{"product_id":"soyuz-6-7-8-kniga-cover-coa","title":"Soyuz 6-7-8 – crewsigned KNIGA covers + COA - Vladislav Volkov","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSOYUZ 6 • SOYUZ 7 • SOYUZ 8\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOfficial KNIGA Cover Hand-Signed by All Seven Cosmonauts\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIncluding the Scarce Vladislav Volkov Autograph\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOriginal KNIGA Certificate of Authenticity Included\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn exceptional piece of early Soviet space memorabilia: an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eofficial KNIGA philatelic cover personally hand-signed by all seven cosmonauts of the historic Soyuz 6, Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 missions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe complete signature combination comprises:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 6\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGeorgi Shonin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eValeri Kubasov\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 7\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnatoly Filipchenko\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVladislav Volkov\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eViktor Gorbatko\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 8\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVladimir Shatalov\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAleksei Yeliseyev\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe cover is accompanied by its \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal official KNIGA Certificate of Authenticity\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, providing important period provenance for both the cover and the signatures.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTHE HISTORIC SOYUZ 6–7–8 “TRIPLE FLIGHT”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn October 1969, only a few months after Apollo 11, the Soviet Union launched one of the most ambitious coordinated operations of the early Soyuz era.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 6 launched on October 11, 1969.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 7 followed on October 12.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 8 launched on October 13.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor a period, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethree crewed Soyuz spacecraft carrying seven cosmonauts were simultaneously in Earth orbit\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — an unprecedented demonstration of Soviet multi-spacecraft operations. Heritage Auctions has described the event as an unprecedented occurrence in which all three spacecraft and their seven cosmonauts were in orbit together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 were intended to conduct rendezvous and docking operations, but problems with the rendezvous equipment prevented the planned docking. Despite this, the missions provided valuable experience in coordinated orbital operations that would become increasingly important during the later Soviet space-station era. Soyuz 6 also conducted pioneering experiments involving welding technology in weightlessness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis cover therefore brings together in a single philatelic artifact \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eall seven participants in one of the Soviet Union’s most important early multi-spacecraft missions\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKNIGA – OFFICIAL SOVIET PHILATELIC PROVENANCE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOf particular significance is the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKNIGA provenance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKNIGA refers to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eV\/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the Soviet foreign-trade organization responsible for distributing cultural and printed material abroad, including books, periodicals, postcards and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003epostage stamps for collectors\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Contemporary documentation specifically lists collectible postage stamps among the material exported by the organization.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDuring the golden age of Soviet spaceflight, KNIGA issued and distributed a celebrated series of cosmonaut-signed philatelic covers for the international collector market.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe presence of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eoriginal KNIGA COA with this example\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is therefore a significant additional attraction.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVLADISLAV VOLKOV – THE KEY SIGNATURE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe most important autograph on the cover from a scarcity perspective is undoubtedly \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVladislav Volkov\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVolkov flew aboard Soyuz 7 in October 1969 and later became a member of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoyuz 11 crew\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, which in June 1971 became the first crew to occupy the world’s first space station, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSalyut 1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTragically, Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolski and Viktor Patsayev were killed on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJune 30, 1971\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, when their Soyuz spacecraft suddenly depressurized during preparations for reentry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNASA records that all three cosmonauts died after a pressure-equalization valve opened prematurely, allowing the atmosphere inside the descent module to escape into space.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVolkov was only \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e35 years old\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHis death came less than two years after the Soyuz 6–7–8 mission, giving him an exceptionally short period in which post-flight autographs could be obtained.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs a result, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eauthentic Vladislav Volkov signatures are considerably scarcer than those of most other cosmonauts represented on this cover\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRR Auction specifically describes Volkov’s autograph as “quite scarce” because of his death during the Soyuz 11 mission, while specialist collectors have noted that the KNIGA Soyuz 7 cover is one of the most trusted formats in which to obtain an authentic Volkov signature.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis makes Volkov the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ekey autograph within the seven-signature group\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA RARE COMPLETE SIGNATURE COMBINATION\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIndividual Soyuz-era autographs can still be encountered.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat is considerably more interesting is finding \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eall seven Soyuz 6, 7 and 8 cosmonauts together on a period official KNIGA issue\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, particularly with the original KNIGA certificate still accompanying the piece.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eComparable complete seven-cosmonaut items are specifically described by specialist auction houses as scarce, and surviving KNIGA material with original documentation has become increasingly attractive to collectors of Soviet space history and astrophilately.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA superb piece for collectors of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoviet space memorabilia, Soyuz history, cosmonaut autographs and astrophilately\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Been in Space","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58844125462792,"sku":"10789","price":225.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1490\/3832\/files\/10789.jpg?v=1790158183","url":"https:\/\/www.beeninspace.com\/products\/soyuz-6-7-8-kniga-cover-coa","provider":"BEEN IN SPACE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}