UPDATE: This lot is one of 16 in the current auction that comprise a complete suite of a medal, a patch, and a cover for each of John Young’s six space missions. Because select pieces within this collection are very rare, it took over seven years of determination and dedication to complete the project. The other 15 lots associated with this special collection are listed here.
From the personal collection of Gus Grissom—original embroidered Gemini 3 mission patch, measuring 3.5" in diameter, which depicts the spacecraft capsule 'The Molly Brown' floating in the ocean, surrounded by the names of the mission astronauts: Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young. The patch is affixed to a signed letter of authenticity from Grissom's wife Betty, which reads: "The attached cloth emblem is one of the originals made at the request of my husband for his Gemini 3 flight. Gus had lost his Mercury capsule after a short circuit blew the hatch. Molly Brown, the 'unsinkable' heroine from the Broadway musical, seemed the best choice by my husband for the name of his Gemini spacecraft. NASA never officially named Gemini 3 Molly Brown, but the name was enthusiastically used by the press during coverage of the March 23, 1965 flight." In fine condition.
