posted 11-22-2024 02:17 PM               

Elite Collection of Space Memorabilia, Including Apollo 11-Flown American Flag, Touches Down at Heritage Auctions

Lots from astronaut Fred Haise and Wright Flyer relics also among December 6-7 event highlights

An out-of-this-world collection of flown space memorabilia — arguably the world's finest ever assembled by anyone other than an astronaut — will touch down in Heritage's Space Exploration Signature Auction Dec. 6-7, 2024.

This 113 lots in this auction from the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke are but a portion of the treasures gathered over the last several decades by the Belgian collector.

"The collection Jacques Bracke put together is absolutely incredible, and there will be more to come in future auctions at Heritage," says Brad Palmer, Director of Space Exploration at Heritage Auctions. "This auction focuses on items in the collection that actually flew into space, many of which have not reached the collecting market in decades. He built his collection through many avenues, including through previous auctions, but he also bought some directly from the astronauts themselves. The breadth and quality of his collection — he has flags, medallions, patches and even a Star Chart from Apollo 11 — is simply astounding."

Among the top attractions is an Apollo 11 Flown American Flag on a Crew-Signed Presentation Certificate that is signed by the mission's three astronauts. The 6-by-4-inch flag is mounted on a 10-by-12-inch certificate with the following printed text: "This Flag Traveled to the Moon with Apollo 11, the First Manned Lunar Landing, July 20, 1969/ APOLLO 11/ July 16-24, 1969/ Armstrong - Collins – Aldrin" and is signed beneath the printed mission insignia: "Neil Armstrong," "M Collins" and "Buzz Aldrin." Printed at the very bottom are the words Armstrong said in what is the most famous line in the history of space exploration: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

One of the inarguably fascinating lots in the auction from the collection is an Apollo 11 Flown Command/Service Module Trans-Lunar Coast Star Chart Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, which comes with a signed certificate of authenticity. Titled "CSM TLC STAR CHART (B)/ LAUNCH JULY 21," it was specifically designed for use in the Command Module Columbia during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. This museum-worthy chart, which has been in Bracke's collection since 2009, displays the Sun and planets as colored dots, standing out vividly against the star field to make them readily identifiable by the astronauts.

An Apollo 17 Flown Robbins Sterling Silver Medallion, Serial Number F38, Originally from the Personal Collection of Astronaut Joe Kerwin, was flown aboard Apollo 17, the 11th manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program. With a crew of Commander Eugene A. Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt, it also was the first night launch and the sixth and final lunar landing mission of the Apollo program. A total of 300 were minted to commemorate the mission but just 80 were flown, making this is the rarest of all Apollo silver Robbins medals.

The auction features a pair of lots of Flown Space Suit Patches from astronaut John Young. Thanks to his position aboard several Gemini and Apollo missions, as well as the Space Shuttle, Young is acknowledged as one of the most prolific of all American astronauts. One of the lots is a signed, framed display of Four Flown Space Suit Patches from Apollo 10 that includes (top to bottom) a U.S. flag measuring 5-3/4 by 3-3/4 inches, a NASA logo on Beta cloth (worn on the right chest), an Apollo 10 mission insignia on Bega cloth (worn on the left chest) and his "J. YOUNG" Beta cloth name patch (worn on middle chest). Also in play is a signed, framed display of Three Flown Space Suit Patches from Gemini 10, a prize that includes (top to bottom) a 5-1/4-by-4-inch U.S. flag, an embroidered Jemini 10 mission insignia patch and Young's "J.W. YOUNG" name patch (worn on right chest). Patches that come directly from an astronaut's space suit are coveted by collectors because of the difficulty in acquiring them. Both of these lots fit that criteria, and come from Young's personal collection.

Items that have been to space and owned by astronauts always generate significant interest among collectors, and that holds true with the auction's 20 lots from Personal Collection of Fred Haise. If not for a nearly catastrophic explosion, crew members Haise and James Lovell — would have had their names added to the list of 12 who have walked on the moon. A little more than two days into the mission — and more than 200,000 miles from home — Haise was completing a routine stirring of the oxygen tanks when members of the crew heard an explosion from the Service Module's oxygen tank, the ramifications of which included an interruption for several seconds of communication back to Earth. With oxygen in short supply, the decision was made to bring the vessel home, shortening the trip by some 36 hours and canceling the lunar landing.

