posted 02-23-2008 05:58 PM               

I remember one Czechoslovakian flag anecdote from years ago that I never was able to confirm and the cover issue on this site from last year, but I never heard of any issue regarding the flown artifacts from the Irwin collection, especially the patches.

Do you know of any other issues with the collection?

Larry McGlynn

posted 02-24-2008 01:08 AM               

And I remember the PPK coming from Mary Irwin discussed a few times on collectSPACE as well that apparently is not flown (that I once bought and had to return after research confirmed it's not flown).

Bottom line - and that is my own personal opinion - I personally wouldn't touch anything coming from Mary Irwin unless a few issues are cleared.

posted 02-24-2008 07:58 AM               

I tend to agree with you about family members attempting to confirm what is flown after an astronaut's passing. It is always better if the astronaut provided a COA for flown artifacts in their collection.

Provenance is so key in these matters and will become even more important in the future.

But I also think the auction house is responsible for reviewing each lot and its history. Swann does a pretty good job on that count.

In terms of artifacts, Apollo 15 has always been an enigma anyway, but I leave it to the auction house to provide protection in the form of research and refund on any artifact sold at auction.

posted 02-24-2008 11:23 AM               

Cheers,
Matt

*On the plus side after doing the research I realized that I am now the proud owner of the outer layer of a lunar surface flag kit - not the memento flags, but the kind you stick in the lunar soil and salute UNflown, I hasten to add.

posted 02-24-2008 11:39 AM               

I am specifically referring to Swann and Heritage in terms of fact checking their material.

Aurora and Superior were never ones to ask a consignor for proof of provenance.

And I agree for this type of money (five figures), then provenance based upon good fact checking is required.

The problem is throwing out a barb about an entire collection based on one or two items. While the passing of an astronaut does lower the value of his collection, if not properly certified, it should not cast a complete pall over the entire collection.

posted 03-27-2008 10:20 AM               

quote:

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Outstanding Selection Of Flown Artifacts In Swann Galleries' Sixth Annual Space Exploration Auction On April 17

On Thursday, April 17 Swann Galleries will conduct their sixth annual auction of Space Exploration, which offers artifacts, emblems, medallions, books, charts and maps, postal covers, photographs, autographs, posters and more. The sale was organized by expert Gregg Linebaugh, who has assembled material from the collections of astronauts including Fred Haise, Paul Weitz, and the estate of James Irwin.

The auction contains many flown items from various missions, and, as always, the most valued material comes from Apollo 11, the first to land a man on the moon. Flown Apollo 11 highlights include a Flight Plan sheet with mission notes recorded by Neil Armstrong, with a Typed Letter Signed by Buzz Aldrin describing the last day of the flight; a Lunar Surface Checklist sheet, listing activity just after the historic landing on the moon, with a TLS by Aldrin (each has an estimate of $15,000, $18,000); and a Lunar Module G and N Dictionary sheet, used by Aldrin and Armstrong to update the LM Guidance Computer to new flight event times ($5,000 to $7,000).

Also related to Apollo 11 are a Landing Site Chart, inscribed and signed by Aldrin, who also marked the exact touchdown point with an "X" ($2,000 to $2,500); and a signed official NASA color lithograph portrait of Armstrong ($2,000 to $3,000). Another desirable item signed by Armstrong is a black-and-white photograph of the X-15 rocket plane signed boldly by X-15 pilots Armstrong and Scott Crossfield, Bill Dana, Joe Engle, William Knight, Milt Thompson and Bob White ($1,500 to $2,000).

There are many flown items from Apollo 13, the troubled mission that barely escaped disaster, from the collection of Fred Haise. These include a four-by- six inch United States flag taken to the moon, signed and inscribed by Haise ($7,000 to $9,000); a Lunar Module Contingency Checklist sheet, used extensively by James Lovell and Haise during the emergency conditions on the mission ($4,000 to $5,000); and a Systems Data Book sheet containing a schematic of the Reaction Control System Signal Flow, with a Typed Letter Signed by Haise explaining what is illustrated in the schematic ($3,500 to $4,500).

There are some exceptional items from Apollo 15, such as a Flown Lunar Surface Crew Emblem and Name Tag reading "J. Irwin," taken from Jim Irwin's Intravehicular Activity flight coverall jacket. Both the emblem and tag were cut from the jacket by Irwin just prior to returning from the lunar surface after a 67-hour stay, with a Typed Letter Signed from Mrs. Irwin providing additional details ($20,000 to $25,000); the actual Cutting Instrument Irwin used to remove his name tag and emblem, which was used for a variety of functions on the flight including opening meal bags and pouches ($15,000 to $20,000); and an ink pen taken to the lunar surface and used by Irwin to log data and information on flight documents while on the moon ($4,000 to $6,000).

