Buzz Aldrin used several autopen signatures to deal with fan mail during his early years as a space hero. He travelled into space on Gemini 12 and Apollo 11.
The examples below come from the archives of "Space Autograph News," an out-of-print newsletter published in the mid-1990s.
If you want to know what a real Aldrin signature looks like, consider the examples below of authentic signatures as "Edwin E. Aldrin Jr." on personal checks. These items were purchased in the 1990s from the Space Unit, a philatelic organization with connections to NASA. Below is a signature from July 6, 1981, on a check for the Mercury Savings & Loan Assoc.
The signature below comes from a check to Thomas Manison dated July 8, 1981.
The signature below was from a check dated November 24, 1981, to the Ft. Ord Billeting Fund.
I hope this information helps you find the Buzz Aldrin signature you're looking for. Aldrin will always be an inspirational historic figure to me, for travelling to the moon on Apollo 11. I want you to know the difference in his signatures.
An autopen is a machine-generated signature used widely by celebrities and politicians in the previous century. Although it is considered an authorized autograph, it is not an original, hand-signed signature. These autographs were sent by the thousands in response to fan mail. Early NASA astronauts were known to use autopens, so cautious collectors always watch out.
Fortunately, if you can identify autopens, you'll eliminate a lot of risky material from your portfolio. I've prepared an index of 104 early astronauts who have used autopens in my Guide "Autopen Directory of NASA Space Astronaut Autographs".
I have also prepared 104 different Guides, one for each early astronaut, to document their known examples of autopen signatures. Use these individual guides to check your own space autographs for autopens.
Let me know if you have any updates to this Guide, and I'll keep adding to it. If this Guide is helpful, please take a moment to leave feedback. That would make me happy!


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