Walt Cunningham Gordon Fullerton Signed NASA Astronaut FDC BECKETT

From the Steve Grad Autograph Collection – Presented here is a Project Mercury First Day of Issue cover, postmarked Cape Canaveral, FL – February 20, 1962, featuring a block of four Mercury stamps. It has been boldly signed in black ink by NASA astronauts Walt Cunningham and Gordon Fullerton.

Walt Cunningham (1932–2023) was the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 7 (1968), the first crewed Apollo mission following the tragic Apollo 1 fire. Cunningham, along with Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele, helped restore America’s confidence in the Apollo program with their successful 11-day Earth orbital mission. His work paved the way for the Apollo 8 mission and ultimately the Moon landings. Cunningham passed away in 2023 at the age of 90.

Gordon Fullerton (1936–2013) served as a backup crew member for Apollo 14 and flew as Pilot of STS-3 (1982) and Commander of STS-51-F (1985) aboard the Space Shuttle. A versatile test pilot and astronaut, Fullerton logged over 380 hours in space and thousands of flight hours across numerous aircraft. He died in 2013 at the age of 76.

• Item: NASA Project Mercury First Day of Issue Cover

• Date Stamp: Cape Canaveral, FL – February 20, 1962

• Signatures: Walt Cunningham & Gordon Fullerton, signed in black ink

• Authentication: Encapsulated and certified authentic by Beckett Authentication Services

• Collection: From the personal autograph collection of Steve Grad, lead authenticator at Beckett Authentication, former Principal Authenticator at PSA/DNA (2002–2016), and a regular cast member on the History Channel’s Pawn Stars since 2013.

Collector Highlights:

• Dual-signed by two astronauts spanning Apollo and Space Shuttle eras.

• Both men are deceased, adding to the scarcity and long-term value.

• A preserved, investment-grade collectible encapsulated by Beckett.

• A must-have piece of space history, bridging Apollo’s first flight with the Shuttle era