Signed Commemorative Postal Cover

American career balloonist with many "firsts" to his name; in 1978 he Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman piloted the Double Eagle II in the first Transatlantic balloon crossing, departing Maine on August 11 and landing in France six days later -- for which they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1979. Signed commemorative postal cover honoring this achievement, 6½" X 3½", cancelled in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 20, 1979. Envelope bears the 13-cent "French Alliance 1778" stamp and 4-cent "A Public That Reads" stamp and a special postal cancellation featuring an image of the Double Eagle balloon and the caption "Double Eagle II / First Transatlantic Balloon Flight." No decorative printed cachet at left; no distracting recipient's name/address present. Anderson signs boldly in black fineline near the center. Also present is a small portion of the original mailing envelope used to transmit this cover (cancelled in Albuquerque July 18, 1979). An Albuquerque philatelic connection is relevant, for the Double Eagle II crew were among those who established this town as the ballooning capital of the world. Anderson died in a balloon crash in Germany, making his a rather scarce signature.…