Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 58

Manuscript, Collectibles and Aerospace Auction

Aviation

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 555		United States, 1949, "Vultee 7002 / XF-92" Test Flight Cover. This cover has a typed/handwritten cachet that reads, in part: "Flown on a Test Flight of the Consolidated Vultee 7002 Jet Research Plane, the Delts triangle Wing round trip from Muroc AFB on March 17, 1949 by pilot W. J. Martin." The cover is addressed to pioneer aviation/space dealer Harry A. Gordon and has a blue add-on "USAF Jet Air Mail" label and a Muroc machine cancel. Only 4 covers are recorded as having been flown. The cover is slit open on two sides. Stimulated by captured German delta wing research from WW II, the model 7002 was built as a flying mock-up to investigate behavior at low and subsonic speeds for a delta wing interceptor. Though the XF-92 program was cancelled in 1948, the Model 7002 was prepared to fly. The plane was delivered to Muroc AFB in April 1948 and its first flight was made on June 9th by pilot Sam Shannon. The first official Phase I test flight was made on September 18, 1948 and continued till August 1949. All Phase I flights were flown by Shannon and William Martin. With the final testing concluded on August 26th, the plane was turned over to the Air Force for Phase II testing by Major Chuck Yeager and the plane was given the Air Force designation XF-92A. Yeager made his first Phase II test flight on October 13 (one day short of two years after his Mach 1 flight). The last test flight of Phase II was completed on Sept. 28, 1949 by Maj. Frank Everett. The plane had a long and storied flight history after this point and it led to the development of the F-102 and F-106 interceptors and the B-58 bomber among other planes. An extremely important cover that is unlisted in the E-Z Rocket Mail catalog. Estimated Value $350 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 556		United States, 1949, "XB-47 Stratojet 6 Jet Bomber" Test Flight Cover. The cover has a combination typed/handwritten cachet and an add-on blue USAF Jet Air Mail label tied by both two strikes of a Feb. 28th Wright Field hand cancel and the stamps. The cover was flown by Maj. Russell Schleeh from Washington DC to Wright Patterson AFB and addressed to pioneer dealer/collector Harry Gordon. Only 4 covers are recorded as having bene flown. Unlisted in the E-Z Rocket Mail catalog but of similar style to the Feb. 25th cover (E-Z No. 69C1) flown round trip from Muroc AFB. Striking and rare. Estimated Value $350 - 500. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 557		X-24B, 1973, "Rocket Plane Test Flight" Cover (Nr. B7-14) This cover has a red/green printed cachet and a typed cachet overlay with handwritten flight details. There is a 12 Dec. Edwards AFB machine cancel and the cover is signed by pilot John Manke.This flight reached a speed of 627 mph and an altitude of 64,500 feet with a flight duration of 430 seconds. The X-24B flew between August 1, 1973 and Sept. 28, 2005. Of the 36 flights flown, 16 were flown by John Manke. Top speed eventually reached was 1164 mph with an altitude of 74,130. The plane is presently on display at the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. This is an important cover that is not yet listed in the E-Z Rocket Mail catalog. Rare. Estimated Value $250 - 350. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 558		DT-2C "Drone Director Test Flight" Cover. The first version of this aircraft (T-2 Buckeye) entered service in 1959 as the T2J-1. It was re-designated the T-2A in 1962 under the joint aircraft designation system. The two-seat trainer was powered by one Westinghouse J34-WE-46/48 turbojet. The aircraft was subsequently redesigned, and the single engine was replaced with two Pratt & Whitney J60-P-6 turbojets in the T-2B. The T-2C was fitted with two much more powerful 2,950 lbf (13,100 N) thrust General Electric J85-GE-4 turbojets. The Buckeye was designed as a low-cost multi-stage trainer. All T-2 Buckeyes were manufactured by North American at Air Force Plant 85, located just south of Port Columbus Airport in Columbus, Ohio. 273 aircraft were built during its production run. The name Buckeye refers to the state tree of Ohio, as well as the mascot of the Ohio State University. Virtually every Naval aviator from the late 1950's until 2004 received training in the T-2 Buckeye, a career spanning four decades. Severl variations of the plane were built over the years including the DT-2B and DT-2C (small numbers of T-2Bs and T-2Cs were converted into drone directors), the T-2D which was an export version for Venezuela (12 built), and the T-2E, a similar export version for Greece (40 built). This cover was flown on DT-2C flight number N3040 on 12 December 1977 by Major Frederick Bryan, USMC as a test flight for ITCS Drone Control. A handsritten letter from Major Bryan is inclosed which says, in part: "This cover was flown in a DT-2C while I was controlling a QT-33A (a drone). In truth, I was flying two aircraft at the same time." The cover is probably unique and may be considered a forerunner of today's modern unmanned drone aircraft. Estimated Value $250 - 350. View details and enlarged photo	Unsold
Lot 559		US Navy / "NAVORDSYSCOM" Prototype Aircraft Model (7.5x3") This white-painted aluminum Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., Inc. ramjet (?) model has been riveted together (by hand ?). It is complete with a blank metal ID label attached below, probably showing that the model was not yet delivered/approved by the Navy after it was made/proposed by Lockheed. Although somewhat cruder than you might be used to when you think of contractor's models, this design is probably unique (it could be a version of the F-117 Nighthawk jet--something to research in your space time). In any case, it will make a fascinating addition to any collection. Estimated Value $250 - 350. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $132
Lot 560		Atomic Bomb, 1945, Crew-Member- Autographed Photos. Lot of four autographed photos including two 8x10", one 7x5" photo and a 5x3.5" color photo. Signatures include that of Fred Olivi (x2), co-pilot of "Bockscar," the B-29 that dropped the "Fat Boy" bomb on Nagasaki; George "Bob" Caron (x2), tail gunner of the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, etc. A nice lot well worth a closer look. Estimated Value $100 - 150. View details and enlarged photo	Realized $165