Michael P Wright is the proud owner of one of the most complete collections of space memorabilia currently in existence - though it doesn't stop there. The flight fanatic also has a small selection of Wright Brothers items and a very special addition from Elvis Presley…
Perhaps the most impressive section of Wright's remarkable amassment is the autograph of every single space voyager, from a Vostok 1 launch cover signed by Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, to the June 16, 2012 signature of Liu Yang of the Shenzhou 9. A truly impressive feat for any space collector, many of the autographs were gained by Wright in person and the majority are personally inscribed with his name.
 Wright describes this signed photo as his pride and joy |
But it is his Apollo 11 items that will most excite fellow space collectors. Wright has acquired an incredible array of unique items from the historic Moon landing, including a space dust sample that is over twice the size of normal presentations and has been signed by lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin. He also owns a series of checklists and maps used by the Apollo 11 crew in their first few moments on the Moon's surface, which feature handwritten annotations.
There are also several samples of material and sections of film that were flown aboard the Apollo missions, although there are no Robbins medals to be found anywhere in the collection, despite the fact that they are usually among some of the most valuable and coveted items for space collectors.
A swatch of fabric from the historic Wright Flyer (the world's first successful powered aircraft) provides diversity in Wright's stunning collection - and even that is of the finest quality. An unusually large sample measuring 4.4cm by 4.5cm, the swatch originates from the Wright family themselves and has been signed by two of their relations.
In a bizarre addition, he also has a superb signed photograph of Elvis, which was personally made out to him by the king.
With no plans currently afoot, space collectors can only hope that Michael P Wright's collection comes to auction in the near future. Should it be sold, it will undoubtedly cause a storm and could be one of the most important space auctions ever seen.
See Paul Fraser Collectibles' own space and aviation memorabilia collection here, which includes a very special Buzz Aldrin item and a collection of Wright Brothers photographs that come with fascinating provenance.
