WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!
A small step into space artefacts could turn into one giant leap for your wealth
ASK anyone over the age of 60 to name a significant memory and many will say they say recall watching the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 16, 1969 when Nasa astronaut Neil Armstrong made history, along with his fellow spacemen Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
With the 55th anniversary of the landing this year, there’s a surge in interest by collectors for space memorabilia from the Golden Age of Space (1950s-1970s) who want their own piece of history. Think equipment, photographs and autographs.
While you might think this niche market would see few genuine artefacts in circulation, this is not necessarily the case. For in September 2012, the U.S. government introduced a bill to give former Nasa astronauts full rights of ownership over mementoes they had amassed during their missions.
Nasa employees – all 400,000 of them at the time of the landing – were also able to acquire Apollo souvenirs when the program ended.
Adam Stackhouse, senior specialist in History of Science & Technology at auctioneer Bonhams says that Apollo Program anniversaries as well as recent achievements in space exploration have all contributed to attracting more collectors to the field, adding that, ‘Prices have risen since we first held our Space History auction in 2009.
‘When looking for items of space memorabilia provenance is key. Buyers should be able to trace the history of the item in question. For items produced in quantity, such as Nasa photographs, condition is a major factor and value will follow accordingly.’
Look out for items that were used on the Apollo missions, especially
Apollo 11, as they are always in demand, Stackhouse says.
An information sheet which was used by Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin to land the lunar module ‘Eagle’ on the moon in 1969 was sold by Bonhams for $44,800 (£35,468) last year.
A star chart used by Buzz Aldrin during the same mission fetched $38,400 (£30,355), while a signed copy of History Of Rocketry & Space Travel by rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun was snapped up for $10,240 (£8,097).
Next month, a collection of space photographs – including a signed picture of Apollo 7 astronaut Wally Schirra taken in 1962 – will be put up for sale with Bid Again Auctions in aid of the American Space Museum in Titusville, Florida.
More than 100 items including a silver 1972 Apollo 16 medallion once owned by U.S. physician and astronaut Story Musgrave will go under the hammer with Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, on June 14.
‘Flown items can connect the collector with their respective mission like nothing else,’ Stackhouse says. ‘The supply is limited as many of the important artefacts from the missions were sent to the Smithsonian Museum.’
For anyone content to see space memorabilia rather than buy at auction – the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artefacts.
Rare items can come up at auction though. In 2019, a gold medal Neil Armstrong carried in his personal kit was sold for $2 million (£1.6 million).
The medallion was one of a set made for astronauts at their request and had been in the Armstrong family for more than 50 years.
Two years earlier a buyer paid $1.8 million (£1.4 million) for the bag Armstrong used to collect rock samples from the lunar surface.
Florian Noller, a space dealer and founder of German space collectibles retailer Been In Space, says: ‘We currently see a lower supply in new items as most of the early astronauts are unfortunately gone and their collections sold.’
While new items may not come up, it does increase competition among buyers, causing the value of items to skyrocket.
Noller added: ‘With the upcoming Artemis program next year, there will always be a historic demand for the first lunar flight and landings Apollo 11 through to 17.’
Original Nasa photographs are also valuable as they allow people to connect to the missions as they convey the emotions and achievements of the space program. Contemporary prints in good condition have become rare over the years as photographs can be easily damaged.
The first selfie taken in space, captured by Buzz Aldrin in 1966, was sold for $19,125 (£15,113) in 2022. Meanwhile, the first photograph of a human in space, taken in 1965 by James McDivitt of Ed White during the first American spacewalk, was expected to fetch £6,000 at auction but went under the hammer at Christie’s for £10,625 in 2020. Avoid items that were massproduced as they are unlikely to retain their value, advises Daniel Wade, of Jersey-based auctioneer Paul Fraser Collectibles.
‘There are masses of toys, keepsakes, costumes, books, models and so on to add to your collection,’ he says. ‘Much of this material is mass-produced and so not likely to be hugely valuable.’
Instead, opt for personal items such as autographs.
‘Competition is fierce for quality signatures. Complete in-period sets of signed photos from the Apollo 11 crew sell for an average of £15,000,’ says Wade.
Armstrong reduced his signing over time and put his pen down in 1993, in protest at the growing market for his autograph.
‘For single signers, Neil Armstrong is at the top of the market. An Armstrong signed photo is worth an average of £10,000,’ says Wade.
‘My general advice to collectors is to buy what you like and regardless of where the market goes, you will always have something you enjoy,’ says Stackhouse. a.cooke@mailonsunday.co.uk
‘Competition is fierce for quality signatures’