Desirable flown 1961 Roosevelt dime carried on board Gus Grissom’s Mercury Liberty Bell 7 flight. Dime is housed in a silver bezel with a dime-sized sterling disc attached that reads, “Liberty Bell 7” on one side and, “21 July 1961” on the reverse, with both attached to a small charm bracelet. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Gus’s brother, Lowell, which states, “I…do hereby certify that this dime was in my brother, Astronaut Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom’s space suit, and was flown into space in the Mercury spacecraft, Liberty Bell 7, on July 21, 1961. Gus had the small medallion that is attached engraved…He presented this dime with the medallion to my wife shortly after his flight.” In fine condition. Retelling the moments after his escape from the sinking Liberty Bell capsule, and his struggle to stay afloat as his space suit quickly lost buoyancy, Grissom made reference to the souvenirs carried in the left leg of his suit: ‘I had brought along two rolls of fifty dimes each for the children of friends, three one dollar bills, some small models of the capsule and two sets of pilot’s wings. These were all adding weight that I could have done without.’ Following his safe return to land, the dimes were given as souvenirs as intended, including this one, made into a beautiful gift for his sister-in-law. One of the most recognizable and charming of all flown items. RR Auction COA.
