Signed Pack of Apollo Soyuz Cigarettes: Leonov, Slayton & Kubasov

Measuring 2.25" x 3.5" x 1", Moscow, undated (Ca. 1975). A used cigarette box with 3 of the original 20 filtered cigarettes, sold to commemorate the Apollo Soyuz Space Mission. The box is signed by three of the mission's crew members: Commander Alexei Leonov, Flight Engineer Valeri Kubasov, and Docking Module Pilot Deke Slayton. The cigarettes and box were manufactured by Philip Morris and the Yava Factory, and Developed by Philip Morris Inc., USA and Glavtabak, USSR. The artwork on the box was done by Soyuz crewmember Alexei Leonov. As mentioned, the box originally contained 20 filtered cigarettes, of which three have been unused. The box has expected wear from use and age toning. Minor soiling throughout. All bold signatures. Provenance: From the collection of Anatole Forostenko, Chief Russian Language Instructor-Interpreter for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission.

Boxes of Apollo-Soyuz cigarettes were manufactured as part of a joint venture between the American cigarette manufacturer Phillip Morris and the Soviet Yava Tobacco Factory, mirroring the joint mission between the 1975 Apollo Soyuz mission. The brand "Apollo Soyuz" was officially introduced in July 1975 and manufactured until 1980. The cigarettes were quite popular in the USSR, with a total of 3 billion exported there during the five years of business, but they were not met with great success in the U.S. - likely due to their higher price.

Dr. Anatole Forostenko (b. 1939) was born in the Soviet Union and moved to the U.S. in 1949. He studied at Rutgers University and Indiana University before gaining his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr. From 1970-1973, Forostenko was an Assistant Professor of Russian Language and Literature at the University of California. He then joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1974 and became involved in the Apollo-Soyuz test project. He became the Chief Russian Language Instructor for the NASA astronauts, preparing them to communicate with cosmonauts during the mission, and he worked closely with both crews as instructor-interpreter. Often, he worked in one-on-one situations with General Thomas P. Stafford and Vance Brand. During the Apollo-Soyuz mission, Forostenko served as one of three U.S. Air-to-Ground interpreters at the Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center. Upon completion of the mission, he traveled with the crew members and their families on the post-flight Soviet Good Will Tour and has remained in close contact with those involved.

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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