Posts: 68
From: Alexandria, VA
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 11-09-2016 12:12 PM               

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I have come across a fairly large collection of old photos from the Gemini through Apollo era. While most are standard mass-produced lithos of famous photos, some are official NASA business suit lithos. They are split between printed lithos and actual photos with blue stamping on the back.

Is there any collecting value to these photos? Any insight to this would be appreciated! Thanks!!

Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 11-09-2016 02:26 PM               

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As with most collectables, there is a value in most items. Lithographs, unless rare, have a small amount of value — a few cents to a few dollars. Photographs can very wildly from news/press release photographs for a few dollars to some of the red serial numbered photographs going for hundreds of dollars.

As with most things it is rarity that drives value.

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 11-09-2016 05:08 PM               

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Color portrait lithos, in excellent condition, will generally start around $3-5 each, and will increase in value depending on rarity and desirability. Also, it helps if the astronaut is still alive and does signings, since people will often buy them to obtain signatures.

A few of the WSS (white space suit) lithos can also be fairly rare. The John Young WSS portrait was pretty hard to come by and would sometimes fetch hundreds on its own... but I suspect value has dropped somewhat now that he doesn't do regular signings anymore.

Color photos with the red serial number are always collectible, especially if the condition is good and the color isn't terribly faded.

Unfortunately, black and white photos and lithos are often pretty low in desirability, unless the image is particularly unique or interesting. They only sell for a fraction of what the color images sell for.

Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003