posted 10-27-2021 12:48 PM               

Apollo-Flown Robbins Medallions from Buzz Aldrin Family Ready to Take Off at Heritage Auctions

Selection of 9 from astronaut's family includes highest-graded ever offered at HA

Gold and silver medallions, made specifically by the Robbins Company for flight missions in space, started all the way back on Apollo 7. Created as a commemorative gift for the astronauts, as well as for friends and family, somewhere between 255 and 450 were made for each Apollo mission.

The finest Apollo 11 example ever offered by Heritage Auctions will cross the block in HA's Space Exploration Signature Auction Nov. 12-13, 2021.

Coming directly from the Potter-Aldrin Family Collection, this MS69 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 52 (estimate: $40,000+) was aboard the famed Apollo 11 in mid-July 1969. This medal once belonged to Fay Ann Aldrin Potter, an older sister of astronaut Buzz Aldrin who gave her brother his iconic nickname (which he eventually legally changed from his given name, Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.) When she had difficulty saying the word "brother," she called him "Buzzer," which eventually was shortened to "Buzz."

On the obverse is a depiction of Michael Collins' early and original concept for the mission insignia, with the eagle carrying an olive branch in its mouth. NASA officials thought the sharp, open talons of the eagle looked too "warlike," so the olive branch, representing peace, was moved from the eagle's mouth, where it appears on this medallion, to the claws.

This is one of the major official items that depicts the insignia as it was meant to be by the astronaut designer. The reverse has the dates of the mission, surnames of the crew, and the serial number.

Carrying the same $40,000+ pre-auction estimate is another version of the same medallion, with the slightest difference in grade: an Apollo 11 Flown MS67 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 429, Directly from The Armstrong Family Collection™, CAG Certified. This version is accompanied by a Statement of Provenance signed by Neil Armstrong's sons, Rick and Mark.

"In all my years with Heritage, I've never seen a single group of higher-quality medallions from the Apollo missions," Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "This is such an incredible collection. I'm so happy we have the opportunity to find new homes for them."

Other top medallions in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• An Apollo 11 Flown MS68 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 23, Directly from The Potter-Aldrin Family Collection, CAG Certified – another gift from Aldrin to his sister (estimate: $35,000+)

• An Apollo 12 Flown Silver Robbins Medallion, No Serial Number, from Alan Bean's Personal Collection with His Handwritten Certification (estimate: $16,000+)

• An Apollo 13 Flown MS69 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 296, Directly from The Potter-Aldrin Family Collection, CAG Certified (estimate: $14,000+)

• An Apollo 8 Flown MS66 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 209, Directly from The Potter-Aldrin Family Collection, CAG Certified (estimate: $14,000+)

• An Apollo 12 Flown MS68 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 186, Directly from The Potter-Aldrin Family Collection, CAG Certified (estimate: $12,000+)

• An Apollo 10 Flown MS67 NGC Sterling Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 265, Directly from The Potter-Aldrin Family Collection, CAG Certified (estimate: $10,000+)

• A Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-41-D) Flown 10K Gold Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 5F (estimate: $7,000+)

posted 11-01-2021 02:16 PM               

Estate of Moonwalker Alan Bean Touches Down at Heritage Auctions

Items flown on Apollo missions include astronaut's biomedical harness, Robbins Medallion, college ring and original painting

The more exclusive the club, the greater the demand.

Among those who love to draw and paint, few can claim to be accomplished artists. Even more selective is the number of those who dream about flying into space who eventually become actual astronauts. More exclusive than either is the number of people who have walked on the moon: 12.

Alan Bean can make all three claims. The former pilot and astronaut is one of the dozen who set foot on the moon, and after retiring from NASA, he was able "to devote all of my time and energy to painting, celebrating the great exploration that was Apollo."

Now a selection of artifacts from his space exploration career, identified as materials From the Estate of Moonwalker and Artist Alan Bean, will be offered Nov. 12-13 in Heritage Auctions' Space Exploration Signature® Auction.

Bean's daughter, Amy, said that the decision to consign some of her father's collection was understandably difficult.

"Mixed emotions," she said when asked how she expects to feel when some of the items her father saved find new homes. "I'm glad collectors will care for them.

"My father felt incredibly lucky to have served his country and live the life he did. He often said, 'when you are training for the moon, every day feels like your birthday and Christmas rolled into one.'"

Amy Bean said the auction will allow her father to effectively contribute to the lives of his grandchildren.

"These artifacts are Dad's keepsakes, physical memories of a dream come true," she said. "But when Dad was alive he told me many times to offer them to collectors when died. He knew they would treasure them as he did. Dad said he wanted his children and grandchildren to use the proceeds to make their own dreams, whatever they may be, come true."

