Gagarin Unusual Signed Large Certificate by Yuri Gagarin - April 23, 1961

Gagarin Unusual Signed Large Certificate

GAGARIN, YURI. Printed Document Signed, 7" x 9.5", 1 p., Otrokovice, Czech Republic, April 23, 1961. Accompanied by a printed opinion, in Russian, that the signature is authentic and comes from the Cosmonaut's archive.

A highly unusual autograph. Karel and Anna Lopatka asked Gagarin to sign their new baby's birth certificate while registering his birth around the time of Gagarin's flight. Apparently, it was a common practice for Czech parents to officially register the name of their baby several months after the actual date of the baby's birth.

Abbreviated translation, in part, "To Karel and Anna Lopatka, whose son Karel was born in Karlovy Vary on June 11, 1961 / We welcome Karel to life in April, the month that had witnessed the true miracle of the century. Humanity's dreams became a reality - the Soviet Union had put into orbit the first manned spaceship with Major Yuri Gagarin on board."

Yuri Gagarin  (1934 - 1968) was a Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut who became the first man to travel into outer space. His capsule, Vostok 1, completed one orbit of Earth on April 12, 1961. Gagarin became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, his nation's highest honor.

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.


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