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  Apollo 11 medallion minted with flown die

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Author Topic:   Apollo 11 medallion minted with flown die
Jason Katz
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Posts: 1
From: Wilsonville
Registered: Jul 2009

posted 07-29-2009 10:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jason Katz   Click Here to Email Jason Katz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have this medallion from 40 years ago - my grandfather gave it to me - he had worked for Grumman and had received it at some point. It says on the back:
The die for this medallion was carried to the moon and back by the crew of Apollo 11 in July, 1969.
It also has three signatures/names on the back of three astronauts (Armstrong, Collins, Aldrin).

On the front it has the big 'A' for Apollo and it says Apollo/NASA and then around its edges: Lunar Landing, July 1969.

Does anyone know if this is anything significant? Always wondered...

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 46513
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-29-2009 10:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Based on your description, I believe your medallion is the same as pictured below:

If so, Swann Galleries sold one such example at auction in April 2008 for $1,200. That particular medallion however, was from astronaut Thomas Stafford's collection and included the typed letter that originally accompanied it signed by flight director Chris Kraft. Dated July 30, 1970, the letter in part read:

On the Apollo 11 mission a special die was flown for later use in fabricating a commemorative medallion to be distributed to those individuals who made a significant contribution to the success of the Apollo Program.

JTarpley
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From: Dickinson, Texas, U.S.
Registered: Aug 2011

posted 08-14-2011 03:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JTarpley     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would like to share a letter and medallion from my mother's collection. I am curious if there were only 1,000 of these given out as she had indicated on the bottom of the letter.

Editor's note: Threads merged.

george9785
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Posts: 196
From: Burnaby, BC, Canada
Registered: Nov 2010

posted 08-16-2011 11:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for george9785   Click Here to Email george9785     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's great that your mother kept that letter with the notation since I don't believe anyone here has seen anything previously that provided some evidence as to the mintage of this medallion. I believe many will also give the notation more credibility as evidence because of the further breakdown for the JSC.

While it's not conclusive since there may not be anything else currently available here to provide supporting evidence, I for one would be inclined to give the numbers credence barring any new information that contradicts it. If the die wasn't destroyed however, and it was still useable, there's also the possibility that a subsequent decision might have been made to do a restrike to produce more than was originally intended. That's probably not too likely to have occurred but if it did, it would certainly throw off the numbers.

One was just sold on eBay about two weeks ago for $327 (without any paperwork). Since sales for these medallions are sparse, knowledge or even assumptions of a mintage of 1,000 may help with people putting more consistent valuations on them.

rjurek349
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Posts: 1215
From: Northwest Indiana
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-16-2011 11:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for rjurek349   Click Here to Email rjurek349     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
...and having your letter of transmital/provenance from Max Faget is just such a wonderful, added bonus! Thanks for sharing.

JTarpley
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Posts: 7
From: Dickinson, Texas, U.S.
Registered: Aug 2011

posted 08-17-2011 12:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JTarpley     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the information. My mother was Max Faget's secretary for many years. She was meticulous in archiving documentation so I am inclined to believe the numbers she wrote on the bottom of the letter.

george9785
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Posts: 196
From: Burnaby, BC, Canada
Registered: Nov 2010

posted 08-17-2011 03:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for george9785   Click Here to Email george9785     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm just noticing that the Apollo moon face on this medallion is rather distinct from others typically seen on the Apollo program insignia. I'm wondering whether the designer had intended for it to resemble someone in particular rather than the Greek god. It might pass off as a JFK but maybe there was someone else intended.

tnperri
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Posts: 492
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011

posted 08-20-2011 07:34 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for tnperri   Click Here to Email tnperri     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Do you know who minted these or issued them?

george9785
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From: Burnaby, BC, Canada
Registered: Nov 2010

posted 08-20-2011 10:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for george9785   Click Here to Email george9785     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I guess you could say NASA issued them but unless someone posts here who does know, the company that minted them is apparently unknown.

The consignor of negatives of the original artwork and proof stamping for the Apollo 11 flown die (to be auctioned off next month by RR) may have some knowledge however.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 46513
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-20-2011 10:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The consignor appears to be David Worrow, who has been selling off his collection via RR. Here are the items on his website: proof stamp and original artwork.

Separately, another example of an accompanying letter for these medals was sold by Heritage Auction Galleries in June. That letter, signed by Kennedy Space Center Director Kurt H. Debus, was presented to Richard Proffitt, Launch Complex 39 operations manager from 1969 to 1976.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 46513
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 04-22-2012 06:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
George (george9785) came across this presentation, offered on eBay, which seems to confirm the striking was limited to 1,000.

The presentation was purchased at an estate sale in Houston.

TRS
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Posts: 727
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 05-06-2012 07:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for TRS   Click Here to Email TRS     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm interested that the presentation above uses 'front' rather than 'obverse' suggesting this is not an official presentation.

streetsnake
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Posts: 182
From: Ohio
Registered: Oct 2012

posted 11-05-2012 07:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for streetsnake   Click Here to Email streetsnake     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am brand new here but I provide a history of my collection here. Rita has one in her collection. I have been searching for the letter that may have accompanied it but to no avail, Yet!

