posted 09-26-2004 07:13 PM               

I disagree with you. I would suggest you take the time to meet these gentlemen and discuss the matter of selling their collections with them, before you continue to make any comments concerning their motivations.

I have (spoken with them) and can share some of the revelations you will learn if you take the time:

First, you will find that the families sell the artifacts off faster than the original astronauts. Furthermore, the families can be less than accurate in the history and provenance of any artifact.

Second, the days of dealers marking up prices in the range of 50% to 100% are virually over. Why? The astronauts understand what the values are of these artifacts. The educated collector knows what the value of an artifact is also. The dealers are probably making 15% profit on artifacts at best. Study the sales trends in this hobby if you don't believe me.

Third, how does the selling of artifacts misrepresent the Manned Space Program? If you are going to use the comment that selling cheapens the grand designs of exploration, then I urge to you to study the history of exploration, especially in light of NASA and the US Postal Service flying and selling postal covers or the Russians selling spacecraft, artifacts and flying private material on the ISS.

The comment about Neil Armstrong in the rotation is incorrect. He was in the right time at the right place. It was assumed for a long time that Pete Conrad would wind up with the first landing. Neil is just not a social guy. According to several former astronauts, he never was all that social even before he landed on the moon.

Now I am not defending some events that some of the astronauts have participated in, but I think these guys have managed to balance their private and public lives with class and integrity.

By implication, you have painted the collector in the board brush of classless and irresponsible people. I, for one, resent the implication. I and others have gone to great lengths to take the artifacts purchased over the years and restore them and present them as items that were part in man’s greatest exploration.

Funny thing is when I, and other collectors, have offered to loan these artifacts to our local museums for display we have been met with lukewarm responses.

I would suggest reading some of the threads on this and other boards to learn more about this hobby. I wish you luck and happy studying.

------------------
Larry McGlynn
A Tribute to Apollo

posted 09-26-2004 07:41 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
This is a bit off-topic and has been well answered before, but for the sake of historical accuracy, the only people to blame for a lack of a photograph of Armstrong are the mission planners. It wasn't like NASA packed a camera on-board Apollo 11 and told the crew, "Now, you just snap off whatever you think we'd like to see.. have fun!"

---

I don't see that it is off topic particularly and these "Mission Planners" are a perfect example of the Principles involved. If you see flight rotation as the one and only reason Armstrong took the first step, you must consider Deke's book to be the Bible of Manned Spaceflight. Shepard went to the moon for a very good reason, as did Schmitt, although most insiders would not have given either of them a chance, according to flight rotation, after flights 18-20 were cancelled. Just my personal thoughts.

posted 09-26-2004 07:46 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by #204:
I don't see that it is off topic particularly and these "Mission Planners" are a perfect example of the Principles involved.

---

posted 09-26-2004 08:00 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Larry McGlynn:
#204,

By implication, you have painted the collector in the board brush of classless and irresponsible people. I, for one, resent the implication. I and others have gone to great lengths to take the artifacts purchased over the years and restore them and present them as items that were part in man’s greatest exploration.

---

You have inferred the above, I implied no such thing. I stated that most collectors collect because they like to collect, and I believe that to be true.
Re. Neil's assignment, flight rotation etc., see previous post. Pete Conrad would have been an excellent choice as well. So would have Borman, McDivitt, Young...
Relax pal, it's just a hobby. It's quite a delicate topic $$$ and it does stir up a lot of base emotions. I personally find the element of commercialism to be somewhat distasteful. Obviously you don't and that's fine. You are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. Let's roll & pitch.

posted 09-26-2004 08:08 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Let me clarify: this is off-topic to this thread - which is about the Aurora auction...

---

I see your point, although it struck me as a matter of interest after examining the Aurora inventory...Who is the lady(VICTORIA?)who is in charge of Aurora?

posted 09-26-2004 09:11 PM               

First, and the easiest reason, may be that they just want the money.

Second, I agree that some astronauts may feel that it ia easier to just pass the monetary value on to their children rather than the artifacts. It may be in fact that it is very difficult to decide who gets what and trying to make sure that everything is equally split up. On a further note, what would be the tax laws regarding an artifact. Would the children pay more inheritence tax if they got the checklist and then a further tax when they sold it, etc. It may be that by selling something like the cuff list, Scott may be able to give his children, grandchildren, etc. the money by distributing it out as 10K gift chunks (and therefore nontaxable).

Another reason may be that the astronauts have a ton of stuff like this and that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. It may be that some are just selling their "excess" memorabilia and keeping the rest in storage. I would agree that the cuff is pretty neat and rare, but some of these other artifacts are not. For example, Peachstate pushed to sell me a small portion of Duke's lunar maps. I was assured that it was "one of a kind" and that others from other missions definitely did NOT exist. I almost bought it, but fortunately something happened that caused me to loose all confidence in what was presented by Peachstate. Since then, I've seen quite a few of these maps from different missions. In fact, one is being sold by Cernan on astro-auction at this moment.

Another reason for auctioning something like the cuff may be that the astronaut is only trying to increase interest in their mission and therefore demand for their autograph (which I believe runs $150 a pop in Scott's case). Please, don't anyone get mad, but it could be that the astronaut really doesn't intend to sell and has put the reserve price so high that it won't sell. Sometimes, in putting such an object on auction, more interest is generated and the prices for the other objects generally rise with the increased interest as well.