Kennedy, John F: Exceptionally Rare Presentation of the 4¢ Project Mercury Postal Stamp (Mint Sheeet) to Virgil Grissom Signed by Kennedy In Folio (1917-1963) John Kennedy ultimately became a champion of NASA and manned space exploration by replacing Eisenhower's head the President's Science Advisory Committee, Jerome Weisner with James E. Webb (now immortalized by the James Webb Telescope) who enthusiastically supported manned space flights and further, brilliantly gained the support not only Kennedy, but Congress. Project Mercury began under Eisenhower and Apollo was fast tracked by Kennedy.
The Post Office honored the first orbital flight of a United States astronaut on February 20, 1962, when it released the Project Mercury commemorative stamp, Virgil "Gus" Grissom was the second astronaut to engage in a sub-orbital flight lasting just 15 minutes.
All Mercury 7 Astronauts received a gold-embossed folio, each personalized with their name. Inside was a 50 stamp mint sheet of the commemorative stamp and signed by John Kennedy on the inside of cover. This is Gus Grissom's personalized commemorative folio. Estimated Value $3,000 - 6,000
Superior Stamp and Coin Space Memorabilia Auction, Lot 140 May 18, 1996 Selling for $4600.