Description:

"Men Walk on the Moon! Triumph for Mankind" July 21, 1969, Front Page Newspaper Printing Plate!

*Third-party shipping required.

A semi-cylindrical drum, measuring 14.25" x 14" x 7" and weighing 40 lbs. A newspaper printing plate from the Monday Morning, July 21, 1969 issue of the "Milwaukee Sentinel". This item offers us an exciting snapshot of man's first journey to the moon. The front cover of the newspaper emphasizes the success of the American astronauts, while also reporting on the other big headline of the time - the scandal surrounding Ted Kennedy's car crash. The curved, cast-metal stereotype plate features the typographical and photographic molds (in negative) which would be printed (in positive) on the front page of the newspaper. The grooves found on the inside of the curved plate show how it was fitted into the rotary press. A small number "3" has been cut into the verso near one edge. Expected wear including isolated scuffs to the printing face, and minor corrosion within the drum, else near fine.

Accompanying the printing plate is a copy of the newspaper issued from the plate. Published in three parts - part one: 20pp, part two: 24pp, and part three: 4pp. The huge headline reads, "MEN WALK ON MOON! TRIUMPH FOR MANKIND", with a sub-headline "Astronauts Spend Two Hours on Lunar Surface." Supplementary article headline includes: "Eagle Drops Gently on Surface", reading in part: "…Armstrong, after checking the descent stage of the module, moved about looking like a strange creature from another world, as he was. His strides resembled those of a person gliding between large hops…'Walking is very comfortable,' Armstrong reassured Aldrin. Aldrin then gave this description of moon material; 'Very soft texture.'…Aldrin observed as he moved about that lunar rocks were slippery, having a powdery surface…"

Additional articles throughout the paper cover the Kennedy Chappaquidick Crash controversy and other prevalent news stories: "Kennedy Faces Charge Of Leaving Crash Scene"; "Kennedy 'in Shock'"; "2 From City Die in Crash Fatal to Five"; "Suspect Arrested In Bank Robbery"; "Thousands Flock to Greek Picnic"; and many others.

Curved newspaper stereotype plates like this one would have been commonly found at American newspaper headquarters well into the early 1960s. (The new process of photo composition would be introduced by the mid-1960s.) The newspaper printing process began by first linotyping or placing individual lines of text. These were then locked into place and molds of them were created by a process known as stereotyping. Last in the production process came mass printing onto newsprint.

An excellent working definition of stereotyping, which is relevant to our printing plate, is provided by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: "The process of casting metal plates in molds made from type locked in forms is called stereotyping… After the French developed a method using papier-mâché for the molds which made them flexible and able to produce curved plates, stereotyping became more practical for newspaper production. The curved plate was clamped into a rotary press which allowed for higher speed printing." (See attached photos showing views of similar stereotype plates.)

**PLEASE NOTE: This item will require third-party shipping due to its unusual shape and weight (40 lbs.)

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.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

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