18blue78

Ah FISH-STICKS! Needed to get his autograph as a 'thank you' to the Mrs for letting me attend on Saturday. Oh well more money to spend on the other guests I suppose.

Never seen VQ's at Autographica but there is always a first time.

I'd suggest if possible you send in a photo of the image you'd like to have signed. That way you can be sure to get what you want.

Just a follow up, in a recent Moonpans email they have said they are not planning to attend any events this year so I wouldn't expect to see them at Autographica.

Just for information Moonpans do provide pictures in the UK. I've been using them for a while and can honestly say you will not be disappointed, not cheap, but excellent quality.

Fingers crossed you can get her over in the near future.

Great job SM, thanks.

Got to disagree. Last time I visited this venue I found it easy to get to using the free airport bus from the Heathrow Bus Station.

Not trying to sound like I'm moaning but does this mean we shouldn't expect anymore astronauts to be announced for this event? My thinking is to have organised this shoot then all the guests attending would have to agree, & that can only happen when everyone involved knows which guests are attending. Or am I reading way too much into this?! In no way am I complaining, in fact I am very excited about this event. It's just I'm always hoping for more. You never can please all the people all the time ;-)

Think there are so many boxers because SM have managed to get Evander Holyfield to attend & with so many boxing fans likely to attend it only makes sense to have other boxers as well. For boxing fans getting to meet Evander is like Bond fans meeting Sir Sean Connery, & if Connery was announced you'd expect to see lots of other Bond guests as well. Personally I'm quite happy at the moment, some great names from Apollo/NASA and three big sports stars from both past & present.

If you are going to frame something important to you, whether it's sentimental or financial, it makes sense to have it done professionally even if that means paying a lot. Firstly do some research. There is a guild of framers who's members are experts at what they do. Also ask around. Are there any galleries or art dealers near you? They should be able it point you in the direction of a good local framer. Once you have picked a framer you like go & talk with them so you are sure they know exactly what you want. Be sure they mount your item before framing it. Not only will it look better but it will keep the item away from the glass. A good framer will use acid-free mounting card. You can also get UV filtering glass. It can be quite expensive but will help protect your prized item from light damage. And as already mentioned you need to make sure the frame is sealed at the rear. Again this should be done with acid-free art tape. The suggestions about making a copy & displaying that are something you should consider. I know a lot of museums do this with items that need protecting.

There are later trains getting to Birmingham Int for around 10:00 for a similar price. I don't know who or how many guests you are planning to meet but you'll find Autographica a lot more relaxed then LFCC so getting to meet everyone shouldn't be a problem. I would even suggest that arriving around midday wouldn't be too much of a problem for you. This may very well get deleted/edited by the mods but there are many cheaper hotels near the airport, another quick search found a hotel for £31 for Friday night. And as Ted suggests you could stay in Birmingham city centre Friday night and travel across on Saturday (at this rate I'm going to start my own travel firm!!!).

The numbers are nowhere near as many as LFCC. I don't know the exact numbers but I'd estimate it to be around 2000 for the whole weekend. Although there may be more with the boxers in attendance, they are always a big draw. It's up to you about when you travel up, if you did arrive on the Friday there is a drinks reception that I think you can still buy a ticket for. I would think you could arrive on the Saturday morning & have plenty of time to meet everyone you would like to. A very quick search shows a train from Euston at 07:03 arriving into Birmingham Int at 08:13 for £7.50, with a return train for as little as £6.00.

Thanks Count, I’ll defiantly be giving those books a look at in the near future. I don’t know about Smith’s other work but in this book I have found his storytelling to be both entertaining and none judgemental. He allows the drama and history around the Apollo program to speak for its self without having to sensationalise. He also dose a good job in letting the astronauts tell their own story and allows them to show a little of their personality, even if some of them are a little guarded. The part with Ed Mitchell is a bit out-there but Smith lets Ed explain where his theories come from without be patronising, and who knows, Ed could very well be right. I also like the way he speaks to those who were directly and indirectly involved with the program. It’s insightful to get the view from the astronaut’s wives, the astronaut’s children and those who are just fans (but defiantly no barbers). All-in-all not a bad read, even with his comment on page 87 (and yes, I did look back through the book to see where he had written it).

I’m in the middle of reading Andrew Smith’s Moondust and was wondering if any other space/NASA nuts have read it and what your thoughts on it are? Personally I’m finding it a very interesting, well written and enjoyable journey through the Apollo missions and an insight into the social history of the US in the 60’s & 70’s. Although I must say it doesn’t paint autograph collectors in a positive light and it all but condemns what may have been an early SM event in Northampton as quote; “fearsomely depressing autograph show”. Anyway, I’m half way through the book and I’m wishing that I had the authors opportunity to travel around the US meeting some of the most important people of the 20th century.

Great stuff, watching Barry is my earliest boxing memory. Got to meet him during is book signing tour. Even though there where hundreds of people queuing to meet him he took time to chat & pose for photos with everyone. A true gent & a really nice, interesting person to meet. Great announcement.

Great guest. I was lucky to meet him the last time he was over, and believe me, he is a real nice person to meet.

Got to meet Carl at the last Sportsmania we had and he really is a top bloke. With all of his success he could so easily be up his own backside but you couldn't find a more down to earth, friendly guy. Excellent guest and well done SM for bring him back.

This is a massive announcement, Evander is a very rare signer. I got to meet him a few years back at his book signing. He didn’t actually autograph the books but instead gave out per-signed bookplates. The story was he had hurt his hand while sparring…but we all wondered how he had been able to sign the bookplates? Still, he was a great person to meet, posing for photos and chatting with everyone who had come to meet him. Well done the SM team. Once again you have outdone yourselves and spoilt us rotten.

I might be wrong but it is unlikely his book will be for sale at his table. They normally only have photo's available at the guests table. There will be lots of dealers at the show but if there is a specific item you want then it would be best to try and buy it before the show and bring it with you, that way you will not be disappointed if you cannot find that special item. At the risk of breaking forum rules there are copies of his book available on Amazon. Autographica is a much more relaxed show then the other Showmasters events and the relaxed atmosphere is reflected in the guests. Normally at Autographica the guests have lots of time to chat and answer questions, but remember, each guest is an individual and we all have off days sometimes. But in my experience astronauts are some of the most engaging people you could hope to meet.

You pay for each autograph that you want. Prices can be found on http://showmasterson...showtopic=80097 under AUTO.So, for example, if you wanted 2 photos signed by Gene Cernan you would pay £100 for each autograph, so that would be a total of £200. As for taking pictures at the guests table, that is something you will have to find out on the day, some guests allow it some don't. There will be signs by the guest telling you if photos are not allowed or in some cases asking for no flash photography. Photos at the guests table are not charged for. The PHOTO price quoted on http://showmasterson...showtopic=80097 is for the professional photo shoot.

Yes you can bring your own photos or items to be autographed and there is no extra charge for the guests signing your item, you just have to pay the price that is shown on the site.You normally pay at the table where the guest is sat but for some of the bigger named guests there is a separate paying table in front of them, normally where the queue for that guest will start. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like on this forum, the folks here are very helpful.

Normally just PayPal confirmation, but don't worry, Dave & his gang are very good at this. Daft question did you also order postage?

So unhappy I can't make this event, this is an excellent announcement, well done. Hope Ronnie has a great time & comes back again.

Photo shoot is listed as £50 or £75 for a joint photo shoot with Buzz & Alan Bean. Autograph prices haven't been confirmed yet but last year his autograph cost £250 with additional prices for mission insriptions.