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Author
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Topic: Fair price for signed 'Footprints on the Moon'
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robert barrett
Member Posts: 77
From: lebanon, ohio, usa
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 07-02-2016 03:48 PM
   
"Footprints on the Moon" — 89 total autographs — 11 moonwalkers, with Conrad check to make 12, 21 Apollo astronauts, Eisele check. Four Mercury astronauts, Ride and Tereshkova. Have a friend who wishes to buy but have no price estimate. I have had it signed over 45 years. What would be fair?  
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Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 07-02-2016 07:44 PM
Condition, and is Armstrong included? That's for starters. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 07-02-2016 09:02 PM
My apologies Bob. You said 12 so it must have included Neil. REALLY nice piece. |
Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 07-03-2016 04:34 PM
On Antiques Roadshow, Robert's 122 signature book with an inserted Neil Armstrong index card was valued in today's terms at $15K. I would put your book in the same price range. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 07-03-2016 05:17 PM
If that Conrad check had been in the book along with all the other 11 moonwalkers it would get that figure (in my opinion) easily. Some (and I stress "some") may have preferred just Apollo and Mercury/Gemini programs and not shuttle, but it is a fine piece having seen it thanks to Bob. A complete Apollo 11 signed crew is a very attractive offering. |
JasonB
Member Posts: 1091
From:
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 07-03-2016 06:53 PM
I think the most important part is how it's signed, how it looks and if it's personalized. All these things greatly affect value.Honestly 15k sounds completely ridiculous. That is at least four times what I would expect it to sell for and possibly more than that. Signed books need to be strategically collected-like all moonwalkers or Apollo astronauts. To me books are already behind the 8 ball by not being displayable, so the autographs need to be spectacular and complete. Missing people will dramatically reduce what people will actually pay for it. I think a realistic value is between $3-5000. That's assuming the signatures aren't personalized and the book has no real issues. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 07-04-2016 05:32 AM
quote:
Originally posted by JasonB:
Honestly 15k sounds completely ridiculous. That is at least four times what I would expect it to sell for and possibly more than that.
Seen it and it's brilliant and no, not pitching for it at all. Bob has really taken care of it (pages and the book in general) and that alone adds a lot of value. Each to their own so I hope he posts some pics so you can see what I have. |
Steve Zarelli
Member Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 07-04-2016 06:06 AM
Projects like this are a labor of love, but the market reality is that with multi-signed items, the whole is rarely worth the sum of its parts. Twelve moonwalkers, complete moon voyagers, and Mercury 7 being exceptions. In this case, the added in Conrad is going to hurt value. A serious collector who wants a 12 moonwalker item isn't going to settle for an added Conrad plus the extraneous signatures. It sounds like a very nice item, but I'd be shocked if it went for more than $3,000. |
JasonB
Member Posts: 1091
From:
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 07-05-2016 09:13 PM
Just now seeing the pictures I would think realistic price would be about $2000 give or take a little. The personalizations, lack of a coherent theme in signatures, inability to see all signatures at once and missing Conrad will all affect the price greatly. |
neo1022
Member Posts: 281
From: Santa Monica, CA
Registered: Jun 2013
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posted 07-05-2016 09:23 PM
I tend to agree that the $15k evaluation is a fantasy figure. Something around $2k seems a more likely retail (read: auction) value on this item. As everyone has notes, this is a nice item. But as someone who collects signed space books, a few things detract from it's appeal (to me at least): - no coherence to the signatures (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and shuttle mixed together, as are U.S. and Russian);
- big personalization in the middle of the title page;
- overlapping signatures; and
- cancelled checks (which to my mind don't add any value to the book).
Of these, the lack of discrimination/coherence in the signatures is probably the biggest negative. I'd much prefer fewer signatures, as long as they were all from a single program (or at least limited to Mercury, Gemini and Apollo). |
SpaceyInMN
Member Posts: 355
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013
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posted 07-05-2016 10:46 PM
I can't comment on the value, as I have no idea. As a not-so-picky autograph collector, all I can tell you is that I'd love to have an item like that in my collection. Personalizations and mixed Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, shuttle, and Russian signatures alike, it's all good to me. Very impressive! Best of luck with your potential future sale! |
robert barrett
Member Posts: 77
From: lebanon, ohio, usa
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 07-06-2016 01:14 PM
Thanks to everyone for the opinions. We agreed to a price of $500. I then took my friend and our wives out for dinner with me taking care of the bill and tip. The book has a new home with a younger person since I will be 78 years old in July. |
neo1022
Member Posts: 281
From: Santa Monica, CA
Registered: Jun 2013
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posted 07-06-2016 01:22 PM
That's a great price for such a cool item! I'm sure your friend in very pleased! |
SpaceyInMN
Member Posts: 355
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013
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posted 07-06-2016 05:12 PM
$500?!?! I wish I was your friend! Seriously, though, great deal for your friend, you got some "pocket change" for it, and hopefully, it will be passed on at another reasonable price to a future collector.Awesome deal all around, in my opinion. |
Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 07-07-2016 01:17 PM
Agreed, wish I had friends like you... |
lspooz
Member Posts: 384
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Aug 2012
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posted 07-07-2016 03:42 PM
Sounds like a great decision - enough money for a younger space enthusiast to make a serious commitment, yet still preserve friendship, and both sides sound happy. Also sets a great precedent that with significant artifacts one may be more a custodian than a collector. |
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