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NEIL-ARMSTRONG- MEMORABILIA
“1st man on moon” Neil Armstrong’s memorabilia to be auctioned
HOUSTON, July 22, 2018 (BSS/XINHUA) – The personal collection of Neil
Armstrong, the first man to have set foot on the moon, is to be sold in a
series of auctions later this year and in 2019.
The artifacts on offer range from those associated with Armstrong’s
historic 1969 lunar landing to his private mementos.
They include pieces of a wing and propeller from the 1903 Wright Brothers’
Flyer, a heavier than air aircraft, that the spaceman took with him to the
moon; Apollo 11 Robbins medallions, silver medallions commemorating the
launch, landing and return of the mission; a gold pin flown on Gemini VIII,
the sixth earth-orbiting spacecraft in NASA’s Gemini program; and important
correspondence, according to Texas-based auction company Heritage Auctions
that will be handling the auction.
Armstrong was one of the three astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission and one
of the two who landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. The quote he made on
landing on the moon — “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for
mankind” — has become a legend.
Armstrong died in 2012 and his two sons, left with a large collection of
mementos after his death, felt the need to conserve, restore, and research
them. The idea of auctioning thus came into their mind.
“I think he would be pleased to be remembered as being part of a program
that demonstrated amazing things can be achieved when people come together to
dedicate themselves towards a common goal,” his son Rick Armstrong said.
The two have collaborated with a firm to document the artifacts’
authenticity and provenance.
The auctions will be held on Nov. 1-2 this year, as well as in May and
November of 2019, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.
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