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Author
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Topic: Antiques Roadshow: NAA Apollo CSM artifacts
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-27-2017 12:00 AM
   
collectSPACE Apollo 11 spacecraft tags land on Antiques Roadshow for appraisalOnly a few days after the Smithsonian's announcement of a national tour for Columbia, the historic spacecraft that flew the first men to walk on the moon, two notable artifacts from the Apollo 11 command module have turned up at a different type of roadshow. On the next new episode of Antiques Roadshow, airing on PBS on Monday night (Feb. 27), an engineer who worked on Columbia before and after its 1969 journey to the moon shares his collection. 
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Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 02-27-2017 07:26 PM
The appraisal for the jacket was $3000 to $5000. The model with the astronaut signatures was $20,000 to $30,000. The "Rescue" and assembly part tag was appraised at $30,000 to $50,000! Total, as a lot, $53,000 to $85,000!
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SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-27-2017 08:16 PM
Bit of an undershoot on the decals. |
Gilbert
Member Posts: 1328
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 02-28-2017 07:24 AM
The owner seemed a little surprised at how much the items appraised for. Surely he knew they were very valuable and desirable. |
space1
Member Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 02-28-2017 08:51 AM
You forget that this was "every day" for him. He kept these as mementos of his work and not as an avid space collector. Also, in the online follow up where the additional photos are discussed, he says he had thought the jacket was worth about $100 and that it was all together worth maybe $1,000. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-28-2017 08:53 AM
He also said on the show that he is planning to pass down these items to his niece, so he may not have been thinking about their value until now. |
bklyn55
Member Posts: 361
From: Milford, CT
Registered: Dec 2014
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posted 02-28-2017 09:35 AM
Where do I sign up as a "niece"? |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-28-2017 09:51 AM
Or the revelation of the value may have subsequently incentivized a different divestment strategy. |
SaturnV
Member Posts: 24
From: Fowler, Ohio, USA
Registered: Sep 2013
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posted 02-28-2017 03:20 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Wehaveliftoff:
I hope he sells it to the highest bidder and makes a bundle off of it. Don't see anyone but an institution purchasing it either.
I agree. If it wasn't for this guy preserving it I am quite sure there would be a thread on this forum as to "Where is the rescue decal from Apollo 11?" And I'm sure the answer would be that it was scrapped at NAA after the flight. I wish this owner worked for NASA itself, maybe then we would have the original Apollo 11 slow-scan moon walk tapes instead of them being degaussed and used over! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-28-2017 03:58 PM
The tapes were primarily reused because of budgetary constraints, but also because the engineers at the time believed that all of the information that could be gleamed from them had been archived. They didn't imagine a future where the tapes could still be of value.Similarly, by this engineer's own description, NAA removed the thermal tape and markings from the capsule because they believed they were "making it pretty." They didn't imagine a scenario where subjective aesthetics would be less important than preservation. In both cases, they were limited by their frame of reference. It doesn't mean they acted improperly, but it also doesn't mean their actions were the best for history. |
space1
Member Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 02-28-2017 04:17 PM
Part of the postflight procedures for Apollo was the removal of all thermal tape. It may have been to prevent it from shedding off later. At any rate, its removal was part of standard procedure. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-28-2017 04:24 PM
Even so, that procedure was not necessarily the best decision from a historical viewpoint. There are multiple examples, from "dry cleaning" the Apollo 11 spacesuits to permitting the command module control handles to be removed as mementos, which are rightly questioned today but were accepted practices at the time. |
Mike Dixon
Member Posts: 1397
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2003
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posted 02-28-2017 04:45 PM
Quite so Rob. Very much like the use of Scott's moon worn suit for Cernan's earth training. What were they thinking? Never got an answer why his backup suit wasn't used.Still, I'm very much into preservation of anything, even at my level. |
capoetc
Member Posts: 2169
From: McKinney TX (USA)
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 02-28-2017 06:34 PM
I thought the prices for the jacket and the model were too high, although I would have liked to see the model up close. The model looked like several of the signatures may have been traced over, and if so it was ikely because they were fading badly.I agree that the decals may have been under-valued. |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 02-28-2017 09:16 PM
I hope his niece will understand the gravity of her inheritance. |
Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 03-01-2017 03:01 AM
I suspect she will understand the "gravity" of her inheritance well enough to put them in to a specialist auction at the first opportunity.That is not a criticism of the young lady: unless she has a burning passion for the Apollo space program it is a perfectly understandable reality. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-01-2017 03:16 AM
That has already occurred - stay tuned.Also Rob's article has been picked up by Popular Mechanics. |
Joel Katzowitz
Member Posts: 808
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 03-01-2017 07:31 AM
What sort of "space geek" credentials does the gentleman who appraised the items have? I'm just curious, is he known in the community? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-01-2017 07:40 AM
Matthew Quinn owns Quinn's Auction Galleries: He and his brother, David, have grown Quinn's into one of our nation's capital's finest auction houses serving the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. In 2004, Matthew was instrumental in the acquisition of rare book, map, print, and autograph auction company Waverly Auctions, which was brought under Quinn's umbrella and continues to thrive today. Quinn's (Waverly) sold the collections of the late Richard Jackson (Mercury-Atlas telemetry technician), Fred Durant (assistant director for astronautics at the National Air and Space Museum) and more recently, the remaining inventory of Boggs SpaceBooks. Those auctions were primarily books and artwork, but did include some artifacts, too. |
PeterO
Member Posts: 399
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 03-01-2017 08:45 AM
quote:
Originally posted by SpaceAholic:
Also Rob's article has been picked up by Popular Mechanics.
Obviously the Popular Mechanics author isn't a space geek — the post-landing CSM photo is captioned "The Columbia Space Module, the only portion of Apollo 11 to return home." |
dogcrew5369
Member Posts: 750
From: Statesville, NC
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 03-01-2017 08:57 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn:
...to put them in to a specialist auction at the first opportunity.
My hope is she may put the items in an auction and hopefully a museum such as the National Air and Space Museum will acquire them. |
Glint
Member Posts: 1040
From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 03-01-2017 03:37 PM
Similarly, later on, when talking about recovery of the F-1 engines: "Ever since Jeff Bezos worked with conservators in 2013 to drag up key components of the module from the ocean floor..."Would that be the S-IC module?
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space1
Member Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 03-02-2017 08:09 AM
Regarding removal of the thermal coating, digging deeper I have found that it was removed for the purpose of inspecting the crew compartment heat shield. Similarly, a number of heat shield panels would have been removed for access to equipment. Any thermal tape around these panels would have to have been removed first. |
Solarplexus
Member Posts: 107
From: Norway
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 03-02-2017 11:45 AM
Antiques Roadshow video |
bklyn55
Member Posts: 361
From: Milford, CT
Registered: Dec 2014
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posted 03-17-2017 05:43 PM
The decal and ID tag are going on the upcoming (April 2017) RR auction. Decal estimate at $100,000 and ID tag estimate is $50,000.Editor's note: Please direct discussion of the sale to the auction's thread. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-17-2017 11:41 PM
Comparison of the National Air and Space Museum's recent image of the (replacement) ID tag installed onboard Columbia today (as posted in the previously referenced Columbia thread) with the original article. Replacement tag was applied slightly leftward of original positioning. 
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