There is a ton of stuff to go through.

billrocks
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Posts: 1
From: alvin
Registered: May 2012

posted 08-05-2013 09:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for billrocks   Click Here to Email billrocks     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have one of those as well, they were made of stainless, anti mag. I got the one I have in 1972 or 1973.

tnperri
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Posts: 492
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011

posted 08-05-2013 09:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for tnperri   Click Here to Email tnperri     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Additional information:

A heavy and impressive 64mm stainless steel medallion. On the obverse is the Apollo Program logo and the text: "Lunar Landing/ Apollo/ NASA/ July 1969". On the reverse are the facsimile signatures of the crew and the statement: "The Die for this Medallion was Carried to the Moon and Back by the Crew of Apollo 11 in 1969." A limited number of stainless steel medallions were made in commemoration of the first lunar landing mission. A special die was flown on Apollo 11 and was then utilized to fabricate the medallions.

denali414
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From: Raleigh, NC
Registered: Aug 2017

posted 06-30-2018 03:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for denali414   Click Here to Email denali414     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Finally won one of these medallions at the American Space Auction today. One of the few left needed. Made my day!

David C
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Posts: 1276
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 06-30-2018 06:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
These are interesting and I understand the attraction for the "completionist" medalion collector. But for the rest of us, though, at what point do you say:
  • "These weren't flown to the moon,"
  • "These aren't made of flown material,"
  • "Actually all these have done is touched something that flew to the moon" (and most of us here have done that).
Just sayin,' where does it end?

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-30-2018 07:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Flown status is not the only quality that makes something collectible.

NASA flew the die to mint these, of which only 1,000 exist. Compare that to the Manned Flight Awareness medals, which were minted with a symbolic amount of flown metal but are 200,000 in number.

Production runs aside, there aren't that many types of official NASA mementos of the first moon landing. This is one.

tnperri
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Posts: 492
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011

posted 06-30-2018 08:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for tnperri   Click Here to Email tnperri     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is a rare collectible with historical meaning. Whether it actually is flown in space means little. Its the value to the collector.

denali414
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From: Raleigh, NC
Registered: Aug 2017

posted 07-01-2018 11:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for denali414   Click Here to Email denali414     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'd also add that this medallion wasn't sold commercially and NASA only gave it out for "significant contributions to Apollo mission" making it in my opinion more valuable and something valuable to collect.
On the Apollo 11 mission a special die was flown for later use in fabricating a commemorative medallion to be distributed to those individuals who made a significant contribution to the success of the Apollo Program.

JBoe
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Posts: 991
From: Edgewater, MD
Registered: Oct 2012

posted 07-01-2018 12:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JBoe   Click Here to Email JBoe     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think it was a great, affordable acquisition. The fact that the medallion/die maintains the logo established by NASA and Boeing for their bronze, nickel (silver toned) medallion for each Apollo mission bears the consistency in design. This design has been used for the Apollo 30th anniversary medallions (bronze, aluminum, and silver) that contained Apollo era material and even up until recently the colorized medallions that are sold in NASA gift shops also show that consistency and NASA/Boeing approved design for "official commemoratives."

However it doesn't establish whom and the level of recipient, because the Boeing Roll of Honor medallions were distributed to workers on the Saturn V project that bears the eagle and Saturn V.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 46513
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-01-2018 12:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I don't believe there was any effort to be consistent across medallions. That the same logo was used is a result of it being the Apollo Program logo; it was created by NASA and was not medallion specific.

If there is a document or other resource that states otherwise, I would be happy to be corrected.

MartinAir
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From:
Registered: Oct 2020

posted 04-12-2021 02:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MartinAir   Click Here to Email MartinAir     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Not a native speaker. By the flown die is meant a flown aluminium/SS die which was used for minting in order to add flown metal to the medallion or a die (a mold) used only for minting and the medallion does not contain any flown metal at all? Thank you.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 46513
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 04-12-2021 07:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The latter; the only flown material possibly imparted to the medallions was the microscopic wear and tear from the die striking the blanks (and no one is making a claim that any did).

MartinAir
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From:
Registered: Oct 2020

posted 06-28-2021 11:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for MartinAir   Click Here to Email MartinAir     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Was the die carried to the lunar surface in a Personal Preference Kit?

Ken Havekotte
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Posts: 3251
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-28-2021 12:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It may appear that both JSC and KSC centers provided the medallions to only NASA civil service employees, but what about NASA HQS in Washington, D.C., along with other nationwide NASA field center installations such as Marshall, Goddard, and Lewis (now Glenn)?

I also don't recall seeing any of them awarded to a NASA or military aerospace contractor worker.

MartinAir
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Registered: Oct 2020

posted 06-28-2021 05:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MartinAir   Click Here to Email MartinAir     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ken, I obtained one and according to the included paperwork, it was issued to the NAA Rockwell VP? Robert Field.

Also heard about an etched? replica of the original "flown die" medallion, supposedly distributed among Grumman employees. I asked one Grumman LM engineer and he confirmed he still has one. Not sure if it's original or replica though.

Ken Havekotte
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Posts: 3251
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-28-2021 06:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the update info. As you have pointed out, apparently others were awarded to non-NASA employees. But were those given to top management or high-ranking folks like for the VP of NAA and what was the title of the Grumman LM engineer?

MartinAir
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From:
Registered: Oct 2020

posted 06-28-2021 06:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MartinAir   Click Here to Email MartinAir     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm not sure. Seems like there's a consensus that about 1000 original medallions were struck.

I'd like to find out more about that Grumman replica. If it's real or not. The LM engineer worked in thermal equipment design and did mission, component and MESA analysis across the timeline: liftoff to ascent.

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