Description:

Valentina Tereshkova
East Germany, ca. October 17, 1963
1st Woman in Space! Valentina Tereshkova PSA Certified Signed East Germany Postcard
DS

A German-language postcard commemorating First Man in Space Yuri Gagarin and First Woman in Space Valentina Tereshkova's visit to East Germany, signed by Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937) in Cyrillic letters at upper left. Postmarked October 17, 1963 from "Karl Marx City," the postmark reading (translated) in part: "Greetings from the first female cosmonaut." The postcard is addressed to a German Book Export and Import company. A cancelled 10 Deutsche Mark DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or German Democratic Republic) stamp depicting Tereshkova is located in the postage section. On the reverse is a representation of Gagarin and Tereshkova in profile, with the translated caption: "Valentina Tereschkowa / Juri Gagarin / Friendly visit to the DDR." Encapsulated and PSA/DNA certified authentic. Expected surface wear including toning and isolated scuffs, with a tiny area of corner loss verso at upper left. The actual size of the postcard is 5.75" x 4.125" while the slab measures 10.125" x 6.75."

Gagarin had piloted the Vostok 1 space mission to become the first man in space on April 12, 1961. During that remarkable flight, Gagarin made a full orbit around Earth lasting 108 minutes before parachuting into the atmosphere at 23,000 feet. Tereshkova had become the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, during the Vostok 6 mission, in which she spent nearly 3 days in space, orbiting the Earth 48 times. Tereshkova was dubbed "Gagarin in a skirt."

In the afterglow of their achievements, First Man in Space Gagarin and First Woman in Space Tereshkova toured the world as part of a Soviet publicity campaign. The pair arrived in East Germany on October 17, 1963, where they were welcomed by approximately 250,000 well-wishers. On October 21, 1963, Gagarin and Tereshkova were awarded the Order of Karl Marx by East German officials. Two weeks later, on November 2, 1963, Tereshkova married fellow Cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: slabbed: 10.125" x 6.75"
  • Medium: DS

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