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Author
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Topic: [Heritage] Images of Apollo (Sep 2021)
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 47078 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-08-2021 12:36 AM
collectSPACE Archivist's vintage 'Images of Apollo' photo prints land on auctionA private archivist known for unearthing rare images from the early years of human spaceflight is now selling a treasure trove of NASA prints representing some of the most iconic photos ever taken. J.L. Pickering has dedicated the past 50 years to researching the visual history of space exploration and, in the process, has amassed a collection of more than 150,000 photo prints. Heritage Auctions on Tuesday (Sept. 7) began accepting bids on a few hundred of Pickering's pieces, focusing on the "Images of Apollo." |
spacemc New Member Posts: 7 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Jul 2015
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posted 09-24-2021 06:04 PM
Congratulations to all of us who have amassed tons of flown Gemini-Apollo material, especially flown to the surface ones, unique ones and signed ones. If a red photo of Buzz on the moon is worth 125K, the rest of us should start buying private jets soon. |
hbw60 Member Posts: 221 From: Registered: Aug 2018
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posted 09-24-2021 06:30 PM
It's stunning to see how much some of these photos are worth. Every year, the red number photos seem to go higher and higher. Space has been in the news a lot this summer, and it seems like prices are reflecting that. I'm dreading what the prices are going to look like in next month's Heritage/RR auctions.A huge congratulations to Mr. Pickering on the final outcome! His archival work is a major service to space history, and he's helped me locate rare images on more than one occasion. So I'm very happy to see him reap a well-deserved reward for his work. |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4392 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 09-25-2021 04:40 AM
Personally, I don't get it. Whatever floats your boat: I appreciate the historic significance of period red serial number glossies. But I don't appreciate the yellowing degrading images that have few of the archival properties of a modern print.Kind of reminds me of the child's story about the kings clothes. Sooner or later somebody is going to pop up and shout... "these photos are rubbish"! |
spaced out Member Posts: 3174 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 09-29-2021 12:55 AM
Some crazy prices in there, but at the same time there's a few images in there that are truly rare. The shot that has Armstrong working by the LM is rare and sought-after, but the two shots of Aldrin in the LEM I don't think I've ever seen as vintage prints before. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 47078 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-29-2021 05:33 PM
Heritage Auctions release Iconic Moon Landing Image Rockets Past Previous Records in September SaleOriginal print of legendary "Visor" photo fetches $125,000 at Heritage Auctions Space Exploration event In the summer of 1969, NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing mission famously resulted in "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Now, more than 50 years later, an iconic photograph from the groundbreaking mission has experienced a giant leap of its own. On Sept. 24, during Heritage Auctions' Images of Apollo: The J.L. Pickering Collection Signature Auction, the legendary image known simply as "Visor" landed a winning bid of $125,000 — a record-breaking price for a vintage print of the history-making photograph and possibly a record for any 8x10 NASA photo. "The bidding for this photo was unforeseen," says Brad Palmer, consignment director/cataloger for Heritage's Space Exploration department. "We can't find anything close to it. These prints are becoming more and more coveted among collectors." Part of space historian J.L. Pickering's personal collection, the original chromogenic print features Buzz Aldrin standing full length on the moon with photographer Neil Armstrong's reflection visible in his visor. The color image bears a "red number" AS11-40-5903 signifying that it's from the photo's original printing back in 1969. As iconic as it is, it was this print's pristine condition, however, that drove what Palmer calls "frenzied" bidding at the September sale. "It's one of the sharpest ones we've ever seen," he says. "All these photos came out directly after the mission, so they're 50 years old, and they get faded over time. This one is still super, super sharp. If they're exposed to any light for a long period of time, they're going to yellow. This didn't look like it had seen much light at all." Considered one of the foremost historians of space travel and exploration, Pickering has been collecting historic NASA images for more than 40 years. And, along with "Visor," the other 300-plus featured lots from his treasure trove realized $714,871 — which means some other space-loving collectors can now enjoy the fruits of Pickering's personal decades-long mission. |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3369 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 09-29-2021 05:47 PM
quote: Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: But I don't appreciate the yellowing degrading images that have few of the archival properties of a modern print...
A fair point. What is more important? An old, yellowing, low-contrast image, or a modern, colour-corrected, high-contrast copy? Depends on what you want. I have dozens of old original B&W NASA glossy photos (with those bluish-ink descriptions on the back). They don't suffer from the colour-fading problem, and they look as good (or as mediocre) as they did 50 years ago. But they don't show the details that many sources can now display. Compare some of the old prints from the late 60s/early 70s with the newly scanned images in books like "Full Moon." There is no comparison! I can download some B&W EVA images from Apollo 12 which were over-exposed and use my computer to adjust the contrast, etc, to produce very significantly improved images which reveal details that simply weren't visible in those vintage prints. I do get it that original prints have historical value, but if the important thing is to see what the astronauts saw, modern prints are very significantly better. I run the risk of being accused of double-standards, because I am on record as singing the praises of original documents like original Apollo Flight Plans. They are generally a little yellow, perhaps with some tarnishing (or even rust) on the staples, and they may smell of the former owners' cigarette smoke! But, unlike old photos, 50-year-old Final Flight Plans, while bearing signs of age, are clearly legible and (if stored reasonably) are as good a source of information today as they were 50 years ago. (How are the prices looking on those Apollo B&W photos with blue text?) | |
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