The Gemini missions are also represented in the sale. There is a Flown Gemini 5 Medallion, carried on the flight by Commander Gordon Cooper ($2,000 to $3,000); a Flown Gemini 6 Cloth Emblem carried on the first manned rendezvous mission, with a Typed Letter Signed by Wally Schirra ($4,000 to $5,000); and a Flown Gemini XI Medallion carried by Mission Commander Charles Conrad ($2,000 to $3,000).

There is a run of material from the collection of Anatole Forostenko, chief Russian language instructor for the astronauts involved with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, including an extremely rare Flown Apollo Soyuz Cloth Emblem with Tom Stafford's initials, "TPS," one of a very limited number of these patches ($3,500 to $4,500); and a Flown ASTP Star Chart with the exact celestial positions of key stars for the Command Service Module navigational equipment realignment prior to deorbit, signed and presented to Forostenko by Apollo Commander Stafford ($3,000 to $4,000).

Other items related to the Soviet space program include a color photograph signed by the first 11 Soviet cosmonauts posing in uniform ($3,000 to $4,000); and a pair of Flown Soyuz TM14 SOKOL Pressure Suit Gloves worn by Alexander Yurievich Kaleri ($2,500 to $3,500).

An assortment of postal covers includes individual and group lots. A highlight is a Flown ASTP postal cover signed by Tom Stafford, Vance Brand, D.K. Slayton, Aleksei Leonov and Valery Kubasov, one of only 25 carried on Soyuz ($4,000 to $5,000).

More recent are many signed lithographs and photographs from various shuttle flights, such as a signed color lithograph image of the 35 Shuttle Astronauts of 1978 ($2,000 to $2,500); a color photographs of the STS 3 landing signed by over 65 Shuttle Astronauts, 1982 ($2,000 to $3,000); and a signed photograph of 21 of the astronaut candidates selected in 1994 ($1,000 to $1,500).

Also featured are items from the second part of the Ed Rees collection -- a microcosm of the Space Race, with models, autographs and flown items from the 1960s; photographs, blueprints and manuscript material related to early rocketry from the estate of Hans Hosenthien of "Operation Paperclip," late 1940s-1960s; and a selection of posters and pop culture items.

The auction will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17.

The items will be on public exhibition Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, April 14 through Wednesday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Thursday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to noon.

An illustrated catalogue is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, and may be viewed online at swanngalleries.com.

For further information, and to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please contact George Lowry at (212) 254-4710, extension 303, or via email at glowry@swanngalleries.com

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posted 03-29-2008 12:45 AM               

Looks like 214 Monogram missles kit has the wrong photo of a Topping LM.

Sure wish that Swann would add a Search feature. The text list doesn't have all the info so it is hard to quickly find specific items without reading the details of every item - and then making notes for future reference.

- mike

posted 03-29-2008 07:10 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by mikeh:
Sure wish that Swann would add a Search feature.

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Thanks

posted 03-30-2008 02:52 PM               

Lots #11 and #12 from the Hosenthien collection that are illustrated contain autopens of Wernher von Braun on the certificate and letter. Both are not genuine as noted in each lot description.

posted 03-30-2008 07:32 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
Not all of Swann's space lots are illustrated in their current auction catalog, but there is an error concerning two of their depicted lots.

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posted 03-30-2008 10:52 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by mmmoo:
...there is a search feature on the Swann site

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posted 04-17-2008 10:48 PM               

The catalog's cover lot, Irwin's lunar surface IVA patch and nametag (lot 152) sold for $12,000.

posted 04-18-2008 12:37 AM               

I also got -- without the benefit of pictures - a circular calculator for the shuttle's center of gravity. I have a small collection of slide rulers and circular calculators.

-=+=-

I experienced a few problems with Ebay Live, though, including a potentially disastrous lapse of client-and-server synchronisation, where the Bid button changed value and the most recent bid showed up on the bidding console mere microseconds before I clicked, resulting in an effective bid hundreds of dollars higher than intented. Any other similar experiences out there?

posted 04-18-2008 02:09 AM               

148 - Apollo 14 flown safety line card went for $398 (inc fees) which is a bargain. It was only on screen for a few seconds. I tried to bid when I saw that it was ending at that price level but it disappeared in an instant.

I thought Irwin's surface-flown space pen at just under $4000 was a good buy (congrats Chris!).

François - congrats on your first flown flag. The price you paid was about right for that particular presentation and it's definitely a nice item. Careful though, collecting flown flags can be seriously addictive...

posted 04-18-2008 03:37 AM               

I won Lot 356 which included a Mike Adams signed card for $250!!! And the little noticed (because of its position in the auction) Ap11 poster signed by Armstrong for $900 - Lot 399.

posted 04-18-2008 04:26 AM               

I also got lot 197 for only $130 + BP, which included signed NASA lithos of Bean, Scott, Aldrin, and Irwin. And the Scott and Bean are inscribed. I needed the ones of Bean and Scott on the moon for my personal collection and will unload the other two.

