posted 03-08-2009 08:49 AM               

As for the NASA photos. Some have the blue or purple press release on the back, and some don't. Is there a difference of where the picture came from. Some of the early pictures without the press release have the A Kodak Paper marking on the back. But, for the Apollo 12, they have a GAF marking. I know they are all from the time period of early Apollo to Apollo 12, because of the collection they came from.

Also, I have three things that I am hoping someone could tell me about them.

One is a Flag on the Beta Material. The material is about 7x8 inches, with the flag about 4x6.25 inches.

The other is the NASA Logo on the Beta Material. It is about 6x7, with the NASA logo about 3 inches or so in diameter.

The final appears to me to be a swatch of a space suit that has 14 different layers. Most of the layers are silver foil with the top being beta cloth. It is about 3x5.5.

Any information for a rookie would be appreciated.

posted 03-08-2009 03:28 PM               

Beta cloth emblems like the ones you have are quite collectible. The US flag was distributed in quite large quantities but remains very popular. An example in good condition rarely sells for less than $40. Nasa meatball logos are not as common and probably worth at least a similar amount.

The spacesuit sample is an interesting piece and definitely collectible. I'll leave it to a spacesuit expert to tell you more.

Vintage photos can be pretty valuable these days but it depends on a lot of things.

Shots taken on the missions themselves are generally very sought-after. Color shots are worth more than b/w. A KODAK PAPER watermark dates the image and makes it valuable. The GAF watermark is similar but not so well known and may throw some buyers. Although press release text on the back is nice it doesn't necessarily boost the value of a print.

The most valuable pictures are those that are famous, or those that are simply impressive photographs (in terms of composition and imagery).

posted 03-09-2009 01:19 AM               

Thanks again, I really do appreciate the information.

posted 03-09-2009 02:06 AM               

The single line "A KODAK PAPER" watermark was produced between about 1965 and 1972, which makes NASA prints on this paper contemporary with the Gemini and Apollo missions. They can therefore be considered vintage.

This particular image is one of the most famous photographs of all time so a vintage NASA print of it is very collectible. A version with the image printed as a square in the center of the paper and with the NASA id imprinted in the upper border would probably be worth more but yours is still valuable.