The Eric M. McComb Autographed TIME Cover Collection

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This amazing collection features signed covers by entertainment greats, sports legends, military heroes, astronauts, politicians of note, religious leaders, Heads of State, scientists, industry giants, and a number of the most prominent people in the world at the time.

This is the same collection described in the 19 April, 1999 issue of TIME magazine. This is a truly monumental collection, unlike any I have ever encountered -- spanning the years 1954 to 1970.

This incredible collection started in 1954, when Canadian engineer Eric M. McComb sent a cover of TIME to the personality featured on the cover. The very first one was Senator Joe McCarthy, who sent it back, unsigned. According to his daughter, this did not discourage him. Every week, he sent off the covers with a stamped return envelope and a letter requesting an autograph.

In 17 years, he managed to acquire more than 480 signed covers, many with signed return letters, supplemental signed photographs, secretarial notes, multiple signature sets, and occasionally, notes of regret.

This collection was described by his daughter, Karen, below:

"He began his hobby in 1954 when he worked as an operator for Ontario Hydro and our family lived in a remote northern Ontario village of Abitbi Canyon (mailing address Fraserdale), near James Bay. Over the years our family relocated many times as Dad moved up through the organization, but his hobby for all those years (March 1954 to September, 1970) to send the covers off each week along with the necessary postage for the return mail. The first cover was sent to Senator McCarthy and it was returned unsigned, accompanied by a polite letter explaining why the senator could not oblige. But Dad did not let this discourage him and he continued to send out the covers each week."

"Times were certainly different then, and the celebrities didn't seem to mind his request -- perhaps they thought it was a unique hobby, which indeed it really was. We believe the majority of the signatures are real and have no reason to believe otherwise. Many were personalized with my fathers name and include additional signatures on cover letters. For several years our family continued to receive Christmas cards from Egypt's Gamal Nasser each year after he signed and returned his TIME cover."

I have included several hyperlinks to those personalities which have some interesting features or information available online. Use your back button to return here. The covers have thumbnails which lead to higher definition images. There are a total of 31 covers, listed below:

The condition of the covers varies. There are the usual wrinkles associated with the mail system to send the magazine the first time. All covers have the original Eric McComb address label with his Canadian Address (in 1954, at Fraserdale, Ontario). All have been folded in neat halves or thirds to be sent to the signer(s), then returned. Some of the signatures cross the folds . There are some other minor creases and folds, but for the most part, all are in very good condition. They have been stored in folder with a two-hole retainer leaving two holes at the tops and left sides of the cover. Still and all, with proper mounting and framing, any one of these covers would be a spectacular display item.

Thumbnail	Date	Subject	Occupation	Sig	Notes	Price
	8 Mar 1954	Senator Joseph R. McCarthy	US Senator investigating un-American Activities	No	Letter on US Senate letterhead, signed by Staff Member	$49.99
	5 Apr 1954	Baron Richard Austin "RAB" Butler	British Statesman	Yes	Chancellor of the Exchequer	$49.99
	19 Apr 1954	Doctor Henry Van Dusen	President of Union Theological Seminary	Yes	Controversial Pentacostal theologian	$49.99
	19 Jul 1954	William M. Allen	Boeing Airplane Company CEO	Yes	Unveiled "Project X," the super-secret project at was the Boeing 707 Airliner	$49.99
	26 Jul 1954	Willie Mays	Baseball Player, New York Giants. Close-up of Signature	Yes	1954 National League MVP. .354 Average! World Series in 4 straight. Greatest catch of all time....	SOLD
	9 Aug 1954	Representative Joseph W. Martin, Jr.	Speaker of The House	Yes	With cover letter on Speaker of the House letterhead. Signed by Staff.	$49.99
	23 Aug 1954	Douglas McKay	Secretary of the Interior	Yes		$49.99
	30 Aug 1954	Premier U Nu	Prime Minister of Burma	Yes	With official cover letter from the Office of the Prime Minister	$99.99
	6 Sep 1954	Doctor Geoffrey Francis Fisher Canterbury	The Archbishop of Canterbury	Yes	With note from Lambeth Palace	$99.99
	20 Sep 1954	Clement R. Attlee	Prime Minister of England. Head of Labour Party	No	Returned with Letter of Regret on House of Commons letterhead	$49.99
	27 Sep 1954	David Riesman	Sociologist Professor of Social Science, University of Chicago	Yes	Co-author of The Academic Revolution	$49.99
	4 Oct 1954	Senator Arthur Vivian Watkins	US Senator	Yes	Chairman, Select Committee on the Censure of Joseph McCarthy	$49.99
	18 Oct 1954	Clifford Philip Case	Senator of New Jersey	Yes		$49.99
	25 Oct 1954	Billy Graham	Evangelist	Yes		$199.99
	1 Nov 1954	Harlow H. "Red" Curtice	CEO, General Motors	Yes		$99.99
	15 Nov 1954	Governor George M. Leader	Governor of Pennsylvania	Yes	With letter from Gov. Leader's wife, Mary Jane Leader	SOLD