The high dollar items sold well, but there were some deals to be had on the lower end.

posted 04-18-2008 10:12 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Anyone know what happened with Lot 71 (the signed index cards)? Was it that the reserve wasn't met?

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What is the general consensus on the Armstrong signed items: lots 115-120?

posted 04-18-2008 07:11 PM               

I saw many of the same faces that I see every year. It was like old home week.

The only thing that could have improved it was the sale of some really nice ASTP pieces and more movement of the shuttle pieces. Everything seemed to move until after the Skylab material, then the floor emptied out and the internet took over. It is interesting to listen to the comments about the speed of the lots on the web, because waiting for the web bids while sitting on the floor was so long. This auction could have been over an hour earlier if it wasn't for the web bids. Still the web is here to stay, since at least 25% of the winning bids came from the web. It was the same at Heritage this year too.

There were no astronauts here this year, but this is a no frills set up. Swann is professional does the job and wraps up quickly. I had my invoice last night.

I got what I wanted and then some. I was able to pick the A15 scissors and a few odds and ends.

Then I had dinner with Gregg, Dr. Forstenco and his wife in town. He was the Russian instructor for the ASTP crews prior to the mission. He, himself, is a very interesting gentleman having survived the German occupation of his lands and winding up in a children's slave camp in Hamburg during the around the clock bombing by the Allies towards the end of the war. Dr. Forstenco came to the United States in 1949.

Then it was a night's sleep and I drove out of town as the sun was coming up.

posted 04-25-2008 02:18 PM               

quote:

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Preliminary results of Sale 2142, April 17, 2008: Space Exploration

Sale total: $333,193 with Buyer's Premium
Hammer total: $276,515
Estimates for sale as a whole: $355,275 - $471,750
We offered 418 lots; 312 sold (25% buy-in rate by lot)

Top lots, Prices with buyer's premium

• 106 Flown Apollo 11 Flight Plan sheet with mission notes recorded by Neil Armstrong, with a Typed Letter Signed by Buzz Aldrin describing the last day of the flight, $16,800
  
• 226 Lunar Rover High Gain Antenna that would transmit and receive signals for the Rover's Lunar Communications Relay Unit, $16,800
  
• 107 Flown Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Checklist sheet, listing activity just after the historic landing on the moon, with a TLS by Aldrin, $14,400
  
• 152 Flown Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Crew Emblem and Name Tag reading "J. Irwin," taken from Jim Irwin's Intravehicular Activity flight coverall jacket, $14,400
  
• 151 Flown unauthorized Apollo 15 Postal Cover, taken to the moon's surface, and signed by Al Worden, David Scott and James Irwin, $12,000
  
• 93 Lunar Landing Mission Profile, an 85-step diagram illustrating key steps involved in an Apollo lunar landing mission, signed by a member of every Apollo lunar landing mission, $10,800
  
• 153 Flown Cutting Instrument taken to the lunar surface by Jim Irwin, used for a variety of functions on the flight including opening meal bags and pouches, $10,800
  
• 158 Flown Apollo 15 Robbins Medallion, with a Typed Letter Signed by Mrs. Irwin, $10,800
  
• 235 Flown ASTP postal cover signed by Tom Stafford, Vance Brand, D.K. Slayton, Aleksei Leonov and Valery Kubasov, one of only 25 carried on Soyuz, $9,800
  
• 135 Flown Apollo 13 four-by-six inch United States flag taken to the moon, signed and inscribed by Fred Haise, $9,000
  
• 177 Flown Apollo 12 Robbins Medallion, with a TLS by Mrs. Irwin, $7,350
  
• 57 Flown Gemini 6 Cloth Emblem carried on the first manned rendezvous mission, with a TLS by Wally Schirra, $6,480
  
• 138 Flown Apollo Beta Emblem, signed by Fred Haise, $6,480
  
• 108 Lunar Module G and N Dictionary sheet, signed and inscribed by Buzz Aldrin, $6,370
  
• 178 Flown Apollo 14 Robbins Medallion, with a TLS by Mrs. Irwin,$5,280
  
• 243 Flown Apollo Soyuz Cloth Emblem with Tom Stafford's initials, "TPS," one of a very limited number, $4,320
  
• 353 X-15 rocket plane b/w photograph signed boldly by X-15 pilots Neil Armstrong, Scott Crossfield, Bill Dana, Joe Engle, William Knight, Milt Thompson and Bob White, $4,320
  
• 95 Apollo 1 Service Module Thruster Covers, removed from the service module after the spacecraft fire, $4,080
  
• 154 Flown Apollo 15 ink pen taken to the lunar surface and used by Jim Irwin to log data and information, $3,920
  
• 118 Apollo 11 Mission Report, eight-page booklet signed by Neil Armstrong, $3,600

George Lowry, Swann Galleries Chairman and Autographs Specialist, said, "All of the top 20 lots were purchased by collectors -- including many who were bidding by phone and Internet from overseas. We are pleased with the sale's results, and look forward to next year's auction, which will concentrate on high-end material."

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