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Author
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Topic: Mach 25 original patch market value?
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Gonzo
Member Posts: 598
From: Holland, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 03-14-2021 02:40 PM
   
Hey all, it's been a very long time since I've been on here. Too long, but someone was asking me about my patch, which made me wonder it's relative value today. Years ago* (10?), if an original Mach 25 patch came up for sale, it would fetch $400 to $500. What is the relative value today? It is an original that came from NASA, not a reproduction. I got it in 1991, if memory serves. And yes, it has been verified original. I'm just curious of the relative value today. |
MajTom7
Member Posts: 78
From: Cocoa, FL USA
Registered: Aug 2011
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posted 03-14-2021 03:18 PM
I paid roughly $110 back in July 2019 for an AB Emblem patch that came from a NASA run. (That run is mentioned under Current status of Mach 25 patches under Patches & Pins.) |
sts205cdr
Member Posts: 688
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Jun 2001
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posted 03-14-2021 11:21 PM
That's about what I would pay. |
usafspace
Member Posts: 157
From: Los Angeles, CA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-16-2021 01:36 PM
$129.29 with free shipping is what I paid. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 45842
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-16-2021 02:32 PM
In January 2021 and September 2020, Mach 25 patches from Jerry Ross' collection sold for $500 and $800, respectively, at Lunar Legacies. In May 2019, Heritage Auctions sold another patch from Ross' collection for $575.A patch from John Fabian's collection sold for $500 in September 2019. Shannon Lucid's Mach 25 patch from STS-51G sold for $700 in June 2019. Both sales were by Lunar Legacies. |
usafspace
Member Posts: 157
From: Los Angeles, CA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-16-2021 03:26 PM
Robert as you know, put an astronaut's or famous collector's name on an item, and the valuation increases. There are many people in the NASA "loop" that have access to the exact same items for a fraction of the price. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 45842
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-16-2021 03:36 PM
The question posted above was about the value of an "original Mach 25 patch," not a reproduction, even if it was made by the same company as the originals. The Mach 25 patch is an achievement award, so the only original patches are those that were presented to and owned by the astronauts. The only exception would be a patch somehow obtained from the Astronaut Office's supply, but then provenance would be needed to establish such. |
usafspace
Member Posts: 157
From: Los Angeles, CA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-16-2021 04:26 PM
Of course, the reference was for an authentic/original Mach-25 patch. But the patches in question that collectors purchased from the various auctions did not come with any documentation from NASA! You received an invoice from the auction, maybe. Not from the "award" winner, NASA or from AB Emblem. So how is a collector going to prove that the Mach 25 patch in their possession is truly legit? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 45842
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-16-2021 04:34 PM
All of the Mach 25 patch auction results I posted included with the lot a letter from the astronaut recipient. If you do not have the provenance to go along with the patch, then it may be possible to compare the stitching (if it is a vintage example), but otherwise the value without documentation is not indicative of a what fully-certified original Match 25 patch is worth today. |
usafspace
Member Posts: 157
From: Los Angeles, CA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-16-2021 05:27 PM
This leads to my main question. I am in possession of a couple of Mach 25 patches from the same run as the one that Doug Hurley was wearing during the Crew-1 launch broadcast. Are they less valuable than the other Mach 25 patches sold at auction (with a letter)? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 45842
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-16-2021 05:58 PM
Yes, they are worth less (though not worthless), for a few reasons: - They aren't from the original run of Mach 25 patches dating back to the beginning of the space shuttle program. Vintage, early 1980's patches presented to the astronauts of that era are the true originals and are always going to be more valuable than all others.
- Yours were not presented to an astronaut; they were not earned, they were extras sold by AB Emblem. They are, at best, "souvenir" versions. Just as there are other NASA awards that are replicas or otherwise never presented, they are not as valuable as those that were formally bestowed.
- As a component of no. 2, any patch from the collection of an astronaut will always be more valuable than an identical example that did not.
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usafspace
Member Posts: 157
From: Los Angeles, CA USA
Registered: May 2006
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posted 03-16-2021 07:32 PM
Robert, thank you! You have always been a wealth of information, thank you! You are also a pretty damn good writer. Please keep it going... You know what? They are authentic AB Emblem cool patches... and I like them! That's what collecting is all about. |
David C
Member Posts: 1244
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 03-17-2021 02:38 AM
quote:
Originally posted by usafspace:
But the patches in question that collectors purchased from the various auctions did not come with any documentation from NASA!
I purchased one of John Fabian’s Mach 25 patches at auction and can confirm that, as stated previously by Robert, it was accompanied by a letter of attestation. The bad news is that I subsequently moved house, and the aforementioned patch is currently missing. Not very happy. |
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