"Alan Bean is a titan in the history of space travel," Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "His name belongs up there – way up there – with the likes of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. What is being offered in this collection is pieces of space history that simply can not be found anywhere else."

The Write Stuff

Two elements of critical importance to the space program are communication and the recording of history, much of which required the astronauts to write, whether full reports or even simple notes. Two items he kept and used are available in this auction:

• An Apollo 12 Lunar Module Flown and Lunar Surface Used Garland Mechanical Pencil, from Alan Bean's Personal Collection, with Copy of His Handwritten Letter of Authenticity (estimate: $24,000+) is a chrome-colored Garland model 35-P mechanical pencil, 5-1/8 inches long and wrapped around the top in Velcro for ease of stowage and attachment while onboard the flight. Included with the lot is a copy of a handwritten and signed letter of Authenticity on his own letterhead, which reads:

  "I hereby certify that the accompanying silver mechanical pencil traveled with me to the Lunar Surface on the Ocean of Storms in November 1969. I used this pen in our Command Module, 'Yankee Clipper' on the way to and from the moon. I used it during descent and landing on the Moon inside our Lunar Module, 'Intrepid' and on liftoff to rendezvous with the orbiting Command Module. I carried it in my left arm pocket during both moonwalks. [signed] Alan Bean Apollo 12 LMP"

• An Apollo 12 Lunar Module Flown Red Keystone Wax Marker Pen, from Alan Bean's Personal Collection, with Copy of His Handwritten Letter of Authenticity (estimate: $15,000+) is a 5-inch pen with a pocket clip marked "KEYSTONE," "U.S. GOVERNMENT" stamped clearly on the barrel. According to Chris Spain's Space Flown Artifacts website, this is the only known such Keystone marking pen carried on an Apollo flight. Included in this lot is a copy of Bean's handwritten and signed Letter of Authenticity on his personal letterhead (the original has been lost). It reads, in full:

  "I hereby certify that the accompanying black plastic red marker US Government pen travelled with me inside the command module, Yankee Clipper, to and from the moon. I wore it in my right arm pocket when I transferred to our lunar module, Intrepid. I used it there, inside the lunar module, for the 33 hours we spent on the Moon, and on liftoff and rendezvous with our orbiting command module. [signed] Alan Bean Apollo 12 LMP"

Hook 'Em

Before Bean was an artist, or an astronaut or a Naval pilot, he was a proud graduate of the University of Texas, from which he and many members of his family graduated.

"Dad was a very proud Texan and a very proud Longhorn," Amy Bean said. "He earned a Navy scholarship to attend the University of Texas, which is where he really came into his own academically. It gave him great opportunities to learn the things he needed to learn to be a pilot, which is what he always wanted to do. So he had great appreciation and affection for the University of Texas. He was a Distinguished Alum, and he did some commercials for the school. He was so proud to be a graduate of the engineering department at Texas."

So much so that the university followed him – literally – into the space program. The auction includes Bean's Apollo 12 Lunar Module-Flown University of Texas 1955 Bachelor of Science 10K Gold Class Ring, from His Personal Collection, with Certificate of Authenticity (estimate: $30,000+), which Heritage Auctions experts speculate is the only class ring from any university that ever reached the lunar surface, an Apollo 12 Lunar Module Flown University of Texas Flag and Embroidered Mission Insignia Patch in Framed Display that Hung in Alan Bean's Office, from His Personal Collection, with Certificate of Authenticity (estimate: $8,000+) and his 1955 University of Texas Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering Degree Certificate in Framed Display, from His Personal Collection, with Certificate of Authenticity (estimate: $2,400+). "He wore his University of Texas ring a lot," his daughter said, "and he wore it with a lot of pride."

Also from Bean's collection is an Apollo 12 Lunar Module Flown and Spacewalk Worn Biomedical Harness, from Alan Bean's Personal Collection, with Copy of His Handwritten Letter of Authenticity (estimate: $20,000+), worn underneath the inflight coverall garment to monitor his heart and respiratory system, routing data through the PLSS while on an EVA to the Apollo 12 spacecraft communication system then back to Mission Control. It consists of two separate parts:

• Sternal Harness: SHB 42100120-203 – a blue multi-pin plug with two orange wires, one to a single sensor, the other split to two sensors.

• Auxiliary Harness: SHB 42100121-202 – a yellowed white multi-pin plug with two orange wires, each running a separate sensor, one of which has this NASA number on it – an incredibly rare item that monitored Bean's vital signs during this landmark second manned lunar landing.

