In my opinion, the Apollo programme stands as mankind’s greatest technological achievement.
I am not alone in holding this view and memorabilia surrounding the space programme, and in particular Apollo 11, regularly achieve astonishing results at auction.
My top tip today is, without a doubt, something that commemorates one of the most important moments in history.
Michael Collins’ original Apollo 11 flight suit – A unique opportunity with impeccable provenance.
This is the personal NASA flight suit worn by Michael Collins after his recovery from the Apollo 11 mission.
Michael Collins was an American Astronaut and Command Lunar Module Pilot of the Apollo 11 mission, which took the first men to the moon on July 20, 1969.
Collins’ role in Apollo 11 was to control the main craft, Columbia, while Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon in the Eagle, and hopefully returned to rejoin it.
“Keep talking to me, guys”, he radioed through as Eagle and Columbia drifted away.
Whilst Armstrong and Aldrin remained on the lunar surface, Mission Control commented that “Not since Adam has any human known such solitude as Michael Collins is experiencing” as Collins orbited around the far side of the moon with only his tape recorder to talk to.
Collins however says he never felt lonely during his 48 minutes of each lunar orbit out of radio contact. What he was unnerved by, however, was the idea that the Eagle would fail to reconnect with Columbia – all three astronauts thought this was likely.
“My secret terror for the last 6 months has been leaving them on the Moon and returning to Earth alone; now I am within minutes of finding out the truth of the matter”, he wrote during his last solo orbit.
“If they fail to rise from the surface, or crash back into it, I am not going to commit suicide; I am coming home, forthwith, but I will be a marked man for life and I know it”.
He had written a list of 18 different scenarios, including ones where the lunar module failed to return. This list ran to 117 pages. In the event, the reconnection went fine, and the three returned to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
They were then put into quarantine, wearing blue flight suits, in case they had picked up any unknown diseases during their trip.
You now have the chance to own the suit Michael Collins wore after his recovery from the most important trip of mankind.
The suit has numerous zipped pockets, snap pockets and Velcro patches (one of which, on the chest, would have originally carried Michael Collins’ name tag), as well as the circular blue, white and red embroidered NASA logo patch stitched to the chest.
It also bears the Flite Wear label of the manufacturers Land Mfg.Co of Wichita, Kansas who were the official suppliers to NASA.
How do you put a price on a unique piece of Apollo 11 memorabilia?
It’s very hard to put a price on such a unique piece of Apollo memorabilia.
However, when I researched recent auctions for “comparables”, the picture became clear…
During the recent 40th Anniversary celebrations, a set of insurance envelopes signed by Buzz Aldrin sold for $15,860.
A personal cheque signed by Neil Armstrong on the date of his lunar mission sold for a record $27,350. Astonishingly, its minimum bid price was only $500; it fetched 54 times the price.
A wrist-mounted checklist used by the Apollo 16 astronauts, featuring cartoons of nude women drawn by the NASA engineers, sold for $206,000.
And an Apollo 11 navigation chart used by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to mark their position on the lunar surface sold for $218,000.
Taking that into consideration an Apollo 11 flight suit, with provenance of this calibre, is the rarest of any souvenir of the Apollo 11 mission.
In my view, the only more significant piece of Apollo memorabilia would be a Space Suit used during the actual moonwalks. There are only two of those and both are in museums with an estimated price tag of $25 million each.
Another comparable flight suit is that of Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. Tibbets’ flight suit sold for $250,000 at auction on 7 November 2008.
The Michael Collins flight suit is, without doubt, one of the most important items associated with the Apollo 11 moon landings.
So, now the important part…
I am willing to let this remarkable piece of memorabilia celebrating mankind’s greatest achievement go today for the humble price of £75,000 ($123,750).
Impeccable Provenance
The flight suit has impeccable provenance from Joe Garino, who was responsible for the fitness of the Apollo astronauts, and heavily involved in the Apollo 11 mission.
It was released from Collins’s locker when he retired from NASA in 1970.
The suit was removed and retained by Garino with the express permission of NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper.
Mr Garino has supplied a signed letter of authenticity, with two images of the suit, stating “Blue NASA flight suit worn by Michael Collins after his recovery from the Apollo mission…”
Such provenance cements the value and provides the required integrity as an investment in Space Memorabilia.
The Time Is Right
This is my final top tip for now. It is time for me to rekindle my search for the world’s most interesting unique pieces, where I can get them at a fair value.
This item presents a unique opportunity to own part of mankind’s greatest achievement.
Your timing is perfect, ahead of the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary, when prices are sure to surge again.
This is a rare chance to buy in to one of the most popularly collected themes in memorabilia at a sensible price.
To secure this item, you can call me on +44 (0)1481 708273 or e-mail mhall@stanleygibbons.co.uk.
This is one of my favourite pieces. Anything that is unique immediately sparks my enthusiasm. But, the fact that it celebrates perhaps the most important historical event of the 20th Century is what makes it so special when considering investment potential.