posted 05-11-2020 12:10 PM               

Apollo 17-Flown Silver Robbins Medallion Once Owned by Last Moonwalker Could Bring $50K in Heritage Space Exploration Auction

Sale also features Neil Armstrong-signed Apollo 11 Flight Plan

One of approximately 80 Silver Robbins Medallions that flew on Apollo 17, which once belonged to the last man to walk on the moon, could bring $50,000 or more in Heritage Auctions' Space Exploration Auction June 5 in Dallas, Texas.

Apollo 17 Flown MS68 NGC Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 159, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Commander Gene Cernan, Initialed as Flown on Original Case and with Signed Letter of Certification (estimate: $50,000+) belonged to the commander of Apollo 17, who spent roughly 22 hours walking on the lunar surface.

"Anything that went on a lunar mission is in extremely high demand," Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "That this belonged to Gene Cernan is additionally significant, because there has not been a mission to the moon in nearly 48 years. This is a very significant piece of space exploration history."

Like Neil Armstrong, Cernan was a graduate of Purdue University, giving the school bragging rights for both the first and last man to walk on the moon.

Apollo 11: Deluxe Limited Edition (#5/11) Framed Presentation including a Flown American Flag, a Crew-Signed Insurance Cover, a White Spacesuit NASA Color Photo, and a Crew Patch by Texas Embroidery, all Directly From The Armstrong Family Collection™ and CAG Certified (estimate: $40,000+) is an assembled trove of prizes from the first mission to reach the moon, the fifth of just 11 such framed collections ever assembled. The assembly includes: [LIST][*]A 6-1/4-by-4-inch silk U.S. flag with red cotton border stitching that was carried to the moon and back aboard the Apollo Command Module Columbia, July 16-24, 1969. Mission-flown U.S. flags are always in demand by Space collectors but this one is particularly significant because it was preserved by the first man to step on the moon.

[*]A philatelic cover with the "Apollo 8" 6¢ stamp (Scott #1371) affixed, machine canceled July 20, 1969, the day Apollo 11 landed on the moon, at Houston, Texas, and signed by astronauts Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The color cachet features the text: "NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club/ Official Commemorative Cover/ First Manned Lunar Exploration" above a colorful moon scene. Apollo 11 was the first flight in which insurance covers were utilized.

[*]A 10-by-8-inch NASA litho print of Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin in their famous pose, in white space suits in front of an image of the moon.

[*]A very desirable 4-inch (diameter) merrowed edge embroidered patch as was issued only to NASA and the crew, the highest quality of all the Apollo 11 patch variations.[/LIST] Each item is individually certified, and the lot includes a Statement of Provenance signed by Armstrong's sons, Mark and Rick.

The Apollo 11: NASA "Final Apollo 11 Flight Plan AS-506 / CSM-107 / LM-5" July 1, 1969-dated Book Signed by Neil Armstrong to Los Angeles Times Aerospace Editor Marvin Miles, with Crew-Signed Lunar Surface Color Photo, in Framed Display (estimate: $40,000+) is quite simply one of the most important documents in the history of space exploration, the game plan for the first successful mission to the moon. The first man to step on the surface of the moon, Armstrong signed the flight plan in 1974 to Miles: "Best Wishes/ to Marvin Miles--/ Top Aerospace Writer/ & Fellow Aerospace Enthusiast/ Neil Armstrong/ Apollo 11." The flight plan is housed in a shadow box along with a 7-by-7-inch (sight size) color photo of Aldrin setting up an experiment on the lunar surface with the Lunar Module Eagle visible in the background. The photo is signed by all three crewmembers.

An Apollo 13-Flown American Flag on a Crew-Signed Certificate, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert, with Letter of Authenticity Signed by His Niece (estimate: $15,000+) is lightly mounted to a heavy 10-by-12-inch certificate with the following printed statement: "This flag was on board Apollo XIII during its flight and emergency return to Earth/ APOLLO XIII/ April 11-17, 1970/ Lowell – Swigert – Haise." Astronaut Lovell has signed this flag: "On board Apollo 13 Spacecraft/ James Lovell." Because Apollo 13 followed a free-return trajectory, its altitude over the far side of the moon was about 60 miles higher than any other Apollo mission, so no American flag ever has flown farther from the earth than this one.

