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Author
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Topic: Flown Gemini Medallions
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4allmankind
Member Posts: 1043
From: Dallas
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 06-07-2005 07:53 PM
   
I have been trying to get knowledgable on FLOWN Gemini Medallions and have found very little on the web and this site about them.Gold/Silver with the mission and dates engraved on the verse. Are these considered the unofficial Robbins medallions for Project Gemini? Did each flight carry them? Any production numbers known? Does any value scale exist relative to those known production numbers? |
zee_aladdin
Member Posts: 781
From: California
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 06-08-2005 12:24 AM
They are called Fliteline medallions, not Robbins.... very little is known about them. But if you look through Aurora's catalogs for the past year or two you can find some gold and silver colored that have sold. They range from $1500 to $5000. I own a GT-6 flown-silver colored Fliteline medallion. |
4allmankind
Member Posts: 1043
From: Dallas
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 06-08-2005 07:34 PM
Just out of curiosity, which missions realize closer to $5,000 as you state? Looks like a nice deal on the GT-6 you own — quite a weird letter with it I must say. |
zee_aladdin
Member Posts: 781
From: California
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 06-08-2005 08:54 PM
All the gold Fliteline medallions seem to command close to the $5000 range. I like the GT-6 I have. By the way, which weird letter were you talking about? |
snf13
Member Posts: 74
From: Houston
Registered: May 2004
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posted 07-20-2005 09:30 PM
So then, presumably, there are similar Fliteline medals that were NOT flown? And would one tell? |
zee_aladdin
Member Posts: 781
From: California
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 07-20-2005 11:52 PM
From my limited knowledge, I think it is considered that all Fliteline medallions have been flown! |
Spacepsycho
Member Posts: 818
From: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted 07-21-2005 02:19 AM
Not all Gemini mission Flightline medals were flown, the majority were, but unless there's a letter or other provenance to prove it, there's no way to tell.As far as the price goes, I bought a GT-11 silver Flightline medal that was flown for $800, a GT-10 silver for $300 unknown if it was flown and a GT-8 that was flown with a letter from the engineer who it was given to for $450. There's been two on eBay a few months ago that were in the $1100 range. Unfortunately there isn't much info on them, there are no experts like James Brown or Howard Weinberger on the Flightline medals, but as more surface for sale, it's only going to add to the database. These medals are out there but they are harder to find than the Apollo Robbins. |
mensax
Member Posts: 861
From: Virginia
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 07-22-2005 02:38 AM
Provenance is essential with Gemini medallions. Without some kind of foolproof authentication a buyer should assume that it is not flown. In fact, I personally would question whether or not they are authentic.Unlike the Apollo Robbins medallions that are highly detailed, and individually numbered, Gemini medals are rather plain and generic. It would be fairly simple and inexpensive to produce hundreds of copies that would be virtually impossible to distinguish from the originals. It amazes me that we haven't seen quantities of fakes hit the market as this would be a very profitable scheme. I suppose it's easier to forge an autograph than it would be to fire up a forge. Most crooks are lazy. If you're interested in getting these items, try to get them directly from an astronaut. Or better yet, consider getting one of those complete sets that are preserved in lucite. There have been several of them that have come onto the market in the last couple of years. The medallions in these sets are in mint condition, beautifully displayed, and unquestionably flown. (One additional thought... if fakes ever do show up on the market, the value of Gemini medallions without provenance will drop off to next to nothing. Those with authentication will rise.) |
TRS
Member Posts: 721
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 07-23-2005 01:36 AM
Actually faking coins is relatively easy if you can get the mix of metal right to mimic the one you want. No — I'm not a forger, but I did ask some medal collectors about moulding copies of a couple of my medallions in order to be able to show the obverse and reverse in framed displays. I'm told that the real art is in getting the weight of the copy right... Of course the issue becomes how suspicious collectors will become of any dealer suddenly having 5-500 rare flown medallions on sale. |
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