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Author
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Topic: GSA: Gold flown in space for 5.7 years (Jan 2015)
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-14-2015 12:30 PM
   
collectSPACE Digging for space history in surplus sale of NASA goldA government surplus auction is selling a NASA space artifact that may be worth its weight in gold. That's because it is gold. "One lot consisting six 24KT gold plates weighing 6,015.5 grams," the General Services Administration (GSA) listed on its auction site. "These plates were reportedly flown in space for 69 months." As of Wednesday (Jan. 14), the gold plates had attracted six bids totaling more than $150,000. The auction ends in eight days on Jan. 22.  |
Chuckster01
Member Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-14-2015 03:40 PM
Is there any indication of what they flew on or what the gold was used for? Just curious as I could never afford that flown lot.  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-14-2015 03:42 PM
Yes, hence the article... |
Chuckster01
Member Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 01-14-2015 03:48 PM
Okay, just because the picture looked like LDEF I did the math and we can assume it was from LDEF. Any idea what it was used for? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-14-2015 03:59 PM
Did you click through and read the article? Not the auction, our article. It explains the reasons why it is thought to come from LDEF and if right, why the plates were flown. |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 01-14-2015 04:36 PM
You have to wonder who decides how best to dispose of items like this.At the very least they could sell the plates individually although they'd still be very expensive purchases. You would have thought though that such unique flown-in-space gold could be used by NASA to turn in to some kind of memorabilia - small gold coins or suchlike. That would maximise the return on the raw material as you could probably sell them for more than their gold spot price value and at the same time you'd publicize NASA and space research in general. What a missed opportunity.  |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-14-2015 06:11 PM
NASA has an entire process codified for identifying and disposing of artifacts. For the gold plates to have reached a surplus auction, they had to be first declared a non-artifact.After that, they transition to being treated like any other federal surplus, and once in the GSA's control, NASA no longer has any say over the sale. NASA itself cannot sell artifacts. The medallions it commissions (for example) are paid for by the space agency. If they are approved for sale to the public, the funds raised do not go back to NASA. I suspect with something like these gold plates, where the intrinsic value is so high, it would be difficult for NASA to justify giving it away for production of commemorative medallions (or other products) when the GSA can auction it and recuperate funds for the government. That all said, I agree with you Chris. I can think of many different projects that could benefit from this gold... |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-17-2015 02:06 PM
With still five days to go, the plates are now approaching the market value of their gold content ($240,000). The current high bid is $221,085. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-22-2015 09:14 PM
The gold plates sold today (Jan. 22) for $265,607. There were 20 bids placed.The plates' scrap gold value as of the same day was $251,365.64, thus they sold for a premium of $14,241.36. So, in fact, the plates were worth more than their weight in gold... |
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