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Author
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Topic: [Heritage] Armstrong collection (Nov 2018)
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Aztecdoug
Member Posts: 1405
From: Huntington Beach
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 11-02-2018 02:45 PM
   
quote:
Originally posted by capoetc:
Neil Armstrong WSS, framed by Novaspace with a 4" Apollo 11 patch, just sold for $26,000 ($32,500 with buyer's premium).
Then an uninscribed Armstrong WSS Litho without the Novaspace framing sold for $8,437.50. I think that is quite a positive statement on the quality framing at Novaspace! |
Steve Zarelli
Member Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 11-02-2018 02:56 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Aztecdoug:
Buzz Aldrin signed First Selfie in Space... $30,000.
Only about 100 times more than the list price on other space dealer sites. LOLCongratulations to the consignors on the non-Armstrong material who lucked out and had their standard private signing items included in this auction. They hit Powerball. |
Jurvetson
Member Posts: 93
From: Los Altos an SF, CA, United States
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 11-02-2018 05:34 PM
Yeah, the Buzz signed photo (with no Armstrong connection) going for $30K is telling. Huge arbitrage opportunity for those of us who know about his list-price-per-word for these at Spacefest.  I got outbid on everything I bid on, with the exception of the LM triangular window. I have never seen one of those at auction before. Curious if anyone else has? |
rgarner
Member Posts: 1193
From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 11-02-2018 05:50 PM
I'm surprised you didn't have a go at the Scott Carpenter glove, Steve, it seemed like your kind of thing. I have never seen a window come up for sale before, but that doesn't mean to say one never has. |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-02-2018 05:55 PM
Steve, I have a feeling that you getting outbid on space items is one of the signs of the apocalypse.  I have to say I did think of you when I saw that window — the kind of item that a space hardware enthusiast would appreciate but which might get overlooked by someone willing to bid 30k on a Buzz Aldrin SP. If you won that then congratulations are in order. |
holcombeyates
Member Posts: 243
From: UK
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 11-02-2018 07:09 PM
The big question has to be... who is bidding on the Garden Gnome (lot 52775)? |
DSeuss5490
Member Posts: 299
From: Columbus, Ohio USA
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 11-02-2018 07:35 PM
This auction is chock full of the mundane and just seems to go on and on and on. Only could the Neil Armstrong connection realize thousands for many items that probably came out of the kitchen junk drawer. I was prepared to break the bank to an extent, but I've given up on trying to get anything worthwhile from this to add to my collection. Though having met Armstrong on several occasions here in Ohio is certainly a satisfying consolation prize. |
Jurvetson
Member Posts: 93
From: Los Altos an SF, CA, United States
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 11-02-2018 09:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by spaced out:
If you won that then congratulations are in order.
Thanks! quote:
Originally posted by rgarner:
I'm surprised you didn't have a go at the Scott Carpenter glove...
Right you are. I was the underbidder on that; I got distracted by social media on the prior lot and missed the live bidding, so all I had was my proxy bid. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-02-2018 10:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by DSeuss5490:
This auction is chock full of the mundane...
Tonight I won what I thought to be the ultimate example of the mundane — the Pepsi Challenge button — and I bought it exactly for that reason. I just love that it has become a collectible because (and perhaps only because) it came out of the Armstrong household. |
YankeeClipper
Member Posts: 617
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 11-02-2018 11:34 PM
quote:
Originally posted by holcombeyates:
The big question has to be... who is bidding on the Garden Gnome (lot 52775)?
$525 for one fantastic plastic astronaut gnome... and some serious neighbourhood bragging rights! |
David C
Member Posts: 1015
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 11-03-2018 01:35 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Jurvetson:
Curious if anyone else has?