Other top lots from the Estate of Moonwalker and Artist Alan Bean include, but are not limited to:

• An Apollo 12 Flown Silver Robbins Medallion, No Serial Number, from Alan Bean's Personal Collection with His Handwritten Certification (estimate: $16,000+)

• An Apollo 12 Flown Flight Data File Clip, from Alan Bean's Personal Collection, with Certificate of Authenticity (estimate: $8,000+)

• Alan Bean's Rare "Mercury Spacecraft" McDonnell Lithograph Signed by the Six Astronauts who Flew in the Program, from His Personal Collection, with Certificate of Authenticity (estimate: $8,000+)

• An Alan Bean Original 1983 Painting "Red Ribbons" Acrylic on Masonite (estimate: $55,000+) depicts Harrison "Jack" Schmitt on the lunar surface as he deploys the solar-powered transmitter of the Surface Electrical Properties Experiment, which found no evidence of liquid water could be found up to a mile below the lunar surface. The title refers to the red 75-foot-long antennas that transmitted the radiation.

Signs of the Times

Alan Bean and the rest of the Apollo astronauts were global celebrities, often asked to sign items for fans and collectors, and Bean's trove in this auction includes dozens of items signed by him or his fellow astronauts … or both. Items bearing out-of-this-world autographs include, but are not limited to:

• A Moon Globe Signed by Twenty-Seven NASA Astronauts, Three Soviet Cosmonauts, Two Pilots of SpaceShipOne, and Two Actors (estimate: $8,000+)

• An Apollo 12 Flown Framed Larger-Size American Flag on Crew-Signed Mat, Originally from the Alan Bean Family Collection, Signed and Certified by Mission Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean, in Framed Display (estimate: $6,000+)

• Alan Bean Book: Apollo. Signed by Twenty-One Astronauts Including Nine Moonwalkers (estimate: $6,000+)

• Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton Moon Shot Book Signed by Thirty Eight Legends of Space. Featuring Astronauts, Cosmonauts, and Astronomers. Includes Ten Moonwalkers, and Full Crews from Apollo 8, 9, 10 and 12 (estimate: $6,000+)

• A Large International Space Station Photo Signed by Twenty-Two Astronauts Including Six Moonwalkers (estimate: $6,000+)

posted 11-14-2021 01:33 PM               

The highest price paid for an item was $275,000 (with BP, $220,000 hammer price) for an American flag flown on Apollo 11 from the Armstrong family collection. Surprisingly, the MS 69 Apollo 11 Robbins medal, highlighted by Heritage in the release above, failed to make its estimated price, going for a mere $30,000 with BP. Also surprising was another Apollo 11 Robbins medal of a slightly lesser grade (MS 67) from the Armstrong collection that went for $106,250 with BP.

I picked up a nice Walt Cunningham photo inscribed to comedian Bill "Astronaut José Jiménez" Dana and his wife, which comes with a typed letter to Dana signed "Walt" and an Apollo 7 patch, for $87 with BP ($38 hammer price), and an uninscribed autographed Thomas Stafford close-up photo of him in his Gemini helmet for $109 with BP ($57 hammer price). Surprisingly, someone was able to pick up an uninscribed autographed portrait of Wally Schirra wearing a business suit for a bid of just $2.00 ($51 with BP), though the rest of Schirra's autographs went for prices more representative of the market.

posted 11-14-2021 08:26 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by cjh5801:
Some rather outrageous prices were paid for a number of items that could be picked up considerably cheaper elsewhere.

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posted 11-15-2021 06:44 PM               

$275K Apollo 11-Flown American Flag Launches Heritage Auctions Space Event to Nearly $3 Million

An Apollo 11 flown American flag directly from the Armstrong Family Collection, CAG certified, soared to unexpected heights when it climbed to $275,000 to launch Heritage Auctions' Space Exploration Auction to $2,919,183 in total sales.

"This flag exceeded all expectations, and effectively launched the results for the entire auction to new heights" Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "With must-have items, ranging from Robbins medallions to the estate of Alan Bean, one of the first men to walk on the moon, to a trove of astronaut-signed items, collectors of all levels came away from this event with prized keepsakes that they will enjoy for years to come."

The out-of-this-world result for the event's top lot was 10 times higher than its pre-auction estimate. The 6-by-4-inch silk flag with a clear nylon border was carried to the moon and back aboard the Apollo Command Module Columbia, July 16-24, 1969. Mission-flown U.S. flags always are in demand by Space collectors but this one, preserved by the first man to step on the moon, is a significant relic of a historic event and was accompanied by a Statement of Provenance signed by Neil Armstrong's sons, Rick and Mark. The final price is the highest ever paid for a small-size flag, and ties the highest ever paid at Heritage Auctions for a much larger flag.