Among the lots in the auction from Haise's collection is an Apollo 13 Lunar Module Aquarius Flown Translation Control Assembly T-Handle Controller. The Translation Control Assembly (TCA) allowed for precise manual control of the lunar module's translation-its linear movements along the X, Y and Z axes during spaceflight, utilizing a series of thrusters for positioning. This specific controller was operated by the astronauts to command reaction control system (RCS) jets for pitch, yaw, roll and linear translation, allowing the Lunar Module to maneuver during docking, undocking, descent and ascent phases. Following the Service Module oxygen tank explosion, the crew's ability to manually control the LM Aquarius became critical, and the lunar module was repurposed as a "lifeboat" to support the crew of Apollo 13.

Also from the Haise collection is an Apollo 13 Lunar Module Aquarius-Flown Flashlight. The explosion and subsequent aborting of the mission had altered plans to salvage various pieces of hardware from the Lunar Module LM-7 or Aquarius, and a flashlight was one of those items that Haise used for most of four days to provide lighting. With the extreme power down there was little spacecraft lighting available. The offered flashlight is the one used on Apollo 13 and has been in Haise's personal space artifact collection since 1970. It represents an extraordinary link to one of NASA's most challenging missions, with the poignant inscription "LIT MY WAY HOME" echoing the pivotal role such equipment played in ensuring the astronauts' safe return. This is the first time this unique artifact has been offered publicly.

One of the fascinating lots that will be available is a Moon Globe Signed by 27 NASA Astronauts, Three Soviet Cosmonauts, Two Pilots of SpaceShipOne and Two Space Film Actors. This 12-inch Replogle Lunar Globe with plastic base is signed by an array of spaceflight personnel, with each Moonlanding mission member's signature on the side of the moon on which he landed, as well as all three cosmonaut signatures appearing on the "Dark Side" of the globe. Among the most famous names inscribed on the globe are Walt Cunningham ("Apollo 7"); Buzz Aldrin ("Apollo XI"); Michael Collins ("Apollo XI CMP"); Alan Bean ("Apollo 12"); Richard Gordon ("Apollo XII"); James Lovell ("Gemini 7 PLT, Gemini 12 CDR, Apollo 8 CMP, Apollo 13 CDR … and has also written "Houston, we have a problem!"); Haise; Charlie Duke ("Apollo 16") and Gene Cernan ("Apollo XVII").

Other top lots in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• An Apollo 11 Flown Crew-Signed "Type One" Quarantine Cover, Hand-Numbered EEA-45 and Certified by Buzz Aldrin

• An Original Soviet Orlan D Spacesuit

• An Apollo: Lunar Module Rocket Engine, Reaction Control System Marquardt R-4D Injector Body and Extended Nozzle

posted 11-24-2024 01:16 PM               

Are Heritage Auctions reliable trustworthy and established?

Are all the links in the opening post directly connected to Heritage Auctions?

posted 11-24-2024 02:25 PM               

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

All of the links in the press release are original to Heritage as provided by the auction house.

posted 11-25-2024 09:56 PM               

The Zeiss 80mm Planar lens was manufactured in 1980 and doesn't have the modifications that were made to similar flown lenses on Mercury and Gemini missions. If NASA purchased this lens in 1980 it would not have been for this camera body.

posted 11-27-2024 12:53 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Larry McGlynn:
I believe that Dr. Bill Hanson painted the covers.

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posted 12-02-2024 08:33 AM               

For me I look at that special item and set an amount in my mind, once it goes past that number I will allow my self one maybe two bids then I walk away as too expensive for my taste. I try to have a second item down stream from that one in case I do not become the highest bidder on the first item.

posted 12-09-2024 03:28 PM               

Out-of-this-World Treasures from Elite Collection Lead Heritage's Space Exploration Auction Above $2.7 Million

Apollo 10 space suit patches, Apollo 11-flown American flag, trans-lunar chart among December 6-7 event highlights

Bidding interest soared for a signed, framed display of Four Flown Space Suit Patches from Apollo 10 that once belonged to an astronaut acknowledged as one of the most prolific in the history of the U.S. Space program. By the time the final bid landed, the display of patches from astronaut John Young more than quadrupled its pre-auction estimate when it sold for $137,500.

The out-of-this-world result for this magnificent lot led Heritage's December 6-7 Space Exploration Signature Auction to $2,737,584, thanks to eager participation by more than 1,500 bidders.

"John Young's name is sprinkled throughout the annals of the U.S. Space program," says Brad Palmer, Director of Space Exploration at Heritage Auctions. "The fact that this lot performed so well shows that Heritage Auctions' clients not only want items that belonged to astronauts, but they also understand the historical significance of Young and the missions on which he flew."