I hadn't. Congratulations, you beat me. My wife will be pleased.Won a couple of X-15 items. Happy to have got anything at all with some of the insane bidding. |
Interkomos
Member Posts: 19
From: Moscou
Registered: Oct 2018
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posted 11-03-2018 04:09 AM
475$ for an Apollo-Soyuz patch made by AB- Emblem! Wouldn't that be 100 her value?It's not Armstrong anymore, it's Midas. |
Solarplexus
Member Posts: 107
From: Norway
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 11-03-2018 09:28 AM
And there is probably a hundred more Apollo-Soyuz patches in a box on the Armstrong house attic. I guess there will be another Armstrong auction next year. |
jtheoret
Member Posts: 344
From: Albuquerque, NM USA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 11-03-2018 11:47 AM
Two more Armstrong auctions just for Heritage I believe. |
Greggy_D
Member Posts: 977
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 11-03-2018 11:55 AM
He certainly was the pack rat based on some of the older, everyday items that were on auction. |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 11-03-2018 12:31 PM
I was told the Armstrong family had about 3,000 items set aside for the Heritage auctions. I don't know for sure, but it looks like around 500 or so different lots
had already been sold, but I haven't done the math yet. |
Guswastheman
Member Posts: 85
From: Gresham, OR
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 11-03-2018 01:15 PM
So, what is the future for space collecting? Are the prices realized the new values or perceived values by new collectors and thus space collectors in general will have to adjust?Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to sell items for prices we have seen in the past three days? However that also means, the items we are all still searching for to add to our collections are going to cost more as well. With 2019 just around the corner, what are your thoughts on all of this? |
Aztecdoug
Member Posts: 1405
From: Huntington Beach
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 11-03-2018 01:34 PM
I found myself reflecting on all of the memories of meeting many of these people as the auction items flew by. A feeling of shock that so many passed so recently. It was almost a sense of disbelief thinking Alan Bean, Richard Gordon, Gene Cernan, etc. have left us. It was personal. I started to lose some of the wind in my sails as many of these people passed.My collection in many ways was a sense of contact I have had with these people. Perhaps this new breed of collectors have a different take on collecting these mementos? These may be people who didn't have the experiences many of us have had and they are trying to reach out and touch something that has passed by? Maybe this hobby is in transition? I don't know what value I am adding to this thread here, but this auction is something else. |
princetontiger
Member Posts: 12
From:
Registered: Nov 2012
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posted 11-03-2018 01:37 PM
As long as the economy does well, I think these prices are the new normal.Based on my knowledge of following the industry, the period between 2008 and 2014 was a low point in space history collecting. A lot of low prices compared to today. There was also a real loss of enthusiasm when the shuttles were retired in 2011. At the Orlando International Airport, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has a small gift shop. Since 2010, I have seen the 16x20 Buzz Aldrin frame gradually move from $1000 to $3000. In the past two years, the price jumped nearly 50%. Prices will move up even further after the 50th anniversary. The Apollo-era astronauts will all be dead soon, and having a piece of history is no different than owning mementos from James Cook's voyages. Cook's memorabilia and signatures command prices in the hundreds of thousands today, by the way. |
rgarner
Member Posts: 1193
From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 11-03-2018 03:26 PM
quote:
Originally posted by princetontiger:
As long as the economy does well, I think these prices are the new normal.
For this to be the new normal RR, Bonhams and Sotheby's would have to experience the same surge in prices realized. I think to state that this is the new normal is somewhat premature. |
jtheoret
Member Posts: 344
From: Albuquerque, NM USA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 11-03-2018 04:22 PM
This is not the new normal — there are simply far too many examples of the common items out there and the laws of supply and demand aren't going anywhere. Inexperienced people with lots of money saw this as the once in a lifetime opportunity to get something from Apollo 11. I suspect the prices for flown Apollo 11 memorabilia will only be higher as a consequence (in other words I won't be getting that mission Apollo 11 flown flag anytime soon) and Armstrong autographs may be inflated for a while — but this will only increase supply as people try to cash in and sell items from their collections. The lucky few who get items in the next primo auctions will undoubtedly do okay, but otherwise, try finding someone to pay even $100 for the exceedingly common items that were fetching thousands. |
Jurvetson
Member Posts: 93
From: Los Altos an SF, CA, United States
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 11-03-2018 05:22 PM
Having participated in three auctions in the past month, I'd say the future may have arrived, but it is not evenly distributed. In the October American Space Museum charity auction, I picked up the Gemini MOL hand controller for $15K and in the October RR auction, I got the Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin training-used moon rock box scoop for $75K (see here and here). So, a bit of mixed bag, in my opinion. It reminds me of a persistent price variation, from Sotheby's to Lunar Legacies. |
YankeeClipper
Member Posts: 617
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 11-03-2018 05:24 PM
At times, I thought I was watching the X-15 altimeter in "First Man" bounce off the atmosphere! |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-03-2018 06:29 PM
I would note that several of the Armstrong Robbins medallions went unsold and the prices fetched by the non-Armstrong Robbins medallions were generally solid but not exceptional.On the other hand pretty-much all the Fliteline results were well above previous levels. It will be interesting to see if this is a lasting effect or not. |
Chariot412
Member Posts: 156
From: Lockport, NY, 14094
Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 11-03-2018 08:19 PM
Astronomical bidding. Publilius Syrus: "Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it." |
benguttery
Member Posts: 547
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 11-04-2018 08:42 PM
I was originally a nay-sayer on the Armstrong encapsulation, but I now realize it is an important part of value. That is what turns the mundane into the moolah. |
Steve Zarelli
Member Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 11-05-2018 08:51 AM
Bear in mind that this auction was likely a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" scenario. The overall buzz of the auction drove the frenzy.As these items individually find their way back to the market in the coming years without the hype of the "big show," I do not think they will attain the same price levels. |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3110
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-05-2018 09:45 AM
Another quirky result in the auction: - Apollo 8 Earthrise signed by Borman (lot 52528) sold for $2,750.
