age or handling. The pin's securing back piece may not be present (see photos) It measures approx. 28mm x 32mm.
