posted 12-17-2006 08:15 AM               

I have some Cosmonaut items (which are relatively easy to get these days) but would now like some Apollo astronaut items -such as a 'Snoopy Cap' helmet. What sort of prices are these items going for and where is best to find them?

I not too concerned about them being flown -training items are probably more in my price range.

If any one can help please leave a threat or private email.

posted 12-17-2006 09:04 AM               

As for price, that depends on the rarity of the item, its condition, and flown versus unflown and, of course, how much you are willing to spend for that "must have" item.

Good luck
Tracy

posted 12-17-2006 01:18 PM               

I think I'm right that Robert sold an Apollo era Snoopy cap through buySPACE a couple of years back, but it lacked the chin straps, mic booms, headphones and all electronics.

Complete Shuttle era Snoopy caps (cosmetically almost identical to those of the Apollo era) have sold for $2,000 to $3,000 in recent years.

From that you can extrapolate a price for an Apollo cap of at least $3,000 - probably nearer $5,000 or higher if I had to guess.

Cheers,
Matt

posted 12-17-2006 03:00 PM               

Regards,

posted 12-17-2006 10:01 PM               

I think you may find it easier finding communication cables, cobra heads, glove and valve connectors, neck and wrist rings, etc., before you'll get your hands on a snoopy hat

[Edited by divemaster (December 17, 2006).]

posted 12-18-2006 06:43 AM               

The recent caps you mentioned were replicas.

Regards,

posted 12-18-2006 12:06 PM               

Has anyone had experience of buying from the Auction houses such as Aurora?

posted 12-18-2006 03:37 PM               

Apollo boots and gloves are not quite as rare as Snoopy caps......but I would not get your hopes up. Like most things in life, you don't see one for literally years and then two will come along at once.ie Ed Mitchell pair at Aurora in 2005.

I have some limited experience of dealing in such items and can tell you A7L boots or gloves will cost in the region of $6 to $8k depending upon condition, provenance etc etc. Matt has already eluded to a Buzz Aldrin glove that was offered last year. I don't know if it finally sold but the bidding reached $22k.

Good luck. With two or three major auctions each year it is only a matter of time before a boot or gloves appears.

Regards,

Rick

[Edited by Rick Mulheirn (December 18, 2006).]

posted 12-18-2006 03:50 PM               

Maybe a more common (and affordable) item might be one of the distinctive red/blue gas valves from the front of an A7L suit.

These look great so whilst I'm waiting for my 'snoppy cap', gloves and boots to appear at auction (as well as start saving) does anyone know where I might find one now...

Does anyone have a spare one they might be willing to sell?

posted 12-18-2006 10:12 PM               

Last year, a training bubble helmet went for just under $10K.

Plus the 20% buyers premium!

The smaller stuff CAN be a lot more affordable. However, I've seen a lot of neck rings and wrist rings sell for thousands.

At times, you have to be in the right place at the right time, with no one or few bidding against you.

-tracy

posted 12-19-2006 02:21 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by dom:
Maybe a more common (and affordable) item might be one of the distinctive red/blue gas valves from the front of an A7L suit.Dom

---

I'm not sure any Apollo spacesuit item could be described as common. There was an A6L red gas connector in Aurora's Spring '05 auction which went for $3300, and an A7L red gas connector in the Fall '05 auction that went for $1880. Going back to Fall '04 they had A7LB gas connectors that sold for $3000-$3500.

Their Spring 2005 auctions had a few wrist ring parts that sold for about $600 (cheapest single part) to $3000 (for both parts). Fall 2005 had two more which went for $1726 and $2160.

posted 12-19-2006 02:29 AM               

But seriously, why would you consider these prices for spacesuit items to be unusually high? The market has consistently hit these levels now for several years. The buyer of the Mitchell gloves paid a premium for the pair, but not much of a premium. If he'd bought the two Schmitt gloves that changed hands in recent years seperately he'd still have been paying close to $20K. The single Aldrin glove drew offers that high on it's own.

By contrast we've reached a period in this hobby where you have mutiple dealers and astronauts offering 'flown to the moon' and 'flown to the surface' items, all available for you to buy 24-hours a day direct from their websites. Despite excellent marketing these items are no longer 'rushing off the shelves' as supply has simply exceeded demand (at least, at the prices we are accustomed to paying for such 'rare' items). By contrast when was the last time you saw a first rate spacesuit item offered on a website and failing to sell? In fact when was the last time you saw a first rate spacesuit item offered on a website at all?

Unless someone has a huge stash of previously unavailable items ready to bring to market this stuff is going to remain rare and sought after - with prices to match.

Cheers,
Matt