posted 05-12-2014 03:54 PM               

I looked at this year's Heritage auction, and it seems like they are higher priced than other auction sites, or some of the sites that seem to sell smaller pieces of items in acrylic. My question is how do you know if these items are legit or not? Are there some recommended sites/dealers that everyone on these boards trusts? Is there anywhere that is known to be a scam?

posted 05-12-2014 05:01 PM               

The auctions can be quite expensive, but mostly because they are intended for more seasoned collectors. There are a few good places to get some cheap memorabilia, which still holds a lot of historical value (re my email). You will also find a horde of collectors here willing to help.

posted 05-12-2014 05:38 PM               

• Types of lucites: 'Official' NASA vs others
  
• Artifact from every US flown crewed spacecraft

posted 05-12-2014 07:16 PM               

In my case, I was always intrigued with Project Mercury. I eventually set a goal to obtain a flown item from each of the 6 Mercury flights. After I achieved that milestone I figured why not take it further and go for a flown item from each of the Mercury astronaut's collective missions. That totals 13 flights. It took me about 18 years but it was totally worth it.

posted 05-13-2014 03:40 PM               

Lunar Legacies. Donnis Willis is a great person to work with and you can trust him. He also is running an auction a couple of times a year. He has different and often less expensive items than the big auction houses.

Also look on cS for Ken Havekotte. You can trust whatever he has. Send him an e-mail with what you are looking for. Chances are he has it (and several more).

posted 05-15-2014 03:19 PM               

You said you're more interested in flown items, but a lot of patches have been flown. I've been collecting patches off/on for 25 years and there's no way to get them all! And each one has a story to tell about the mission they represent.

Plus, for the most part, they're relatively inexpensive. I don't know if you're interested in them, but they can be just as fascinating and educational to collect (and frustrating too!).

posted 05-15-2014 06:15 PM               

For space hardware I would recommend shooting Ken Havekotte an email. The other source is watching eBay. Of course, you have to be careful and do research on the item. I find a few sellers that I use really work with you and can lower prices or portion bulk items.

Another method is contacting specific contracted suppliers. Be inquisitive, write letters and emails! A few years ago, for example, I contacted David Clark and received a large swatch of the orange fabric from the shuttle suit along with a commemorative patch.

posted 05-15-2014 07:29 PM               

This hobby is addictive. Years ago, I set a goal to collect an autographed photo from each of the 12 moonwalkers. After finding 2 CMP autographs in my collection from the 70's, I decided to collect those too. When I finished collecting those, I decided to collect one photo from each of the Mercury and Gemini missions. In the last year, I've been buying up autographed Shuttle crew photos. I have nearly 200 autographed photos in my collection.

I've been lucky. Most of the photos I bought have gone up considerably in price since I purchased them. Yesterday for example, I saw a Buzz Aldrin "Magnificent Desolation" panorama sell at auction for $2100, and it was signed with a wide pen that seemed to skip. 3 years ago, I had Aldrin sign the exact same pan with the same quote and it only cost me $650. My autgoraph is perfect with a fine pen and no skipping. If I really wanted to, I'm sure I could sell some of my extras and buy the uninscribed Armstrong or Mercury 7 photo I've always wanted.

posted 05-15-2014 08:50 PM               

To help get you started, "UNCJibble," I would be more than happy to mail you a complimentary "space care package" so-to-speak, and with no strings attached whatsoever.

I'll include in the shipment one or more space item(s) from each major collecting category; patch, sticker, badge, photo, a genuine autograph piece, a flown artifact of some kind, postal cover, space medallion, a launch pad relic, and so on.

From one aerospace enthusiast to another, "UNCJibble," it would be a pleasure to hear from you (an email would be best), and again, welcome to the hobby!

posted 05-16-2014 08:36 PM               

JBoe, Jason & UNCJibble, While searching for an email of yours within the last few weeks (also in my SPAM software), I did not come across any. It could be in getting so many emails a week (sometimes easily over a hundred or more), it may had been missed and my sincere apologies for doing so if such was the case.

I am having a computer specialist friend of mine help to re-structure my SPAM software in an effort to troubleshoot why some emails may not be getting to me properly.

posted 05-17-2014 11:58 AM            

I like Apollo ephemera - newspapers and magazines make fascinating reading. I also have a sneaking passion for the kitsch. Who can resist an Apollo 15 spoon or Apollo 11 salt and pepper pot! I've almost completed by collection of Wheater carnival glass decanters (just Apollo 12 and the Skylab ones to go!) and am looking at other glass and pottery souvenirs. My wife despairs.

My absolute favourite find is my Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report, which one day I will get signed.