Apollo spaceflight souvenirs including Robbins medallion, US flag sold at auction

Dozens of priceless pieces related to space and tech, including a rocket engine that carried Neil Armstrong to the Moon, were auctioned this week. As many as 288 items from about 45 collectors were sold through this week’s auction that ended on July 16. A Robbins Medallion, Alan Turing Autograph Letter Signed (ALS), and an American flag carried to the lunar surface were among the most valuable items.

The Robbins Medallion, that flew with Ed Gibson on his 1972 trip to the Moon for Apollo 17 mission, was auctioned off for $50,907, over ten times its minimum bid. The rare and historic sterling silver Apollo 17 Robbins medal is approximately 1.25 inches in diameter, and featured a raised design of the mission insignia on the face. The other side of the coin is encircled with raised text, “America-Challenger, Apollo XVII, The Beginning”. 

The medallion is engraved with the launch date of December 6, 1972, the moon landing date of December 11, 1972, and the reentry date of December 19, 1972. Only eighty medals were flown on man's final voyage to the moon, the fewest carried on any Apollo mission, making it one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-obtain of all the Apollo-flown medals.

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US flag from Apollo 15 mission

Another significant memorabilia was a small American flag which was carried to the lunar surface aboard the Lunar Module Falcon during NASA’s Apollo 15 mission. Astronaut Dave Scott carried it in his pocket while he walked on the Moon the Apollo 15 mission in 1971. The flag was expected to fetch $2,500 but was auctioned off for a whopping $31,251.25.

The consignors included Steve Jurvetson, the SpaceX and Tesla (TSLA) board member and Silicon Valley investor. The pieces were sold through RR Auction, a destination for space fans who are obsessed with collecting and preserving pieces of space history. A law, passed by Congress in 2012, has granted Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo crew members ownership of their souvenir.

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(Representational image)