Apollo 1 Crew-Signed Large Color Photo in Handsome Framed Display, with Full Letters of Authenticity from both Steve Zarelli and PSA/DNA (estimate: $12,000+) is a 13-1/4-by-10-1/2-inch color NASA photo of the crew scheduled to fly the first three-man American space mission. But astronauts Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, each of whom signed the image, died in a launchpad test fire in January 1967. One of the original "Mercury Seven," Grissom was the second American in space on MR-4 Liberty Bell, and later flew on the first Gemini mission. A member of the second NASA astronaut group, White flew on Gemini 4 and performed the first American spacewalk. Chaffee was in NASA's third group but lost his life before his first space mission. This is the finest signed Apollo 1 display piece ever offered by Heritage Auctions, and is accompanied by LOAs from Steve Zarelli (#190919-2107) and PSA/DNA (#AH02415).

Other top lots in the sale include, but are not limited to: [LIST][*]Apollo 16 Lunar Module-Flown American Flag Directly from the John W. Young Collection, with Letter of Certification (estimate: $10,000+)

[*]Mercury Seven: Original Group Photo and NASA's "Results of the First United States Manned Orbital Space Flight February 20, 1962" Book, Both Signed by All, Together in a Framed Display (estimate: $10,000+)

[*]Apollo 12-Flown (Certified on Case) Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 115, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Lunar Module Pilot Alan L Bean (estimate: $10,000+)

[*]Gemini 7-Flown MS65 NGC Silver-colored Fliteline Medallion Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Pilot James Lovell (estimate: $9,000+)

[*]Apollo 10-Flown MS66 NGC Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 89, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Command Module Pilot John Young (estimate: $9,000+)[/LIST]

posted 06-06-2020 04:53 PM               

I only bid on one item in this auction only to be outbid automatically by a higher bid multiple times before dropping out only to have the item offered back to me for $400 more than the hammer price the following day. I would have been better off not bidding at all and the offer to owner would have been considerably less.

posted 06-06-2020 10:55 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by SkyMan1958:
My understanding, and I may be wrong, is that the default on the Heritage website is if an item sells then the automatic listing for resale occurs, unless you ask them not to.

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posted 06-07-2020 06:47 AM               

• 185 of them are listed as "this item's owner is actively responding to to offers and will respond within 3 days"
  
• 4 items were "pending"
  
• 2 items listed as "this item's owner would consider the right offer but isn't actively participating and doesn't respond to most offers.

posted 06-09-2020 06:29 AM               

I was surprised that the three pieces off Apollo 8 laptop foil all sold for $4,000 each. Presumably given the consistent high price this was someone looking to break down and sell as smaller items? It seems to be close to a record price?

posted 06-12-2020 12:32 PM               

Silver Robbins Medallions Launch Heritage Space Exploration Auction Past $1.1 Million

World record set for medal flown on Apollo 10

A silver Robbins Medallion that once belonged to the last man ever to walk on the moon sold for $60,000 to lead Heritage Auctions' Space Exploration Auction to $1,108,271 June 5 in Dallas, Texas.

"There are few clubs that are exclusive as those who have walked on the surface of the moon," Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "Medals like this are prized mementos, and to have a Robbins Medallion from the last man to walk on the moon is a historically important artifact that can not be replicated."

An Apollo 17-Flown MS68 NGC Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 159, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Commander Gene Cernan brought $60,000 to lead the event. The 35mm sterling silver medal was one of approximately 80 flown aboard Apollo 17 Dec. 7-19, 1972, on the mission with a crew of Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmidt. A total of 300 were minted to commemorate the sixth and final lunar landing of the NASA program; that the offered lot came from the flight commander's personal collection only increases the demand. The medallion was accompanied by a signed Letter of Certification from Cernan.