The display was one of more than more than 100 lots in this auction from the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke, a Belgian collector whose collection is considered one of the very finest in the world from a non-astronaut. More treasures from his collection will be offered through Heritage Auctions in future auctions. The lots selected for this auction revealed a focus on items that actually flew into space, many of which have not reached the collecting market in decades.

Also from the Bracke collection was an Apollo 11-Flown American Flag on a Crew-Signed Presentation Certificate that not only was aboard the first lunar landing mission, but also was signed by the three astronauts on board. The 6-by-4-inch flag, which bears the signatures of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, includes at the very bottom are the words Armstrong said in what is the most famous line in the history of space exploration: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This magnificent keepsake more than doubled its estimate when it sold for $93,750.

The Bracke collection produced one of the auction's undeniably fascinating lots: an Apollo 11 Flown Command/Service Module Trans-Lunar Coast Star Chart Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin that brought $68,750, more than doubling its pre-auction estimate. Titled "CSM TLC STAR CHART (B)/ LAUNCH JULY 21," it was specifically designed for use in the Command Module Columbia during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. This museum-worthy chart, which has been in Bracke's collection since 2009, displays the Sun and planets as colored dots, standing out vividly against the star field to make them readily identifiable by the astronauts.

Items that have been flown to the Moon always generate interest, and that was the case for an Apollo 11-Flown American Flag Certified and Signed by Michael Collins, also from the Bracke collection, that more than doubled its pre-auction estimate when it drew a winning bid of $55,000. A 6-by-4-inch silk U.S. flag that flew aboard the Apollo 11 mission, Collins has signed on two of the lower white stripes in black ink: "Carried to the Moon on Apollo Eleven/ July 1969- Michael Collins CMP."

The Bracke collection yielded many of the treasures in the auction, but the event also featured selections from the collection of Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, who was scheduled to become the sixth man to walk on the moon, a plan that changed after an explosion in the Service Module's oxygen tank. Among the lots from his collection was an Apollo 13 Lunar Module Aquarius-Flown Flashlight Directly from the Personal Collection of Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise that shined brightly at $106,250, more than 10 times the pre-auction estimate. The explosion and subsequent aborting of the mission had altered plans to salvage various pieces of hardware from the Lunar Module LM-7 or Aquarius, and a flashlight was one of those items that Haise used for most of four days to provide lighting. With the extreme power down there was little spacecraft lighting available. This flashlight is the one used on Apollo 13 and has been in Haise's personal space artifact collection since 1970. It represents an extraordinary link to one of NASA's most challenging missions, with the poignant inscription "LIT MY WAY HOME."

One lucky bidder got a grip on an Apollo 13 Lunar Module Aquarius Flown Translation Control Assembly T-Handle Controller from Haise's collection for $55,000. The Translation Control Assembly (TCA) allowed for precise manual control of the lunar module's translation-its linear movements along the X, Y and Z axes during spaceflight, utilizing a series of thrusters for positioning. Following the Service Module oxygen tank explosion, the crew's ability to manually control the LM Aquarius became critical, and the lunar module was repurposed as a "lifeboat" to support the crew of Apollo 13.

Complete results can be found at HA.com/6304.

posted 12-13-2024 04:56 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by rjurek349:
The prices realized in this auction were very strong, for the most part, which was good to see.

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posted 12-16-2024 04:29 AM               

By the way - I have some very valuable tulip bulbs that have been passed down in my family for a few generations if you're interested. Should be worth millions by now.

posted 12-16-2024 10:10 AM               

I'm sure there were collectors with serious budgets who went through pushing bidding up on multiple items across the range pre-sale, then once they're in the live auction they don't want to come away with nothing so they push hard on multiple items until they win enough to burn their budget.

posted 12-17-2024 08:20 PM               

That was the reason I posed the question, because just having good material doesn't completely answer the question of the pricing. I am happy with the results because it is saying that the hobby is strong. I would love some data about the sale from Heritage such as the number of registered bidders as well as some demographics on those bidders. While I know that information won't be forthcoming as that is private information known only to the auction houses. I would just love to gauge the extent of the market now.

posted 12-19-2024 11:10 AM               

I recall that each crew member received two pairs of gloves, but I'm not sure what that means in terms of flown status (I'll check on this). In any case, the Heritage glove was produced immediately before or after her mission-used gloves, so it's clearly directly associated with Sharman's flight and/or training.