John Glenn Signed Mercury Launch First Day Cover

John Glenn Signed Mercury Launch First Day Cover

John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on 20 February 1962. To celebrate this historic flight, the United States Post Office Department produced a commemorative 4-cent stamp depicting Glenn orbiting the Earth in his Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft. It went on sale at 305 post offices across America within an hour of Glenn’s safe return to Earth. This was the first time a United States commemorative stamp was issued simultaneously with the event it celebrates.

In case the mission failed, the stamp was kept secret until it was released. Only about 400 people knew about it. The stamp’s designer, Charles Chickering, even claimed to be on holiday while he worked on the image in private at his home. Once the stamps were complete, selected post offices received sealed packages marked 'Classified Material'. Only when news came in of Glenn’s successful mission, were they allowed to open the packages and release the stamps for sale.

This presentation shows the stamp affixed to an envelope with a cachet illustrating John Glenn and aspects of his missions. It has a postmark from Cape Canaveral, Florida, which was the launch site for Glenn’s mission. It is dated 20 February 1962 with 'First Day of Issue'. It was later signed by John Glenn and his wife Annie, during a visit they made to the National Museum of Scotland in 1966.