Author
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Topic: Value of Apollo onboard white jumpsuits
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James913 Member Posts: 265 From: Houston, TX Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 11-10-2014 11:35 AM
I’m interested if anyone has ever seen an auction or sale of any of the white jumpsuits that Apollo crews wore onboard during their missions (like the Apollo 12 jumpsuit shown below). I would like to be able to put a ballpark value on these (realizing that there will be some value variation between specific flights or between flown and non-flown versions). I've checked the stack of space auction catalogs that I have, talked to friends at JSC, and tried a web search, all to no avail, so any historical value data would be a big help. Thanks for your help! |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-10-2014 12:06 PM
The garment is called the in-flight coveralls.Two pairs of the coveralls used by the Apollo 12 crew during training were sold a decade ago for about $10,000 each. All the flown inflight coveralls were, I believe, transferred to the Smithsonian. |
p51 Member Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 11-10-2014 03:02 PM
I know a few astronauts kept them, Lovell's is currently on display at the Saturn V building at Kennedy Space Center, just saw it October.FYI, that's my photo of Conrad's suit, taken in September 2011, can be seen in the KSC visit portion on a rarely-used section of my personal website. I'm okay with people using it, but it would be cool to note it as someone else's shot... |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-10-2014 03:09 PM
A number of the flown and training inflight coveralls can be seen in the National Air and Space Museum's online collection catalog. |
Greggy_D Member Posts: 977 From: Michigan Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 11-10-2014 03:10 PM
Young's training jacket was offered by Heritage a few years ago. His in-flight Apollo 16 coveralls were on display at the Davidson Center (USSRC) when I visited in 2011. The patches were pretty faded though. |
James913 Member Posts: 265 From: Houston, TX Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 11-10-2014 06:21 PM
All: Thanks very much for the info -- that does help. Sincere apologizes for the photo-swipe, it was unintentional (someone sent me that jpeg in response to my e-mail question about this subject and they didn't say where it was from). I appreciate the use here, and don't plan to use it anywhere else. |
p51 Member Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 11-10-2014 06:44 PM
quote: Originally posted by James913: Sincere apologizes for the photo-swipe...
It's all good. I just get sensitive about that as a photo I took of something non-space-related got permanently attached to an email about someone and has gone viral, listed as someone else's shot. You can imagine how ticked off that makes me when I see it every few months... |
Chuckster01 Member Posts: 873 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-07-2017 03:01 PM
Just thought I would see if there is any update to this post? I just purchased a set of in-flight coveralls and wondered if any other members have a set also or if any have come for sale since 2014? |
datkatz Member Posts: 176 From: New York, NY Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 01-07-2017 05:48 PM
Well, as values are set by sales, could you let us know what you paid for yours? Flown, or unflown? |
Chuckster01 Member Posts: 873 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-07-2017 08:28 PM
My set was not flown and has no name attached but does have the NASA meatball. I have the pants and jacket with matching tags. The set is in near pristine condition with one hole in the back of the pants. We have been negotiating on the set for a few years now and I caught him on the right day. I paid $3,500 and I feel I got a great deal. we started at $10,000 about three years ago.These are very hard to value as I have never seen another set for sale but it is a very cool item and now I am looking for a mannequin to display them on. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-08-2017 12:48 AM
Charles Conrad's in-flight coveralls used during training for Apollo 12 sold for $9,375 at RR Auction in September 2015. (Alan Bean's training coveralls were included in the same auction but went unsold.)These examples and others I have seen were sized to specific individuals. Chuck, what do your tags read as to sizing? |
Chuckster01 Member Posts: 873 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-08-2017 07:53 AM
Robert, both the jacket and the pants are size - MR, both have a manufacture date of 12/23/68, both are manufactured by B. Welson Co. The official nomenclature on the tag says "Chamber suit."This looks exactly like the photos in the link you posted minus a name tag and without a mission patch. |
Ken Havekotte Member Posts: 2914 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-08-2017 12:29 PM
The In-Flight Coverall Garment suit you have, Chuck, was indicated as a "Chamber Suit," which is probably why it was never intended for actual Apollo spaceflight use. This particular ICG suit was more likely produced for an astronaut participation in an Apollo spacecraft altitude chamber test run. Earlier coveralls like this were used a lot in 1966-68, both at JSC and KSC, while conducting a full altitude chamber test series of both spacecrafts. I think $3.5K for this one was a fair value, based on the fact that the same ICG suit was available in a prior RR Auction, but didn't quite reach its projected bid reserve, though it did come very, very close. If there had been an astronaut's name tag included on an later-version ICG along with an Apollo Beta mission crew patch, and sometimes with an American Beta flag on an arm's shoulder, perhaps an estimated value could be higher, especially if used by an astronaut while in Apollo training. By far, though, ICG suits of any kind coming up on the auction floor are not at all common. |
Chuckster01 Member Posts: 873 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-08-2017 03:18 PM
Thank you Ken. Infligh coveralls and flight suits are kind of new to my collecting so information is much appreciated. I now have Col. Lyman "Mike" Kidders (Commander, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing) flight suit and jacket, one of Bob Springer's flight suits and now the chamber coverall. Not a bad start. |