- Apollo 8 Earthrise signed by Borman & Lovell (lot 52527) sold for $23,750!
Seems like someone's $300 investment in adding Lovell to that one was a good one. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-05-2018 01:15 PM
collectSPACE Neil Armstrong collection commands $5.2 million at auctionA bumper sticker from Wapakoneta, Ohio, advertising the city as the hometown of the "First Man to Step on the Moon" sold for $250. The vintage decal was one of the least expensive items to sell from the personal effects of astronaut Neil Armstrong at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, where the more than 700 lots that were offered as part of the Armstrong Family Collection brought in an astronomical $5.2 million in bids.  |
Tallpaul
Member Posts: 153
From: Rocky Point, NY, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 11-05-2018 02:43 PM
I wonder if a GT-8 patch will show up in one of the next Armstrong family auctions. |
Jeff
Member Posts: 474
From: Fayetteville, NC, USA
Registered: May 2009
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posted 11-07-2018 05:53 AM
I see the resale of Neil's artifacts has already begun on eBay (153249299997). Took longer than I thought it would. The seller also has a few other items listed with significant mark up. |
Tallpaul
Member Posts: 153
From: Rocky Point, NY, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 11-07-2018 09:25 AM
I love the hyperbole in the description of the pin. "It was personally owned and worn by Neil Armstrong." "It was gifted to Armstrong by the people of his hometown." Nice gift, a pin that probably sold for $.49 back in 1969. As we learned during the auction, items came from the Armstrong family, but not all of the items had a direct provenance to Neil Armstrong. Unless the LOA from Mark and Rick clearly states that their father wore this it could just be another Armstrong family item with no direct provenance to Neil Armstrong. |
rarmstrong
Member Posts: 17
From: Cincinnati, OH USA
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 11-07-2018 10:45 AM
The provenance letter just says the item came from the Armstrong Family Collection, they are not item-specific. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2476
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 11-09-2018 03:06 PM
While not part of the Neil Armstrong auction a leather-bound copy of "History of Rocketry and Space Travel" was sold and was the final item. $6,000, really? Any idea why folks? I have about a dozen of these and a few in the box. Why did this go so high? |
rgarner
Member Posts: 1193
From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 11-09-2018 03:21 PM
I expect that it was due to the buyer not being a space memorabilia collector and thus not knowing the true value and also that it "looks good" as a statement piece. Aesthetics make a big difference. |
hidaleeho
Member Posts: 57
From: Denver, Colorado, USA
Registered: Dec 2011
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posted 11-10-2018 10:13 AM
Considering the outrageous prices for things of little value, and buyer's remorse setting in, you have to wonder how many items will not be paid for... |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-10-2018 11:01 AM
I don't see any explicit evidence of buyer's remorse. Even before the auction began, it was fully expected that a few lots (at least) would be quickly listed for resale (as is a frequent occurrence with many high profile sales). I don't know the rate at which an auction house like Heritage has to deal with non-payers, but I would be surprised if there is any significant increase with this sale as compared to others. |
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