Another silver Robbins Medallion from an earlier mission brought a similarly lofty return when an Apollo 10 Flown MS66 NGC Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 89, Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Command Module Pilot John Young finished at $55,000, shattering the previous record of $15,535 for a medal from the mission. The offered medallion was one of 300 flown to the moon May 18-6, 1969, aboard Apollo 10 with crewmembers Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan and John Young. They stayed with Young aboard the Command Module Charlie Brown while Stafford and Cernan flew the Lunar Module Snoopy to within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface on the last full-scale dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 landing. The medallion was accompanied by a handwritten Letter of Certification from Young on his personal letterhead stating, in full: " I hereby certify that this Apollo 10 Silver Robbins medal, #89, was flown aboard the Apollo 10 mission May 18, 1969 through May 26, 1969. I also acknowledge that this medal is from my personal collection and has been in my possession since the mission. John W. Young/ Apollo 10 Command Module Pilot."

An Apollo 11: NASA "Final Apollo 11 Flight Plan AS-506 / CSM-107 / LM-5" July 1, 1969-dated Book Signed by Neil Armstrong to Los Angeles Times Aerospace Editor Marvin Miles, with Crew-Signed Lunar Surface Color Photo, which brought $27,500, was signed by Armstrong and given to Miles, one of the nation's premier space journalists. The flight plan was the blue print for the most important space flight ever flown, the one that proved travel to the moon and back was possible. It became the model for future lunar flight plans; the value in this copy only increased with the signature of the man who forever will be known as the first to step on the surface of the moon. This 8-by-10-1/2-inch copy was signed in 1974 on the front cover in black ink: "Best Wishes/ to Marvin Miles--/ Top Aerospace Writer/ & Fellow Aerospace Enthusiast/ Neil Armstrong/ Apollo 11." This book is housed in a 20-by-15-inch matted shadow box that also includes a color photo of Buzz Aldrin on the moon, setting up an experiment with the Lunar Module Eagle visible in the background. The photo is signed: "Neil Armstrong," "Buzz Aldrin" and "M Collins."

More than a dozen collectors made bids for We Seven Book by The Astronauts Themselves Signed by the Mercury Seven, Apollo 1 Crew, Apollo 11 Crew and Numerous Others (Forty Total Signatures by Thirty-two Astronauts) until it closed at $25,000. The first edition, first printing is an extraordinary collection of important early NASA autographs. The volume features a full-length portrait of the Mercury Seven astronauts in their silver space suits, an image that has been signed by everyone pictured: Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, D K Slayton, and Scott Carpenter. Also included is a blank front endpaper is found an assortment of 31 more prominent autographs, including those belonging to Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Dick Gordon, John Glenn, Walter Cunningham, Ed White, Michael Collins, James Lovell, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Alan L. Bean. On the page following are taped-in verso-signed NASA business cards from D K Slayton and Walt Cunningham. In all, this book contains the full-crew signatures of all Mercury flights, Gemini 3, Gemini 5, Gemini 6A, Gemini 7, Gemini 8, Gemini 10, Gemini 11, Gemini 12, Apollo 1, Apollo 7, Apollo 11, Apollo 12, Apollo-Soyuz, and Skylab I (SL-2).

Mercury Seven: Original Group Photo and NASA's "Results of the First United States Manned Orbital Space Flight February 20, 1962" Book prompted 18 bidders before finding a new home at $23,750, more than doubling the pre-auction estimate. The lot included a black-and-white matte finish photo with the first seven astronauts chosen by NASA for its Man in Space project. The photo is matted alongside the book that gives the full details of John Glenn's historic MA-6 Friendship 7 flight; both the photo, which was one of a series taken at Langley Research Center, and the book are signed by Alan Shepard Jr, Walter M. Schirra Jr, John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. Grissom, M. Scott Carpenter, Donald K. Slayton and Leroy G. Cooper, Jr.

Other top lots included, but were not limited to:

• Wright Flyer Wing Fabric Segment Flown as Part of the First Successful Powered Controlled Flight in History at Kitty Hawk in 1903: $23,125

• Bruce McCandless II: His Owned and Worn Gold Flight Suit with Naval Captain Name Tag and Patches: $21,250

• Apollo 1 Crew-Signed Large Color Photo: $17,500

• Apollo 15 Flown Crew-Signed Limited Edition Apollo 12 Cover Originally from the Collection of Apollo 12 Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon: $13,750

• Apollo 16 Flown Heat Shield Plug in Lucite Directly from the John W. Young Collection: $13,750