Description:

Type I Photo of Amelia Earhart on 1931 Beech-Nut Autogiro Transcontinental Tour!

A vintage photograph depicting Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in the cockpit of a Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro, n.d. but ca. 1931, n.p. but almost certainly Whander Field, near Leesport, Pennsylvania about 12 miles northwest of Reading. The photo is inscribed in green ink at top verso: "Visit of Amelia Earhart to Reading, Pa. Airport on her cross country Autogyro [sp] Flight." Bearing serial numbers, a possible photographer's or photographic film mark, and an annotated hand-stamp in the form of a biplane near the bottom. Expected wear including isolated foxing at upper right, and a small closed tear just touching the autogiro blades at upper left. Slight curling and minor mounting traces at top and bottom verso, else near fine. 5" x 4."

Earhart is shown seated in an autogiro, a hybrid aircraft incorporating elements of both an airplane and a helicopter. She is pictured with William Hain at left and Adam Spatz at right, owners of the airfield near Reading, Pennsylvania after December 1929. Piloting the autogiro, Earhart made a transcontinental flight promoting the Canajoharie, New York-based Beech-Nut Packing Company, from Newark, New Jersey to Oakland, California, from May 29-June 6, 1931. She made many stops along the way, including at Reading Municipal Airport (a glorified name for such a bumpy airfield), which was nevertheless one of the first commercial airports in the country.

On the Beech-Nut tour, Earhart agreed to put the autogiro through air tests while at the same time advertising the company's chewing gum. At frequent refueling stops, Earhart gave interviews, took many photo ops, and distributed free product samples. Earhart had hoped to become the first pilot to complete a westbound transcontinental flight by autogiro, but sadly, she missed the record by just a few days. Later that summer, Earhart would attempt an eastbound transcontinental flight before abandoning the plan after three "crack-ups." Earlier that year, in April 1931, Earhart became the first woman to pilot an autogiro, and also achieved a record-breaking autogiro altitude of 18,400 feet over Pennsylvania.

Amelia Earhart, known as "Lady Lindy," was the female counterpart of record-breaking pilot Charles Lindbergh. Earhart first captured the public's imagination when she became the first female passenger of a transatlantic flight in June 1928, followed by her solo round-trip transcontinental flight in August 1928. She disappeared attempting an unprecedented aerial circumnavigation of the globe in 1937.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

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.

February 1, 2023 11:00 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000