An Apollo 11 lunar module flown section of the Wright Flyer's wing fabric, position #162, flown as part of the first successful powered controlled flight in history at Kitty Hawk in 1903 as well as the first manned lunar landing in 1969, directly from the Armstrong Family Collection, CAG certified, more than quadrupled its pre-auction estimate when it rose to $125,000. Neil Armstrong was allowed to keep a portion of the cloth and propeller pieces for his own personal collection and carried it to Tranquility Base, the name of the Apollo 11 lunar landing site, July 20, 1969, meaning it was aboard the two most significant flights in the history of aviation.

A third lot reached six figures when an Apollo 11 flown MS67 NGC sterling silver Robbins medallion, serial number 429, directly from the Armstrong Family Collection, CAG certified, more than doubled its pre-auction estimate at $106,250. The obverse depicts astronaut Michael Collins' early and original concept for the mission insignia with the eagle carrying an olive branch in its mouth. NASA thought the sharp, open talons of the eagle looked too "warlike" and the olive branch, representing peace, was moved to the claws.

An Apollo 14 lunar module flown exceedingly rare microform king james bible encased in a beautiful reliquary containing 24 karat gold and embellished with jewels, with a Steve Zarelli letter of authenticity ended at $52,500. It is one of only 100 microform King James Bibles that were taken to the lunar surface as part of an initiative by the Apollo Prayer League to honor Apollo 1 astronaut Ed. White II, who planned to carry one but died with the crew in a flash fire on the launch pad January 27, 1967.

A set of Chris Kraft's personal security badges for Apollo 6-17, with additional signed photo, directly from his estate, with certificate of authenticity, soared to $42,500 – a full 85 times the pre-auction estimate. The collection includes 16 laminated badges represent each mission (some had multiple badges). Kraft, who died in 2019, was NASA's first Flight Director, directed all of the Mercury missions, was head of missions operations for Project Gemini, was crucial in the success of Apollo and even oversaw the development of the Space Shuttle program. He is credited with creating the concept of NASA's Mission Control, which now bears his name.

The auction included more than 80 items from the estate of moonwalker and astronaut Alan Bean. Among the highlights from Bean's collection were:

• An Apollo 12 lunar module flown and lunar surface used Garland mechanical pencil, from Alan Bean's personal collection, with his original handwritten letter of authenticity, which reached $52,500, a record price for a space-flown mechanical pencil. This 5.125-inch chrome-colored Garland model 35-P mechanical pencil was made by Lew Manufacturing Co. of Coventry, Rhode Island, the pencil is still functional.

• Bean's rare "Mercury Spacecraft" McDonnell lithograph signed by the six astronauts who flew in the program, with certificate of authenticity, drew 27 bids before finishing at $32,500, more than quadrupling its pre-auction estimate.

• An Apollo 12 lunar module flown University of Texas flag and embroidered mission insignia patch in framed display that hung in Alan Bean's office brought a winning bid of $21,500, more than three times its pre-auction estimate.

• Bean's prestigious Yuri A. Gagarin 18K gold medal awarded by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1973, from his personal collection, closed at $20,000. The award was established by the FAI in 1968 in honor of Astronaut Yuri A. Gagarin, who performed the first space flight by man on the 12th of April 1961.

• His Apollo 12 lunar module flown: Alan Bean's own University of Texas 1955 Bachelor of Science 10K gold class ring reached $18,750. It accompanied the fourth man to walk on the moon inside the Apollo 12 Lunar Module Intrepid Nov. 19-20, 1969.

Collectors swarmed to lots authentic autographed items, including:

• An early NASA group photo signed by all seven Mercury astronauts: $35,000

• An Apollo 17 "Blue Marble" original NASA "red number" color photo, AS17-148-22727, signed by photographer Ron Evans: $10,625

Other top lots in the auction included, but were not limited to:

• An Apollo 12 flown american flag in mat signed by hundreds, presented by the Flight Control Division to Chris Kraft and originally from his personal collection: $37,500

• A Neil Armstrong uninscribed signed white spacesuit color photo directly from the Armstrong Family Collection, CAG certified: $15,000

• An Apollo 12 flown framed larger-size American flag on crew-signed mat, originally from the Alan Bean Family Collection, signed and certified by mission lunar module pilot Alan Bean, in framed display: $37,500

• An Alan Bean original 1983 painting "Red Ribbons" acrylic on masonite: $37,500

For complete results, visit HA.com/6244.