posted 06-01-2008 09:03 AM               

It's sold now.

posted 06-01-2008 09:11 AM               

Mementos are occasionally given to Kennedy Space Center workers in recognition for their contributions to a variety of programs. This disk replicates such a memento.

posted 06-01-2008 09:50 AM               

"I have collected space memorabilia for over 20 years and have a very large collection. I got the disks at a rock and mineral show many years ago. They were sold to me as replicas. I was told that the disks were made by another rock collector as a unique way to display rocks from his collection. Several samples state that they are authentic; that is because it is a copy of what the authentic item says. I have done extensive microscopic examination of both authentic NASA issued disks and replica disks that I have collected over the years. I can say with complete certainty that the replica disks are well done facsimiles containing only terrestrial rock and mineral samples. Several samples state that they are authentic; that is because it is a copy of what the authentic item says. I used the disks for years in my science classes to demonstrate just how similar the Moon and the Earth are. I will include a certificate of replication with any item that is not authentic."

posted 06-01-2008 10:25 AM               

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Several samples state that they are authentic; that is because it is a copy of what the authentic item says.

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posted 06-23-2008 08:36 AM               

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Originally posted by SPACEKID:
Will anyone be able to say they are replicas.

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posted 06-23-2008 08:47 PM               

I would classify those other items as fraudulent and meant to deceive, unless there is something that we don't know about.

posted 06-25-2008 07:13 AM               

There have been two disks (here & here) with multiple samples identified by mission or rock type. These could conceivably be replicas intended for school use, although I've yet to see any confirmation that such items were produced by NASA. Has anyone seen an example before?

The other type are the series of lucites that appear to be individual presentations and definitely nothing to do with any teaching program. The Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 items are clearly identified by the writing as being given to members of the "Kennedy Space Center Team" as mementos, with the seller explicitly stating that these are replicas of mementos given by NASA. The Apollo 16 item just claims to be a sample returned by the crew.

The idea that such official mementos were created goes against everything we've read about NASA's policy on moon rocks.

I find it very difficult to believe they would stick a sizable chunk of Apollo 16 moon rock, for example, in a cheapo presentation like the one above and give it to an unidentified individual in NASA. If such mementos were ever produced how could it be that we've never seen an example of one before? Surely we would expect to have seen one of the presentations in the hands of an astronaut or some of the key personnel who have sold items from their collections over the last few years (Slayton, Kranz etc.)?

I can imagine that an unofficial lucite could conceivably have been created at some stage by an individual with tiny amounts of lunar material but I can't imagine that this would have been created with text implying it to be an official NASA presentation to a KSC team member.

My conclusion is that it seems extremely unlikely that real mementos ever existed, and even less that these are real (which the seller never claims in any case). That implies that these 'replicas' were created (not necessarily by the seller) with the express purpose of appearing to be genuine moon rock presentations.

posted 06-26-2008 10:49 AM               

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Originally posted by LCDR Scott Schneeweis:
The real analog to one of the items sold on eBay can be seen here on the JSC Astromaterials Curation site for comparison.

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Scott, I didn't see anything indicating that the material samples were retrieved by any NASA mission. Are these more likely from lunar meteorite samples obtained on Earth? These would still be monetarily valuable, which might account for the Fort Knox approach, but no where near the value of NASA retrieved samples.

posted 06-26-2008 11:48 AM               

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Originally posted by LCDR Scott Schneeweis:
Meteoric specimens are specifically identified as such - as in this case.

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posted 08-13-2008 07:15 AM               

I'm still amazed that his replica moon rock/dust displays have now sold for over $4000 in total.

Presumably the seller is making these pieces himself or having them made professionally but in either case they can't be costing more than a few dollars to put together.

posted 08-13-2008 09:30 AM               

He's a space memorabilia collector and is a collectSPACE reader. I explained to him our concerns with regards to the replica claim and in particular the lack of any mention on the item itself that it is not real. He pledged to edit his lot descriptions and "mark the disks accordingly".

posted 08-13-2008 03:45 PM               

The lunar material replicas sold thus far explicitly identify themselves as genuine lunar sample presentations. The only thing that allows us to be sure they are replicas (apart from the eBay listing text) is that no known genuine presentations of this kind are in circulation.

Not everyone knows this, which is why some buyers have shelled-out $600-1000+ for them. They have come to the conclusion that the items are real and that the seller has mistakenly identified them as replicas. They have been deceived by the 'replicas' and have wasted serious amounts of money in the process.

posted 08-30-2008 04:07 PM               

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
I explained to him our concerns with regards to the replica claim and in particular the lack of any mention on the item itself that it is not real. He pledged to edit his lot descriptions and "mark the disks accordingly".

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He states "The disk is in excellent shape" which suggests the disc has not been recently made? With no "replica" marking. Not good for future collectors.

posted 08-30-2008 07:53 PM               

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Originally posted by SPACEKID:
Not good for future collectors.

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