[APOLLO 11]. PAUL CALLE. "FIRST MAN ON THE MOON" POSTAL COVER WITH STAMP SKETCH, SIGNED BY CALLE

Pencil on paper envelope , 9 ⅞ by 4 ⅛ inches, signed "Paul Calle", with "First Man on the Moon" stamp cancelled "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE", Moon Landing postmark dated July 20, 1969, and Washington, D.C. postmark, dated September 9, 1969. 

Paul Calle famously designed the United States' 1969 "First Man on the Moon" airmail stamp, and the present envelope features a sketch of the stamp by the artist, along with the stamp itself.  At the time of the Apollo 11 mission, Calle was already a prolific stamp artist, and was one of the first artists chosen by NASA to document the U.S. manned space program. Calle, as the only artist allowed in with the astronauts on the morning of the historic moon landing mission, was able to observe and capture Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins as they prepared for the launch on July 16, 1969.  As the astronauts left for the moon, they carried with them the master die for the stamp Calle had designed, both anticipating and commemorating that soon to be first step.

Once it had returned to Earth, the plate was used to print what was at that point the largest U.S. stamp ever released. When it was offered to the public on September 9, 1969, Calle's "First Man on the Moon" became an incredibly popular lunar landing souvenir, with over 152 million produced.